Dear Editor

AN AVERAGE of one child per classroom has received a naked or semi-naked image online from an adult. That’s according to recent research by the NSPCC.

And it’s further proof that, while the internet presents so many wonderful opportunities to children, it also poses a number of risks to their safety.

At the NSPCC, we pride ourselves on doing everything we can to protect children in their digital worlds.

As we approach Safer Internet Day on February 5, I believe it is important to offer support and tips on online safety to parents of children living in Gloucestershire.

•Talk to your child about staying safe online.

•Explore their online world with them.

•Agree rules of what is okay, and what isn’t okay.

•Manage your family’s settings and controls.

But there’s so much more that the government should be doing and our #WildWestWeb campaign aims to keep children safe online and force the big tech companies to start taking some responsibility.

We’re calling on Home Secretary Sajid Javid and Digital Secretary Jeremy Wright to stand up for children and tame the social networks.

We would like them to introduce an independent regulator to monitor social media, encourage them to produce a detailed report on how they’re keeping children safe on their sites, as well as demanding outlets offer safe accounts for children to prevent online grooming.

To support our campaign and sign our petition, visit nspcc.org.uk/what-we-do/campaigns/wild-west-web/

Yours sincerely,

Chris Cloke

Head of Safeguarding in Communities

NSPCC