Rise of under-age TikTok users

  • An Ofcom study shows that a third of parents report their 5- to 7-year-old children have a social media profile and 16% of 3 to 4-year-olds watch videos on TikTok.
  • Around 1 in 3 children aged 8-to-11 years old, has a TikTok account despite it being a strictly 13+ platform.
  • The study also revealed that many children use other accounts or fake Instagram accounts to conceal aspects of their online lives from parents.
  • You can read the full story on the BBC’s website.

One in three internet users fail to question misinformation

  • New research by Ofcom shows that adults and children in the UK overestimate their ability to spot misinformation online.
  • 30% of adults are unsure about content online or don’t consider the truthfulness of online information – a further 6% believe everything they see online.
  • To find out more about misinformation, check out our article.
  • You can read the full story on the Ofcom website.

Hidden nature of modern slavery makes measuring child victims difficult

  • The Office for National Statistics has compiled a collection of data sources aiming to provide a measure of potential child victims of modern slavery in the UK.
  • There is no single data source which accurately quantifies the number of child victims.
  • The most recent data from December 2021 shows an increase of 9% in the number of potential child victims referred to support services.
  • Changes in police recording practices and the COVID-19 pandemic likely affected the number of child victims identified in recent years.
  • You can read the full story on the Office for National Statistics website.

North Yorkshire Police apologise over child protection failings

  • North Yorkshire Police has apologised after a report found the standard of investigations into child protection matters, including child sexual exploitation (CSE) was ‘poor’.
  • Inspectors found the information being shared between agencies dealing with child safeguarding was inconsistent, involving cases of missing children, CSE and other child protection matters.
  • The report highlighted cases where highly vulnerable children who had went missing from children’s homes being recorded as a ‘cause for concern’ rather than ‘missing’.
  • You can read the full story on the BBC’s website.

Hertfordshire mental health unit issued with CQC warning

  • A mental health unit for children has been issued with a warning after inspectors found patients were at risk, with the unit rated as ‘inadequate’.
  • The trust states it has acted and is determined to improve its service.
  • This follows a significant deterioration in care since their last inspection which had been rated ‘outstanding’.
  • You can read the full story on the BBC’s website.