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European Day of the Protection of Children Against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse

On the European Day for the Protection of Children Against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse, which takes place today (18 November), the Irish Safer Internet Centre is highlighting support services available to parents, carers, children and young people.

International day against violence and bullying at school including cyberbullying

Each year, the International day against violence and bullying at school will be observed on the first Thursday of November. It calls on all countries, organizations and people to come together with the common purpose of ensuring schools are free from fear and violence. This International day aims to eliminate violence and bullying at school including  cyberbullying, so that all children and young people can fulfil their right to education,  health and well-being. 

Hotline.ie Annual Report

Hotline.ie findings reveal that 1 in 5 webpages assessed as displaying child sexual abuse images and videos, in 2019, included a paywall alongside “preview” images to advertise premium access to further abusive content subsequent to payment.

The Full Picture

The Full Picture is a short film exploring how young people use social media to connect and share. The film […]

Keeping it Real

The lines between the online and the offline world are becoming more blurred - what happens online is often just an extension of what is happening offline. While social media and the internet can sometimes be painted in a bad light, the reality is that it provides many positive opportunities. It’s a way of connecting with others, to share memories, to be creative and to learn, and gives people a voice to highlight social issues and affect positive change. It may sometimes appear like a highlights reel, but it can be good to have a platform to share the positive things happening in your life! But as in the offline world, it has its ups and downs. We can strike the balance, by embracing the positives of social media and the internet, and disregarding the negatives.

Myth v Reality

Social media is a fantastic way to connect and share with others. One of the great things about social media is we can decide what photos, posts, videos we share and as a result, many of us present an idealistic version of ourselves. It’s a great way of sharing parts of our lives with others - posting images and captions that we want others to see. But we are less likely to share the parts we don’t want others to see, or possibly think they wouldn’t be interested in. While social media has many benefits, it can be a place where we feel pressure to live up to certain standards, or which can instil self-doubt when we see images or the lifestyles of others.

Online Pressures – Filtering the Good from the Bad

Social media is a great  place to connect with others and to share parts of our lives, see into other people’s worlds, and is a fantastic platform to raise awareness about important issues.  On the other hand though, it can add pressure by portraying an idealised version of normal life. Our newsfeeds often contain images of people looking great, wearing nice clothes, and doing exciting things. Living their best lives!

You are what you like? The influence of online algorithms

Have you noticed that when you go online or login to social media you are presented with content, news, articles or ads that somehow know the things that you are interested in? It makes sense that you will see updates from people or organisations that you follow, but what may be less obvious are the algorithms (complex mathematical formulas) working in the background which determine what content is presented in your newsfeed or search results. Platforms such as Google, Facebook, Instagram, and Tik Tok all have their own closely guarded algorithms which personalise the content they show to us – different users who use the exact same search terms or scroll through the same social media platform are likely to see different content.

Phishing – Advice for Parents

Phishing is when fraudsters try to gain access to your confidential information such as bank details, credit card information, or passwords.

False Information – Advice for Parents

With so much content available to us, it is important to be able to judge how accurate and reliable our information is.

Be in Ctrl: Protecting yourself online

#BeInCtrl – A Short Film on Online Grooming from PDST Technology in Education on Vimeo. Created to compliment the Be […]

Safer Internet Day Awards 2020 – Winners

Congratulations to the primary, and post-primary, winners in the Safer Internet Day Awards 2020! Hundreds of students and schools from all over Ireland entered the awards, which recognise the incredible efforts of young people to highlight Safer Internet Day and to help create a safer, better internet.

Covid 19: Online Safety Advice for Parents

These uncertain times have led to an understandable disruption to family life, with parents and children spending more time than usual at home, and online.

Safer Internet Day Awards 2020 – Winners Post-Primary

Using Webwise Resources at Home

Helplines

Talk to someone

Worried about something you have seen online or concerned about your child? Childline and the National Parents Council Primary offer free advice and support service.

Childline is a support service for young people up to the age of 18.There is a 24hr telephone, online and mobile phone texting service.

1800666666
50101
Get started


The National Parents Council Primary enables and empowers parents to be effective partners in their children’s education.

01 887 4477
helpline@npc.ie

Report

Report Illegal Content

Sometimes you might unwittingly stumble across illegal online content like child abuse imagery. Always remember: you can report it and get it removed using Hotline.ie.

More on illegal content

Make a report

Hotline.ie exists to combat the distribution and proliferation of illegal content, like child sexual
abuse content, in conjunction with police and Internet Industry