“You can tell me if something on a screen felt strange or upsetting. We can ask a grown-up together.”
For parents / First response
Something upsetting happened online.
What can I do now?
The first job is not to become a technology expert. It is to help your child feel heard, check whether anyone is in immediate danger, and decide the next safe step together.
Start with the next few minutes.
- Listen first. Say, “Thank you for telling me. I’m glad you came to me.” Give your child time and avoid blame or repeated questioning.
- Check urgent safety. If someone is in immediate danger or there are threats, use local emergency or child-protection services.
- Keep harmful content from travelling. Do not confront another child or share harmful posts. For sexual imagery involving minors, do not copy, download, or forward it; seek specialist or local advice about reporting and evidence.
- Use the right reporting route. For school-related concerns, contact the school’s designated safeguarding personnel or the appropriate local service. This site does not accept incident reports.
- Agree a check-in. Ask what would help tonight and when you will talk again.
“Thank you for telling me. You don’t have to work this out alone. We can decide the next step together.”
Use words that fit their age
Keep the door open.
These are starting points, not universal rules. Adapt them to your child, local law and your school’s procedure.
“You don’t have to answer or fix it yourself. Let’s decide who can help and whether to block or report.”
“We can work through your options together. I’ll take your privacy seriously, and I’ll explain when safety means involving another adult.”
Please adapt locally
Know where to hand it on.
Immediate threats belong with local emergency services. School-related safeguarding belongs with the school’s designated safeguarding contact. This general information is not a reporting service, and it cannot triage a live case.
Return to the parent route