In perfect time for Anti-Bullying week, Andy and I discuss what constitutes bullying in an online context and why we don't use the term Cyberbullying. We also talk about what professionals (youth workers, teachers, social workers and the like) can do if they are aware that a young person is being bullied through digital technology. We talk about the potential problems that professionals might face when issues arise in young people's digital worlds, such as parents becoming involved and how online and offline bullying should be dealt with in the same way.

In this episode we talk all things Youtube - we'll be considering the benefits of Youtube, considering how young people use Youtube and how that might be different from our experiences of media, but that doesn't necessarily mean harmful. We'll then go on to talk about using parental controls, how they work and what the potential pitfalls of relying too heavily on them can be.  We also discuss how to manage suggested videos, and how if a young person is seeing a great deal of harmful or upsetting content this can be edited to show less of the stuff you don't want to see. We specifically talk about Squid Game and how even young children have been able to watch some of this, very violent show, through Youtube when their parents would not allow them to watch on Netflix. Similar to Grand Theft Auto, if everyone is talking about a show (or game) children and young people will inevitably be curious and are therefore likely to seek out clips on Youtube. 

What will the Online Safety Bill mean for professionals? Should you do anything differently? In this episode we discuss what the Online Safety Bill actually means for teachers, youth workers, social workers or anyone else working with young people. We'll talk about the potential issues with the bill and what you should do in the meantime.

Have you heard politicians saying they're going to make the internet safe for our children and wondered what that means? In this episode Andy and I talk about the Online Safety Bill, what it aims to do, what it might actually do well, and what it definitely won't be able to do. This episode will give you a run down of everything you need to know about the Online Safety Bill if you work with or support young people. We also talk about some if the potential problems with the planned bill for the wider population, and why we should be concerned about them. The next episode will look at how it specifically relates to young people and what you will need to know if you support young people. Andy uses the acronym ISP in this  episode, which refers to Internet Service Providers.

What can you do if you see something racist or homophobic online? What if a young person says they've seen something offensive or upsetting online?  In this podcast we talk about the issues around hate speech online, whether reporting actually works and what follow up support you might need to offer. Andy mentions 'Incels' this refers to people who consider themselves 'Involuntarily Celibate', it is typically men who are unable to engage in romantic or sexual activity with women, despite wanting to. It is an emerging form of extremism and often young men aregroomed into it online. I also mention a podcast called Be AntiRacist, by Ibram X Kendi, which you should be able to find wherever you listen to podcasts.

Do you know what your digital footprint is? Or how you can manage it? Could your digital footprint affect your ability to get a job? Is everything you've ever put online still out there somewhere? To help you navigate some of these questions, in this episode we discuss digital footprints, what problems it can cause and how you can manage those problems.  This isn't just an issue for young people, anyone who uses the internet leaves some sort of record of what they've done. Some of that record might be harvested to target advertising at you, and some of it might be available for anyone out there to see. So if you want to know what you can do if you find something about yourself online that shouldn't be there, we'll tell you how to get it removed - and we'll also discuss how you can do the same for any young people you support. I mention an article about the 3 Ps - Private, Personal and Professional - it can be found here: http://thempra.org.uk/downloads/Social%20Pedagogic%20Concepts.pdf

Talking to young people is our bread and butter, right? In reality a lot of professionals have told us they struggle to start conversations with young people about their online lives, and that even if they do, the young people in question are often very cagey and unwilling to talk openly about what they enjoy doing online, let alone things they might be worried about.  In this episode we discuss a variety of approaches to talking to young people about what they do online, whether that's gaming, messaging or creating content. We'll talk about how to keep the conversation open, how to encourage young people to come to you about issues they might face online and what you should avoid. If you're worried that a young person you support may be facing bullying or harassment online, or just want to know more about what they're actually doing on Snapchat - this podcast will help you!

