A new youth-led project that aims to give children and young people a voice and an opportunity to amplify their views on child safety online issues is being launched in Wales.

The initiative is a partnership between the NSPCC and Platfform and will be led by an advisory group of young people aged 11-18 from across Wales. The group will also work with community and school groups.

The group aims to amplify young people’s voices and help them shape the future of online safety in Wales by sharing their perspectives with decision makers and those with responsibility for child safety online.

Some of the young people have already contributed to a meeting of the cross-party group on Preventing Child Sexual Abuse in the Senedd on Thursday.

Eight young people attended the event, including three from Platfform, to share their views with Senedd Members about peer-on-peer sexual harassment, including online.

One young person from Platfform said: “Being able to work with NSPCC on their new project is such a privilege. Being safe online is just as important as when you're disconnected and interacting with the world around you.

“Safety is something everyone should consider online, whether that be the simple things like, keeping your social media private, only following people you know, not sharing personal information.

“But keeping safe on the internet isn't just about privacy, it's also who you speak to and interact with. You never know who someone is nor what they look like, so you should always be mindful when talking to strangers online not just in the world around us. What does being safe online mean to you?"

Through regular meetings, workshops and events, the young people involved will have opportunities to discuss their experiences and provide insights into the key challenges of staying safe online.

It will explore what online safety currently looks like for children and young people in Wales, along with topics such as the effectiveness of controls, responses to harmful content, and concerns such as Artificial Intelligence, online advertising, privacy and education.

Natalie Lewis, Service Manager at Platfform, said: “We are delighted to be working alongside the NSPCC on this crucial project, which will ensure that young people in Wales have a say when it comes to improving online safety and protecting children in the digital world.

“Young people are spending an increasing amount of time online. The evidence points to children becoming active online sooner and using apps from a very young age. This coincides with an increased prevalence of online harms, abuse, and negative impacts associated with excessive use of technology.

“We hope to prioritise the lived experiences and insights of young people, providing them with a platform to share their views and ideas for change, and campaign for better education, resources, awareness and response to online harms.

“The project is youth-led, ensuring that the young people involved are not just participants but take the lead in identifying topics, creating advocacy materials, and designing solutions.”

Ruth Mullineux, Senior Policy and Public Affairs Officer at NSPCC Cymru, said: “Children’s voices are often missing from conversations about child safety online and yet it is crucial that we hear from young people about their views of online safety.

“Young people bring unique perspectives, experiences and valuable insights which help us to understand the true impact of online harm and enables us to identify the support needed to keep them safe. “By listening to young people and championing their voices, we can support decision makers and those with responsibility for child safety online in Wales to keep young people at the heart of solutions to online harm.”

For further information about the Platfform/NSPCC Amplifying Child Safety Online Project, email: [email protected]