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February 16, 2024

One in five children found to engage in illegal activity online 

  • The National Crime Agency (NCA) is calling on parents and educators to help young people understand the implications of their behaviour online.
  • It comes after a survey of children 10-16 years old showed 20% engage in behaviours which violate the Computer Misuse Act.
  • Consequences include being arrested, risk of expulsion from school and limits on their internet use and career opportunities.
  • For more, please visit the NCA website.

Brianna Ghey’s mother and Molly Russell’s father join forces to combat online harm 

  • Despite Esther Grey and Ian Russell losing their children under different circumstances, the theme through both is social media.
  • They met for the first time to discuss how they can help protect teenagers online.
  • Both parents want to join forces to prevent other parents experiencing the same situation they have.
  • For more, please visit the BBC News website.

NYC is suing social media companies for allegedly harming the mental health of children 

  • The city is suing Meta, Google, Snap and TikTok for “fuelling nationwide youth mental health crisis.”
  • The city believes there is a correlation between the increase of social media usage, and the decline in local youth mental health over a decade.
  • Google and Meta have stated they have always worked with youth safety experts and provided parental control tools.
  • For more, please visit the Engadget website.

Antisemitic incidents in UK schools soared in 2023, charity reports 

  • Community Security Trust (CST) reported that antisemitic attacks in schools have risen by 232% on the year before.
  • The majority of these attacks have taken place following the Hamas attack in October 2023, the CST reported.
  • The Education Minister Robert Halfon said he was concerned about the rise and will continue to engage with schools to ensure they have the tools to tackle antisemitic abuse.
  • For more, please visit The Guardian website.

The following story may be regionalised:

Number of 10 to 19-year-olds charged with rape in London doubles in two years 

  • Met Police figures have revealed that the number of 10–19-year-olds charged with rape in London has risen by 111%.
  • The figures come as Sian Ruddick, an NHS specialist in supporting adolescent rape victims, warned over the increase of teenage boys copying what they see in violent pornography.
  • She has called upon teachers to hold workshops on consent and boundaries in schools.
  • For more, please visit the Yahoo News website.