In this episode Andy and I discuss Only Fans, a porn site. As such there is a frank discussion of pornography. I mention a sex worker friendly, pay-what-you-can, counselling service, it can be found here: pineapplesupport.org/pineapple-support-therapists/ We also talk about the Professionals Online Safety Helpline, which can be accessed here: www.saferinternet.org.uk/helpline/professionals-online-safety-helpline 

What is encryption and why is everyone talking about it? In this episode we talk about why people are worried about end to end encryption. We consider the right to privacy versus the risk of privacy. We talk about the four horsemen of the infocalypse - aka the scare tactics governments use to get us to agree to hand over all our data.  Why does it matter when it comes to young people? Well, the right to privacy is enshrined in the UN convention on the rights of the child. But how do we keep children and young people safe online if we can't see everything they do online? We talk about the reasons for this right and how we can manage the right to privacy alongside our safeguarding responsiblities.

What is a troll? If you support young people who might be victim to trolls, or who might sometimes troll others, this episode is here to help! You might have heard of the Blue What Challenge, Momo, The RoRo challenge and be at your wits end of how to broach the topic with young people. We myth bust these 'digital ghost stories', with some ideas for how to fact check, how to avoid spreading panic and why some people want to spread that panic in the first place! We also talk about the ways that celebrities engage in trolling, trumpeting extreme opinions to stir everyone up and get themselves trending on twitter. Trigger Warning - in this episode we discuss self harm and suicide.

Sexting, sending nudes, naked selfies - all professionals worry about young people sending them. But are they really forever? And how can we ensure young people get the help they need if they’ve lost control of a self generated image? In this episode Andy and I discuss how professionals can best support young people, using case studies from our own experience.

In this episode we talk about not harmful behaviours and how they can prompt positive conversations with young people about their online world.

In this episode Andy and I discuss potentially harmful behaviours and how to respond to them. If you would like to know about the training for the Online Resilience Tool just go to https://www.headstartkernow.org.uk/digital-resilience

This episode looks at the Harmful Behaviours from the Online Resilience Tool and uses some case studies to highlight particular issues, such as when something might initially appear to be a Harmful Behaviour but with more information may be less concerning, when to involve other professionals and how our personal values may affect our understanding of young people's online behaviour. I mention a video about ways we teach children that consent doesn't matter - you can watch it here: https://youtu.be/FDSu2tyxmKE The audio in this episode isn't great - we'll re-record it when lockdown is over!

This episode of the Online Resilience Tool is aimed at parents. We discuss issues around screen time, the futility of tracking apps and the importance of setting boundaries that the whole family can keep to.

This episode introduces the tool, how the idea of it came about and how it works. Discussion ranges from screen-time to the dark web and how navigating this as a professional can be challenging. Andy and Louisa share ideas on approaching the subject with young people, things you don't need to know in order to talk to a young person about their online life and how your skills and experience enable you to support young people (even if you feel like a luddite!)

Hi - this is the Headstart Online Resilience Podcast where I talk to Professor Andy Phippen about all things to do with young people’s online lives and how you, as a professional can best navigate the tricky world of young people’s online activities to help them understand the risks and stay safe. We talk about everything from how to report hate speech online, to what OnlyFans is and how we should respond if young people say they’re using it. So if you work with children or young people - whether as a teacher, social worker, school nurse, youth worker, TA or anything else - and want to know what you need to know, then give us a listen - and if you like what you hear, why not share us with your colleagues and friends!

This is a short version of the Harmful Behaviours episode with only the discussion of case studies - great if you don't have time for the full episode!

A shorter version of the Healthy/Not harmful behaviours episode if you don't have time for the full version.

A shorter version of the Potentially Harmful Behaviours if you don't have time to listen to the full version.

In this podcast we discuss some of the behaviours in the Online Resilience Parents Guide. 

In this episode Andy and I discuss some of the behaviours in the 13-15 year old section of the Parents Guide.

In this episode Andy and I discuss some of the behaviours in the 16-18 year old section of the Parents Guide.

In this episode Andy and I discuss some of the behaviours in the 6-8 year olds Parents Guide.

In this episode Andy and I discuss some of the behaviours in the 9-12 year olds section of the Parents Guide.