Warning to parents and guardians as children increasingly exposed to harmful online content in summer
Parents in Shropshire are being urged to help keep their children safe online throughout the summer break with youngsters being "routinely exposed" to the most serious harmful content.
Counter Terrorism Policing West Midlands has issued a warning amid the summer holidays where young people are expected to spend more time online.
It follows messages delivered by Counter Terrorism Policing and the National Crime Agency last week, who West Mercia Police said are "increasingly seeing children being routinely exposed to the most serious harmful online content".
This includes sexual violence, self-harm and suicide content, extreme gore, animal cruelty, indecent images of children, and terrorist content.
Police said this "bombardment of online harms" could quickly become normalised, adding that "worryingly", some children who come to the attention of Counter Terrorism Policing and the National Crime Agency are "completely desensitised to extreme and obscene content".
Counter Terrorism Policing is a collaboration of UK police forces working with the UK intelligence community to prevent, deter and investigate terrorist activity.
Police and M15 have reported seeing "high levels" of young people in terrorism-related investigations. 2023 saw the highest numbers of terrorism arrests of young people since records began.
Police said young people are increasingly spending more time on gaming platforms, messaging apps and other online forums during the summer break, which online offenders exploit.
Parents and guardians are being urged to speak with their children and support them with identifying harmful content and what to do if they come across something that concerns them.
Police added that measures such as using parental controls on apps, routers and individual devices can also help, but said it is "essential" that these measures are accompanied by regular conversations to help children and young people make the right decisions online.
Head of Counter Terrorism Policing West Midlands, Detective Chief Superintendent Alison Hurst, said: "Unfortunately we know that nationally more and more young people are being exposed to harmful content online and led down dangerous paths because they are being targeted by criminal gangs or extremists. This is happening across a range of criminality, including child sexual abuse, violence and terrorism.
"By speaking directly to parents, guardians and caregivers, we hope to increase awareness of the dangers young people may be facing online, and empower them to feel confident in supporting their children and protecting their safety in online spaces.
"We encourage you to speak to your children about their online safety and the type of content they’re looking at. If they see something that concerns them, report it to us straight away."
Report it & advice:
Internet Matters provides practical advice to parents on how to help their children navigate the ever-changing digital landscape.
Anyone with concerns is being asked to report it to police by calling 101 or 999 in an emergency.
Residents can report extremist or terrorist online content anonymously online at gov.uk/report-terrorism.
