Hello and welcome back to Safeguarding Soundbites with me, Colin, the Head of Safer Schools at Ineqe Safeguarding Group. On this week’s podcast we’re going to be talking about the latest in safeguarding news and what our teams of experts have been looking at this week.

With January nearly over, we’ve been looking ahead to the rest of the year and thinking about the online trends, risks, and threats for 2022. From misinformation, cyberbullying and online scams to the continuing and rising trends like NFTs, esports and virtual reality. We’ve put together a list of what we’re watching out for this year and what we think you should be aware of too.

The 28th of January marked Data Protection Day – an international day to stop and consider how we – and others – create, use and share our data online. Now, I know data is not the most exciting of subjects but the reality is that it’s incredibly important. Our latest article on data protection breaks down how easy it is to give away information you might not intend to, and the impact it can have when it gets into the wrong hands.

Head over to our website to learn more about keeping your data safe and Online trends, risks and threats in 2022

In the news this week, concern has been raised about teenagers who are addicted to TikTok. A study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, found that those who showed addictive tendencies towards the platform had a reduced working memory capacity, alongside increased depression, and anxiety.

Also in the news, the draft Online Safety Bill has been criticised for being neither clear nor robust enough to tackle some forms of harmful content. The Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport Committee have asked the government to address content such as deepfakes, child sexual abuse material and provide further clarity on the involvement of Ofcom as a regulator.

The wellbeing of teachers has been described as ‘on a knife-edge’, with the Evening Standard reporting that loss of confidence and unmanageable workloads during the pandemic is impacting the wellbeing of teachers.

Thank you for listening and as always we love to hear your feedback so please get in touch via our website, email or social media. Have a great week and stay safe!