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Do you have questions around online safety and wellbeing for your children? Mumsnet and Google will be taking your questions to an expert panel - £200 voucher to be won

58 replies

GraceEMumsnet · 11/10/2022 09:21

Created for Google

This discussion is now closed, thanks for all of your questions

Google and Mumsnet CEO, Justine Roberts, will be taking your questions to a panel of parliamentarians and industry experts on the 5th December to help tackle parents’ concerns around online safety and internet wellbeing. The discussion will cover mental wellbeing, advice for talking to your children and practical tips on how parents can find the right balance online.

  • Everyone who shares a question on the thread below will be entered into a prize draw.
  • One lucky user will win a £200 voucher provided by Mumsnet.
  • Well be back after the event on the 18th October to share the discussion


Thanks and good luck with the prize draw!

MNHQ

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Citybumpkin87 · 11/10/2022 14:06

My concern is we are being very reactive rather than proactive in all these talks and measures. Are we not accepting enough of the digital future and inevitable transition we all need to take, and in so hindering our children?

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ReReippyy · 11/10/2022 20:20

My DD is young but already very interested in the iPad 🙄How early should you start thinking about online safety for your children?!

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BigLlamaLady · 11/10/2022 20:38

Online safety is such a minefield. How can we make sure our children are safe, but without being too overbearing?

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danascully96 · 12/10/2022 01:12

I’ve decided never to post any photos of my kids when they’re young online — is that an extreme measure nowadays?

And how do I talk to my kids about the bad lessons of porn without seeming Puritanical/prudish/invasive?

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RondaYolanda · 12/10/2022 04:13
  • When will the UK implement age verification for viewing online pornography?
  • Why doesn’t Google have a form to report CSAM (child pornography) on their services to them directly?
  • Why don’t large internet companies such as Facebook have a helpline at which you can contact a human?
  • Since we lost the right to be forgotten with Brexit, will the UK create it’s own law protecting privacy?
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RondaYolanda · 12/10/2022 04:19

Why are internet companies such as Google and Twitter not penalized for possessing and distributing forms of pornography that are illegal in the UK such as CSAM (child pornography)?

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RondaYolanda · 12/10/2022 06:03

Under current law, will all our emails and other internet messages eventually enter the public domain like our unpublished letters will?

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MadamElderfield · 12/10/2022 07:51

An inquest verdict has ruled that Molly Russell was killed by online content promoting suicide and self harm across Meta, Pinterest and Instagram.

The psychiatrist on the case was quoted as being ‘unable to sleep’ after seeing the content Molly viewed in the days before her death.

Despite numerous statements about how serious they are about online safety, Instagram is still hosting self harm images or failing to identify and remove them.

When will we see an online safety bill that goes beyond policing of online platforms and tackles the algorithms and design features that underpin these influential and profiteering companies?

How can we trust a government that turns a blind eye to the youth mental health crisis and refuses to acknowledge the role of online platforms in this? I would like to see the UK lead the way on this.

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Smsquared · 12/10/2022 09:06

I've recently heard that the majority of children have viewed porn online by age 8. This is incredibly disturbing thinking about 8 year old children having access to violent and misogynistic materials.
What can be done to stop this? Where are the controls?

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JBMumov2 · 12/10/2022 09:13

It is a total minefield. When you have a child and life is hectic it feels like giving them a device is incredibly helpful, and it is. They often learn from the content they are watching and most importantly for a parent, it keeps them entertained. But what I am not clear on is, what IS the responsibility of the internet company, the government and then the parent. Where are the lines? I understand that this is a difficult decision as the lines are often blurry and change with technology, but some idea of where the lines are. Even establishing this would be helpful for parents. I recently watched the film the social network and noticed that all of the previous 'Head of' from these platforms did not allow their children any screen time, ever. That is because they understand these lines, and are not happy with the current status to allow their child to go online.

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Dizzywizz · 12/10/2022 09:16

At what age would you say to stop monitoring your child’s online activities? Or not at all until they are 18?!

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AGC21 · 12/10/2022 11:51

How can you manage the balance of independence whilst also keeping them safe and away from any danger? It seems to be a very fine line and I keep thinking I am doing everything wrong. I grew up with very little digital so it is a total minefield for me and my DC know more about digital than I will ever do!

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sanpellegrinocinnamonbun · 12/10/2022 12:49

What role do you think schools need to play in ensuring our children are aware of the dangers and keeping safe online?

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jellybeanpopper · 12/10/2022 16:41

How can we incorporate some of the teaching needed into formal teaching, an annual school assembly for example.


I fear that I'll teach my kids what I feel they need to know, but other children may not realise the severity of their actions.

There is currently a thread on Mumsnet about a boy requesting and possibly distributing photos of a girl. He probably does not know the severity and potential consequences of this

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RondaYolanda · 12/10/2022 17:57

How can we stop our children from being exposed to pornography at school on other children’s smart phones?

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MumC2141 · 13/10/2022 08:34

How can governments hold large internet companies to account to protect children and stop the use of algorithms that push damaging content onto vulnerable individuals? When will we see government action to protect children against these large companies instead of expecting that parents will constantly police this, which just isn’t feasible as children grow older in an internet connected society.

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rainbowraybaby89 · 13/10/2022 10:31

Hi, im 21 weeks pregnant, today i descaled my toilet and accidentally inhaled some fumes, resulting in a very mild cough/sore throat, baby is moving, are there any risks? I have drank plenty to try and avoid any damage

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rainbowraybaby89 · 13/10/2022 10:38

Thank you :)

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ParsleyTL · 13/10/2022 13:57

It has been established that social media, and particularly on smartphones, is detrimental to children’s mental health. For this reason, some schools now require mobile phones to be turned off, placed in the child’s locker on arrival at school, and locked away until the end of the school day. Children seen with a phone are given several detentions.

But many other schools allow children to have their phones on all day, even encouraging children to use them during lessons for research, oblivious of the fact that this means children are on Snapchat and Wattsapp, enabling cyber bullying and porn at school.

Why can’t there be a national ban on children using phones in school between 9am-4pm? In fact, why can’t smartphones be completely banned from school premises? I know children may need to phone home if they miss the bus, but they don’t need a smartphone for that.

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Oceans12 · 13/10/2022 19:00

I agree with other posters that there should be better control of the availability of pornography to minors.

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hastalavista · 13/10/2022 19:33

How do I keep my children safe whilst still allowing them to communicate with their friends?
Why is sending unsolicited naked pictures no longer seen as a crime but getting those pictures sent them the mail would be???

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Trinidading3 · 13/10/2022 20:36

Is there any kind of Internet Police Website? If not shouldn't one be made/built so that any internet concerns/issues can be send straight through with details and then acted upon immediately? Surely with the internet things could be stopped/blocked instantly? If we can send a rocket to space the internet can be policed if the government really wants it to be. The internet is like stepping into another world and this "internet world" needs to be policed/managed otherwise it will spin out of control if left to its own .

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Fluffyslippersohyes · 13/10/2022 22:51

This reply has been withdrawn

Withdrawn at poster's request.

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CrueTrimeGal · 14/10/2022 12:40

Trying to limit screen time and monitor which apps and games your children are watching is a near impossible task. For example if you restrict an app on a device, they can still access that same content on another platform. Surely its down to the companies as well as the parents to safeguard our children. I have plenty of suggestions, its about how to implement them across several different apps, that's a challenge.

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GraceEMumsnet · 14/10/2022 16:00

Thanks so much for all of your questions! Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances, we have had to postpone Tuesday’s roundtable.
We will update you soon as we have a new date confirmed and bring you the answers as soon as we can!

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