Definition of Online Safety - Online safety is being aware of the nature of possible threats that you could encounter whilst engaging in activity through the internet.

Definition of Online Abuse - Online abuse is any type of abuse that happens on the internet. It can happen across any device that’s connected to the web, like computers tablets and mobile phones.

Definition of Cybercrime - Cybercrime is criminal activity committed using computers and/or the internet. It is I broadly categorised as either “cyber-enabled” (crimes that can happen off-line but are enabled at scale and at speed on-line) or “cyber dependant” (crimes that can be committed only by using a computer).

Types of risk/harm

The number of online issues that could be regarded as harmful is considerable, but they can be categorised into four areas of risk:

Content - exposure to illegal, inappropriate or harmful materials, e.g., pornography, fake news, racism, misogyny, self-harm, eating disorders, suicide, radicalisation and extremism. Even pre-school children may come across such content – especially on devices with voice-activated search enabled.

Contact - being subjected to harmful online interactions with other users, e.g., peer pressure; cyberbullying; adults posing as children or young adults with the intention to groom or exploit them for sexual, criminal, financial or other purposes; sexual abuse (including involving children in looking at, or in the production of, sexual images, watching sexual activities and encouraging/coercing children to behave in sexually inappropriate ways).

Conduct - personal online behaviour that increases the likelihood of/causes harm, e.g., making (including AI-generated), sending and receiving consensual and non-consensual nudes and semi nudes and/or child sexual abuse material; sending sexually explicit messages; cyberbullying; allowing apps/websites to access location; sending inappropriate and/or indecent images and information to a device’s contact list; obsessive use of the internet and ICT, for example, addiction to video games, social media self-image and number of likes; exposure to/creation of hate mail or offensive images, game hacking, device crashing, stalking, harassment, videoing/livestreaming assaults.

Commerce - finance-based risks (both as victims and perpetrators), e.g., online gambling; in-game spending; inappropriate advertising; phishing and/or financial scams e.g., being persuaded or tricked into ‘money muling’ or ‘squaring’ (moving someone else’s money through your bank account for a commission); copyright infringement, for example, the illegal sharing of music, pictures, videos or documents.

The UK Safer Internet Centre has support and helpful information available if you have been affected by any online safety issues or if you would like to learn more about ways to stay safe online: https://saferinternet.org.uk/online-issue