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The Fight Against Digital Dangers: The Social Switch Project Host Successful Online Harms Forum
Social Switch Project brings together leading voices to support calls for a greater focus on tackling online harms affecting young people. The Social Switch Project staged an online harms forum, bringing together key influencers including Georgia Harrison and the founder of the Breck Foundation, to support calls for a safer online environment for all young people. The Social Switch Project, funded by London’s Violence Reduction Unit, staged the Online Harms Forum to promote collaboration, drive safeguarding efforts and provide crucial support to protest young people against online harms. It was a significant step forward in the fight against digital dangers, bringing together academics, influencers and organisations to forge a safer online environment.
Attendees heard from Lorin LaFave Gordon from the Breck Foundation, whose 14-year-old son, Breck Bednar, was murdered after having been groomed online. She talked about how lack of education across statutory services played a part in the disbelief in Lorin’s concerns about Breck being groomed by a young male. Lorin talked about the difficulties in trying to persuade Breck into cutting contact with the concerning gamer, and how people’s perceptions of grooming were different then, to what they are now. She was joined by former Love Island UK star, Georgia Harrison, who has campaigned and lobbied in parliament having been a victim of revenge porn. She was successful in helping change the law to make it easier to prosecute those sharing revenge porn. She highlighted that she is working closely with the central government to make it illegal to share unconsented content for those who are victims of revenge porn. There were also key contributions on the darker aspect of the online world, where harmful content and behaviours can surface and lead to violence, from renowned experts including Michael Railton and Gwenno Thomas from Ofcom, and Adam Barr from the Metropolitan Police UK. Clara Ackingbade and Kai Bibi from the VRU’s Young People’s Action Group were involved in a panel, discussing critical topics such as online grooming, image-based sexual abuse, and online violence. The importance of addressing these online harms topics is further underscored by the enactment of The Online Safety Act 2023. This new set of laws protects children and adults online, imposing a range of new duties on social media companies and search services, making them more responsible for their users’ safety on their platforms.
The Online Harms Forum followed the latest report from the Police Chiefs' Council on Violence against Women and Girls, which highlighted that online harm particularly affects young people. The report warned that online influencers like Andrew Tate could radicalize young men and boys into extreme misogyny, potentially leading to offline violence. The Social Switch Project, delivered by Catch22, is dedicated to examining the complex relationship between online harms and their offline repercussions, focusing on the specific challenges and dangers posed by digital content and their real-world impacts. The programme has trained more than 2,800 professionals working with young people. They have used those skills to support young people to navigate the challenges and opportunities of the digital world. It resulted in 91 per cent of participants reporting a significant improvement in their understanding of young people’s social media habits, while 88 per cent have enhanced their awareness of the safeguarding risks associated with social media.
Lib Peck, Director of London’s Violence Reduction Unit, who gave a keynote speech, said: “We are committed to driving down all forms of violence and making London safe for all children and young people. “Whilst the digital world presents huge and exciting opportunities for young people, they are also vulnerable to exploitation and radicalization that has seen a rise in misogyny and led to violence against women and girls. “That is why we fund the Social Switch Project, to better support all young people because it’s vital we put the same focus on tackling violence and supporting young people online as we do in communities, neighbourhoods, in school and when at home.”
Richard Smith, Operations Manager at The Social Switch Project, said: “The Social Switch Project has re-focused traditional online safety training to think more about the experience of young people than the content put before them. It is vital that trusted adults are aware of how young people are being influenced online, and how online behaviour feeds into offline society so they can safeguard and support young people now and in the future.”
Jon Matthews, Service Manager at The Social Switch Project, said: “Social Media plays a fundamental part of a young person’s development into adulthood, something that some young people don't know how to navigate through safely. We have seen an increase in online harms incidents, mental health issues and social barriers for young people - all linking to unbalanced social media engagement. We are educating practitioners, parents and young people on how to build strategies and coping mechanisms to find an appropriate balance with social media use, how to get the best from platforms and harmful activities they could avoid.”.
Catch22 has partnered with e-learning company Learning Pool to improve employability prospects for disadvantaged young people in London. The Social Switch Project will offer online learning and development to assist people who are seeking employment. Read the full article.
The Social Switch Project Launch Event 2019
Young People speaking on the panel at The Social Switch Launch Event 2019
Panel of industry experts at The Social Switch Launch Event 2019
Publications
A list of useful reports and resources for further reading on online harms, social media and youth violence.
Catch22: Social Media as a catalyst and trigger for youth violence, 2017
HM Goverment: Online harms white paper, 2019
NSPCC: How safe are our children - Online Abuse, 2019
UK Youth: Harnessing Lived Experience: A youth-led consultation on the causes and solutions to serious violence against young people, 2019
Young Minds: Resilience for the Digital World, Research into children and young people’s social and emotional wellbeing online, 2016
RSPH: #StatusOfMind, Social media and young people's mental health and wellbeing, 2017
In the news
Links to blogs, news pieces and updates about the project.
Catch22: ‘The Social Switch Project secures funding from London’s Violence Reduction Unit’
Children & Young People Now: ‘Google to fund charities to tackle youth violence’
Work With Offenders: ‘Tackling the links between social media and youth violence’
Russell Webster: ‘Youth violence – switching the story for London’s communities’
Catch22 Blog: ‘How can you encourage positive online behaviour? #SaferInternetDay’
Catch22 Blog: ‘The Social Switch Project Launch Event’
Catch22: ‘Staying Safe Online Poster Hub’
Fundraising.co.uk: ‘Google.org funds project to tackle online harm’
Metro: ‘YouTube gives £600,000 to target glamorisation of violence on social media.’
RedThread blog: ‘Redthread partnership with Catch22, YouTube and Google.org’