Online safety - a professional’s thought ahead of ‘I am Ruth’

The debate around online safety is ongoing with the ‘Online Safety Bill’ being back in Parliament this week. It is timely, therefore, that Channel 4 will be broadcasting ‘I am Ruth’ tonight (Thursday 8 December) - a drama focused on a mother and her child caught in the cold, lonely grip of a mental health crisis.

“We wanted to open up a conversation for people who just don’t know how to have it.” - Kate Winslet

In both a professional and personal capacity, Clinical Director and CEO of Kids Inspire, Sue Bell OBE spoke to local radio BBC Essex ahead of the broadcast, saying:

“Once a young person has a smartphone they have access to things that are very difficult for a parent to control.”

Sue Bell OBE

Parental control is just one consideration, another is the level of maturity of the person accessing a device:

“Once a young person gets into social media - TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat - and all the things that young people get into, they start becoming anxious because they are looking for the 'likes' and the positive responses, and when they don’t get them it has a huge impact. It can make them not want to attend school or not want to take part in activities, and to really withdraw.

“There are some young people that really benefit from having that online contact, but there is a level of maturity that is needed to really understand the impact we have on each other with the comments that are made on social media.”

When considering how we can make young people feel a bit safer online, Sue went on to say:

“More controls are necessary and that needs to come from policy and the social media/tech companies.

We need to find ways to reduce cyber bullying and the anxiety that comes from online platforms for young people. Owning a smart phone and having access to online platforms requires a good level of maturity.”

A final thought from Sue is aimed at all those things that we don’t take into account at a young age:

“Lots of employers look at someone’s social media presence when deciding to employ somebody, and at the age of 12 or 13 that is not a top priority for you.”

‘I Am Ruth’ airs on Thursday 8 December at 9pm on Channel 4.