Spotlight on Safeguarding

Child-on-child abuse refers to any inappropriate behaviour between children that is abusive in nature. This type of abuse is so named because it typically involves individuals who are similar in age or developmental stages.

Child-on-child abuse can occur either in person or online, and it can happen anywhere – at school, in the park, or even within the confines of a child's own home via internet-connected devices. This type of abuse encompasses physical, sexual, or emotional abuse, harassment, exploitation, bullying, coercive control, and initiation rituals.

It is important to keep in mind that child on child abuse can cause harm to both the victim and the perpetrator. There is often a complex web of reasons why a child may engage in abusive behaviour towards another.

Spotting the signs that your child may be experiencing abuse:

• noticeable change in behaviour
• not wanting to go to school or spend social time with specific friends
• withdrawn or mood changes
• changes in the times spent online
• asking for money or giving belongings away/losing belongings

In the current news climate, we often hear about knife and weapon-related incidents, but it may feel distant. As parents/carers, it's crucial to actively educate our children about these risks. Early intervention is key, and here are some strategies to consider:

• reassure your child that they can always talk to you if something feels wrong
• establish sensible socialising boundaries together
• keep track of their whereabouts and company, incorporating this into the agreed boundaries
• maintain open communication with your child's friends' parents/carers.

Whilst WhatsApp may market some of its features as protecting the privacy of users, the also put children in a vulnerable position.

• End-to-end encryption means that only people in the chat can read the messages; this also means that chats cannot be monitored for illegal activity.
• Live location sharing can be useful but it also means that children and young people can put themselves in a vulnerable position by sharing their location to people they don't really know.
• View once allows content to be sent and read by users only once before disappearing.This leaves children and young people vulnerable to being sent inappropriate content and not being able to report it as it has disappeared.
• Disappearing messages means that content disappears after either 24 hours, 7 days or 90 days.This may encourage a user to send more risky content as they believe it will disappear. It can be forwarded or a screenshot taken within that time and, therefore, shared with others .

• Check privacy settings (click the cog) to see what information is currently shared.
• Talk to your child about what to do if someone they don't know contacts them(they should tell you).
• Have open conversations about what is appropriate and inappropriate content to share.

Twickenham School

Percy Road

Twickenham

TW2 6JW

0208 894 4503