Coronavirus (COVID-19)
England is now subject to National lockdown: Stay at Home restrictions. You must stay at home.
Ever tackled a Tormentor? Maybe you’ve been pursued by a Pretendar?
The internet can be a dangerous place for children and young people, with Trolls lurking in every corner. We’ve all tackled one at some point, but online problems like cyber-bullying, grooming and fraud are ever increasing, and young people are especially vulnerable to these situations.
Portsmouth City Council has teamed up with the Portsmouth Safeguarding Children Board, the Youth Parliament, and the University of Portsmouth to develop our new e-safety campaign ‘Beware of Lurking Trolls!’, aimed at raising awareness to children and young people of the dangers they face when online, using social media or mobile phones.
The campaign uses vibrant and funky artwork to appeal to children and young people, with a tips leaflet, stickers, posters, and full colour children’s book aimed at younger children. Through the use of bright and colourful artwork, the children’s book tells a simple story for five to 11 year olds, placing them in familiar online situations, subtly demonstrating the risks, and what to do if they find themselves in these situations.
Here are four types of Troll you could, or may have, come into contact with:
These cyber bullies have very small brains, so the only enjoyment they get out of life is by bullying others, and make their lives a misery. If you come across a cyber bully then you can:
These information-guzzling gannets feed on other people’s personal information, and feast on your photos. The more they scoff, the bigger they get. The best way to beat one is to starve it, you can do this by:
These cyber-spies delight in infecting your computer. They latch onto files, pictures and programs and spread themselves throughout your hard drive, stealing your bank details and account information. They’re fast, invisible and can break your computer. However, they can be beaten if you always:
One of the most dangerous trolls are Pretendars. These false-faced fraudsters may look innocent and friendly, but they aren’t who they say they are. They may try and befriend you online, pay you compliments, offer you gifts, but beware, behind that photograph lurks something much darker. You can protect yourself by:
Copies of the children’s book are being sent out to all primary schools and libraries in the city. Every child in year four will be given a free copy, and multiple copies will be available in school libraries for other year groups.
Check out your local library to borrow a copy, or you can download your own free copy by simply clicking the link below, then store on your computer, tablet, or print out to share with your family and friends.
You can also download below our top tips leaflet to banish those Trolls back under their bridges, or our Trolltacular poster to display on your wall or window.
Be sure to follow the official Beware of lurking Trolls Facebook page.