Online safety

Creating a safe environment can help keep children safer online whilst keeping in touch and staying up to date with the goings on in your organisation. 

Follow these steps to help ensure a safer online environment for children and young people at your club or activity:

• create a clear tone for your online content which is welcoming and accepting of young people and their differences
• have an online safety policy and an acceptable use statement which includes the use of social media for staff and young people
• reference your online safety policy within your safeguarding policy and make sure staff are aware of your reporting procedures for online abuse
• have specific procedures and specific codes of conduct for young people and staff to follow that outline what’s acceptable behaviour online and what’s not
• ensure that everyone involved, including coaches, volunteers, administrators, parents and children, understands and complies with their responsibilities within these policies
• address any instances of misconduct online in accordance with your online safety and social media policy

Social media best practice

There are a number of ways in which sports organisations can reduce the risk of harm to young people whilst using social media platforms to communicate.

• develop guidance for staff and volunteers that includes guidance on how to behave online when representing your organisation, adopting professional and personal boundaries and how to respond to inappropriate behaviour. You can include this guidance in your online safety policy and in codes of conduct for staff
• agree parameters for staff and volunteers on accessing and communicating with young people on online platforms – will this be limited to normal office hours or outside of this? Work devices and/or personal? Parameters may also be different when events are held.
• develop systems that ensure the transparency of staff’s use of platforms at least 2 members of staff should have access to an account
• put procedures in place for using video conferencing platforms such as Zoom or Skype (more guidance below). This could include ensuring young people use these platforms with a parent present, and having two members of staff dial in to the session, even if one is only observing
• ensure young people are kept safe from exposure to inappropriate content by password protecting sessions delivered by video conferencing platforms and ensure only the presenter can share their screen. Meeting invites should not be shared publicly on social media platforms
• equip young people with knowledge about the risks to them and how to deal with and report any concerns by referring them to Childline’s resources
• develop clear guidelines on social media use for young people. This should include an acceptable use statement, writing online behaviour expectations into your codes of conduct for children
• inform young people who they can contact if they need help on have any questions or concerns about social media

Video conferencing platforms

Video streaming and conferencing platforms such as Zoom and Skype are increasingly being used by sport to deliver online sessions to young people since the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic hit. If this method of delivery suits some coaches, trainers and sports, it’s likely that this kind of delivery will continue in some form long after the pandemic comes to an end.

So, it’s important that organisation and clubs thinks about such platforms when writing their online safety policy and procedure and addresses any additional safeguarding concerns it might bring.

Find out more about the types of social media networks children and young people are using on the NSPCC's Net Aware website. This website also lists the age restrictions in place for social media platforms.

Instant messaging apps

Online messaging apps such as Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp pose an increased risk to young people due to their private nature. Like text messages, content, images and videos can be shared privately, or in groups set up by users. These private messages could be used to bully or intimidate young people, expose them to inappropriate content or groom them for abuse.

Sports organisations need to think about how they use these apps alongside public pages and profiles and how there use differs from those on public platforms. Messages should never be sent privately by a staff member to a young person.

It’s important that clear boundaries are set for adults on how they can use these apps to communicate with young members, and also how to respond to reports of bullying from other children. This guidance should be written into your online safety and social media policy and your acceptable use statement for children.

The digital world is rapidly evolving – here, we highlight sport-specific resources for safeguarding children online, and point you towards the parts of the NSPCC website where you can keep up with what you need to know about online safety.

Help for young people

• Online and mobile safety – Childline's advice for children and young people on using the web
• Report Remove - Childline tool to help young people report a naked image of themsleves online
• Zipit app – Childline have developed a free app to advice young people what they can do if they're asked for nude photos

Information for parents and carers

• NSPCC's online safety pages – information on talking to children about staying safe online
• Net Aware – information and advice for parents from the NSPCC
• Share Aware – encourages parents to understand online safety and talk to their children about keeping safe
• Thinkuknow's home activity packs - to help parents learn about online safety at home with their children 

CPSU resources

• Online safety - 2020 podcast
• Photography – guidance and advice on risks, policies and procedures
• Sample online acceptable use statement – ask children to sign-up to and follow this statement to help them understand the risks online
• Sample online safety policy – use this sample policy to create your own for your club or organisation

Further NSPCC resources

• Keeping children safe online course – an online introductory course for anyone working with children, developed by the NSPCC and CEOP
• Online abuse – guidance on identifying abuse, and where to access relevant support and resources to help
• Online safety advice – helpful advice and tools you can use to help keep children safe whenever and wherever they go online
• Sexting – advice on talking to children about the risks of sexting and what you can do to protect them

Other useful resources and websites

• Child Exploitation and Online Protection command (CEOP) – a UK law-enforcement command dedicated to tackling sexual exploitation of children, which also provides education and awareness resources on the Thinkuknow website
• Cyberbullying and children and young people with SEN and disabilities: guidance for teachers and other professionals – guidance to help professionals understand the issues around cyberbullying for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)
• Good practice guidelines on the use of social networking sites by British Gymnastics clubs and club members (PDF) – provides recommendations for BG club members and parents on the use of social networking sites as they relate to that individual’s role in a BG club
• Sexting in schools and colleges – responding to incidents and safeguarding young people – a guide produced by UKCCIS on responding to disclosures, handling imagery, preventative education and working with parents
• Social media policy display poster – a best practice example by Herefordshire & Worcestershire Sports Partnership
• UK Safer Internet Centre – offers a wide range of advice and resources on how to stay safe online, whether you are a young person, a parent or carer, or are working with children

Publications

• Cyberbullying and its impact on young people’s emotional health and well-being research. The Psychiatrist 37(5): pp 167-170 – Helen Cowie (2013)
• Victims’ voices – the impact of online grooming and sexual abuse research (PDF). Universal Journal of Psychology 1(2): pp 59-71 – Helen C Whittle, et al (2013)