Dear Editor,
Since lockdown measures were first introduced our Childline service has delivered more than 1,500 counselling sessions about mental wellbeing, with children from Wales reaching out for help with loneliness and anxiety. For those already isolated in some way before lockdown, that loneliness has deepened.
This National Safeguarding Week, it’s important we recognise the impact the pandemic has had on children, young people and their families, and the increased risks they’re facing online.
Children are spending more time online because of the restrictions in place, and so the pandemic has created a perfect storm for offenders to groom children in their homes. It is crucial we are ready to support children to speak out and feel safe, because the 133 police recorded offences in Wales of Sexual Communications with a Child in the first three months of lockdown is no doubt the tip of the iceberg.
We hear the direct impact online abuse has on children through Childline and our In Ctrl and Protect & Respect services. With our partners at O2 we created a site called Net Aware to help families talk online safety together and review advice and tips for the most popular and latest apps, and these are now available on Hwb.
We’re continuing tirelessly to push the UK Government to deliver on its Online Harms Bill, making sure its robust enough to protect children and young people online and hold big tech firms to account if they don’t do enough.
Des Mannion
National Head of Service
NSPCC Cymru
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