You may already know that livestreaming plays a major role in children’s entertainment, with a wide range of personalities influencing young viewers in both positive and negative ways. While watching streamers can be fun, it also comes with significant risks, including misinformation, 💰 financial harms, and ⚠️ inappropriate content.

Popular streaming platform Twitch has over 2.5 million viewers at any given time, which is why it’s more important than ever to stay informed. This week’s guide 📖 explores the potential dangers of livestreaming and offers essential insights to help you protect the children in your care.

Online multiplayer games like Roblox are enjoyed by millions across the world and can be a great way for friends to socialise; however, they can also expose young people to variety of potential harms. Roblox is a multi-platform game that enables people to play anonymously, which can often be something that attracts people to misuse the game and put younger players at risk of harm. In addition to interacting with random strangers across the world, it’s important to be aware of other risk factors, such as in-game purchases and potential scams that can put young people at risk financially. This week’s guide offers expert advice about what can be done to ensure that young people have a safe and enjoyable experience with Roblox.

It’s World Book Day this week, a perfect time to celebrate the joy of reading and explore how technology can support literacy. The way we engage with text has changed dramatically over the years. Whether reading captions on social media, instructions in a video game or an e-book on a digital device, technology plays a major role in modern literacy.

Many digital platforms offer tools that enhance readability by making text more accessible and engaging. This week’s guide offers ten top tips on how they can help young readers engage in text and foster a love for reading.

If there are two things that are popular nowadays, it’s Marvel and video games. Marvel Rivals is a new release combining these two into one, letting players take on the role of various superheroes 🦸‍ and villains 🦹 ‍in a competitive multiplayer shooter 🎮💥 The game is free to play on PC and current-generation consoles but does feature microtransactions that allow players to spend real money on cosmetic items for their characters.

While most of Marvel’s content has been family friendly (and this game has been deemed suitable for children as young as 12), this title does still present numerous potential risks to children and young people 🚨⚠️

This free guide offers parents and educators expert advice on the potential pitfalls of Marvel Rivals and how to protect its younger players.

According to Ofcom’s most recent Media Use and Attitudes Report, roughly 55% of 3-17-year-olds in the UK are using WhatsApp as their primary messaging service 📈 Not only does that make WhatsApp the most popular messaging platform among children and young people in the UK, it also means that of the app’s approximately three billion users, over seven million of them are British youngsters – keeping in touch with friends and family, but also being exposed to its various risks ⚠️ 

As parents and educators, it’s our responsibility to stay up-to-date on the safety concerns around this highly popular app, and know how to protect children and young people who are on the platform 🛡️ This free guide, breaks down WhatsApp’s most prominent risks and advising you on how best to safeguard the app’s younger users.

Findings from Ofcom last year indicate that as many as 16% of the UK’s population are currently using dating apps to form new connections 📱🔗 That’s more than 11 million users in this country alone, and among so many, there are bound to be some who don’t hop on these platforms with the best of intentions 👤  

This is especially important to remember when we consider that an Ofcom consultation in the lead-up to the Online Safety Act found that some children and young people use these apps – regardless of their age restrictions 🔞 It’s vital that parents and educators remain aware of the risks associated with dating apps and learn how best to keep youngsters safe from them 🛡️

This week’s expert-led guide details the most prominent risks of these platforms. 

‘Fake news’ is a widespread issue in the digital world, and it's overwhelmingly likely that both children and adults will be exposed to it online ❌📰 In fact, a study from the Alan Turing Institute has found that 94% of people in the UK have encountered misinformation on social media 📈 and that’s only the ones who were aware of it! However, while some fake news is shared mistakenly by well-meaning individuals, it’s also shared by scammers and other cyber-criminals to lend legitimacy to their con. While this presents a clear risk to children and young people online, the question remains as to how we can protect them against such tactics 🛡️ This week’s free guide offers expert advice on the specific ways scammers use misinformation and how to safeguard younger users against these techniques.

Anger at a toy being stolen 😡 Sadness when losing a game 😞 Frustration when struggling in class 😖 As we grow up, we’re inevitably exposed to new and challenging feelings – whether it’s sadness, fear or rage. These emotions can be tough to handle when we’re still learning about the world – and even once we’ve passed into adulthood – which is why emotional literacy is a vital life skill.

Of course, when emotions are running high, it can be tricky to help young people process these feelings in a healthy way, but it’s incredibly important that we do so as parents and educators. This free guide provides you with expert tips on teaching children to recognise their own emotions and deal with them in a mindful manner.

This week, Wake Up Wednesday is all about fitness apps. Over time, more and more fitness apps have been finding their way into circulation. Usually free to download – at least initially – these apps claim to offer helpful advice and assistance in routine management to those looking to lead a healthier lifestyle. This free guide breaks down the risks of health and fitness apps and offers expert advice on how to address these concerns to safeguard younger users.

With 22% of its billion-strong userbase being between the ages of 13 and 17, the popularity of TikTok among the younger generation is indisputable. Providing entertainment in the form of a stream of short-form video content 📼 while allowing its users to post videos of their own 📽️, the app has skyrocketed to prominence over the last few years, becoming a fixture in young people’s digital lives 📱.

