Through our recent youth engagement work with Barnardo’s Scotland, hearing from children and young people across Greater Glasgow and Clyde about their online experiences, one message came through clearly:

Young people want more support to manage their privacy online.

In fact, 38% of young people in our engagement project identified online privacy as their biggest concern and area they need more support. In terms of digital skills, one in five shared that keeping their personal information safe was the biggest challenge (20%). Research from the Information Commissioner’s Office also found that three in four parents feared their child couldn’t make safe online privacy choices.

What is online privacy?

Online privacy is about having the right to control what information you share and who can access it when you use the internet.

Why is keeping privacy online important?

Growing up online brings many positives, connection, creativity, access to support, but it can also come with risks.

• Young people can share more online than they realise, including personal details like:
  • Full name
  • School/location
  • Birthday
  • Photos and videos that show what they look like and what they do
• Poor privacy settings can expose young people to:
  • Online bullying or harassment
  • Contact and pressure from strangers
  • Scams or misinformation
  • Grooming or exploitation
• When their privacy and personal details are compromised, young people may experience:
  • Anxiety and stress
  • Loss of control
  • Financial impacts
  • Reputational impacts

Empowering them to manage their privacy settings and make informed choices helps them to build their confidence, resilience, and digital independence.

Useful resources

Listed below are resources that can support conversations with children and young people about their online privacy.

For children and young people

• Your Privacy and What You Share Online – Advice from Childline on how to protect your privacy and information
• ReelLife – An interactive resource from Childnet for ages 9–14 where young people explore fake social media profiles to identify privacy risks, oversharing, and unsafe interactions.
• Social Footprint Checker – Find out what your social media digital footprint looks like

For parents and carers 

• Social Media Privacy Guides – Step-by-step guides from Internet Matters for setting the right privacy settings on the most popular platforms
• UNICEF – Online privacy checklist for parents of younger children, older children, and teens
• Switched on to Privacy – Information from the ICO on explaining online privacy to your child, making privacy part of their routine, and choosing the right settings for them
• Kids Online Safety Campaign – Information from the UK Government for parents and carers on online privacy, how to talk to your child about keeping their personal information safe, and where to get support

For staff 

• Safe, Secure, and Empowered – Resources from YouthLink Scotland for youth workers around online privacy
• RSHP – Learning activities for use in early learning settings and schools – ‘Safe and Happy Online’ and ‘Me Online’

You can download this Online Privacy resource so you have all of this information to hand:

• Aye Mind newsletter – Online Privacy

If you would like to subscribe to our newsletter, email ggc.mhead@nhs.scot and request to be added to the Aye Mind newsletter distribution list.