National Crime Agency warning parents to be vigilante and check what children are doing online

As schools close for an indefinite time across the country, the UK law enforcement agency tasked with tracking down paedophiles operating online is warning parents to be vigilante and check what children are doing while on digital devices.

The National Crime Agency (NCA) says it is increasing its work with partners to bolster child safeguarding and online safety education.

The agency is warning of an increased risk of offending as people spend more time online and indoors, and the NCA is appealing to parents and carers to visit the Thinkuknow website for advice about keeping children and young people safe.

Last week a man from Darlington was sentenced for making more than 45,000 abuse images as a result of an NCA investigation.

NCA officers arrested Ethan Chapman in August 2018 as a result of an investigation on the dark web.

Chapman admitted three counts of making indecent images of children – 36,186 category A, 8,831 category B and 634 category C.

Thinkuknow is the national online safety education programme from CEOP, the online child protection command of the National Crime Agency.

Thinkuknow helps parents, carers, teachers and others keep children safe from sexual abuse, offering learning activities, advice and support for children and young people aged 4-18 and their families.

While school is closed, here’s what you can do to keep your child stay safe while they are learning and having fun online.

Download helpsheet for parents of primary-aged children.

Download helpsheet for parents of secondary-aged children.

Other recommended resources:

Parent Info – Expert information for parents about digital family life www.parentinfo.org.

NSPCC Net Aware – Provides reviews and guidance on the most popular social networks, apps and games that children use. https://www.net-aware.org.uk/

Internet Matters – A useful tool showing how to set parental controls across a range of devices and websites. http://www.internetmatters.org/parental-controls/interactive-guide/