Of course, with a platform as popular and gargantuan as TikTok, it can be intimidating trying to figure out how best to safeguard children and young people using the app. This brand-new guide to TikTok, details the main online safety concerns and suggests strategies to reduce these risks for the app’s younger users. 

JusTalk Kids – billed as a child-friendly version of the JusTalk social networking platform – boasts a strong community of younger users, with approximately 20 million accounts having been created on the app 📱. In theory, a social media site designed specifically for children and young people should avoid many of the usual risks associated with other platforms 🛡️ 

In practice, however, it’s important to note that JusTalk Kids has its fair share of online safety concerns. You’ll find expert advice on the hazards in the app, and how you can safeguard the children in your care as they use it in this week’s free guide, empowering you to make a young user’s time on the platform as secure as possible. 

Social media apps such as TikTok and Instagram are immensely popular among children and young people: Ofcom found that 96% of children have their own profile on at least one of these platforms by the age of 17. These apps feature short-form, algorithmically tailored content 🔬 ensuring that their users spend as long as possible viewing posts and videos 👁️ 

As parents and educators, it is vital for us to safeguard the children in our care if – or more likely, when – they use social media 🛡️ However, the question then becomes “what exactly can we do?” This week’s expert-led guide is here to answer precisely that, offering top-level advice on keeping children and young people safe as they navigate the digital landscape.

The holiday season is fast approaching! 🎅 While we hope you’re excited to kick back, relax, and enjoy some well-earned rest with friends and family, it’s still vitally important that we do all we can to safeguard the children and young people in our care over the festive period 🎁 

However, it can be tricky to know what specific steps we can take to ensure our winter break is as calm and risk-free as possible. Check out this expert advice on keeping youngsters safe over the festive season ❄️🛡️ 

According to findings from the NHS, 1 in 5 children in England suffer from a probable mental health issue, with 420,000 treated for such problems every month 😔 With such high numbers of young people in need of mental health support, it’s perhaps unsurprising that plenty of them have turned to using apps intended to help them through these kinds of challenges 📱

Unfortunately, there are plenty of risks associated with these services ⚠️ from data collection to a potentially unhelpful, impersonal experience. It can be difficult to know how to keep young users safe as they navigate these services, but this week’s free guide provides expert advice on how to do exactly that, while also breaking down the specific safety concerns of mental health and wellbeing apps.

As one of the most popular messaging apps available, Snapchat sees an enormous amount of usage across the globe – with a significant number of those utilising the platform being under 18. For that reason, it’s important to understand the potential risks to younger users when spending time on this app. It can be tricky to know how to safeguard younger users on Snapchat 📸 but we aim to show you how, while also giving you in-depth knowledge of the online safety risks posed by this platform. 

Teaching strategies for saving and responsible spending early on can be a huge help to youngsters, in a way that will stay with them for the rest of their lives. It can be tricky to know the best approach for teaching money management to children, however, especially in terms of giving them practical experience with this important life skill. This guide – made in collaboration with financial education app GoHenry – provides you with expert advice on how to educate children and young people on both spending and saving their cash.

Cycling can be a fun and healthy way to pass the time for children and young people – encouraging them to go outside and stay active, while also spending quality time with parents, carers or other trusted adults. It’s also a useful skill for adult life: teaching youngsters how to use a cheaper, healthier and more eco-friendly method of transportation where possible. However, the risk of injuries that cycling carries can quickly put young people off the hobby. If a child is being introduced to cycling as an activity, it’s essential that they’re also taught how to stay safe while out and about. This free guide offers you expert advice on how to practise safe cycling and preserve the wellbeing of children when going out for a ride.

11th November marks the beginning of Anti-Bullying Week, and this year’s theme is “Choose Respect”. Statistics from experts, the Anti-Bullying Alliance, reveal that 40% of children in the UK have suffered some form of bullying within the last year, with the most common experience being name-calling and verbal abuse. While it can have several causes, this kind of behaviour is commonly seen when a disagreement between two youngsters gets out of hand and emotions take over 😠 

Many children are still learning how to conduct themselves, and it can be difficult for them to know how to act when faced with someone who disagrees with them, or otherwise find themselves in conflict with another person. It can also be tricky for parents and educators to teach them how to resolve disputes in a mature and healthy manner.

This guide offers you expert advice on teaching children and young people to choose respect when interacting with their peers, helping to create an environment based on empathy and tolerance.

Ofcom’s latest Media Use and Attitudes Report states that most children can watch streamed films on a mobile device both in and out of the home, with 80% of UK children watching films on phones, tablets or laptops 📱💻 That’s a lot of youngsters who might be using their own gadgets to watch something suitably spooky this Halloween season 🎃 or perhaps, something a little too frightening. 

With older children in particular, it can be difficult knowing how to manage their increasing interest in more mature content – including horror films, in many cases – let alone knowing how best to safeguard them from inappropriate material. The free guide offers expert advice not only on the risks of exposure to horror films and other potentially upsetting content, but also on preventing young viewers from seeing this material or protecting them from being too deeply affected by it if they do. 

This week, Wake Up Wednesday is all about fire safety. It can be difficult to know where to start when teaching children and young people about this potentially life-saving topic. Wake up Wednesday breaks down the steps you can take to protect youngsters in common situations – from bonfire night 🎆 to lighting a few scented candles 🕯️