• SafeToNet raising awareness of dangerous content online 
• SafeToNet app is first to balance child safety with privacy
• Award-winning technology based on artificial intelligence offers peace of mind to parents 

Multi award-winning British tech start-up is working to raise awareness of issues facing children online for Safer Internet Day 2020in partnership with the Anti-Bullying Alliance. 

The global cyber-safety security company argues that young people have never been more vulnerable to exploitation online. More children than ever before, and at ever younger ages, are now using smartphones, tablets and streaming services, as highlighted by a number of recent studies. 

Research shows that children and teenagers are just a few clicks away from harmful content like cyberbullying, sextortion and grooming – with the vast majority of young people using online platforms like YouTube, despite concerns around the site’s lax approach to potentially disturbing and explicit content. In our age of ever-increasing connectivity, children’s exposure to potentially dangerous material online is said to be increasing year on year. 

Recent research has revealed: 

• 50% of UK 10-year-olds owned a smartphone in 2019 – up from 30% in 2015 (Ofcom 2020)
• 87% of parents with children aged between 5-15 had sought advice on keeping them safe online (Ofcom 2020)
• 51% of children reported seeing hateful content online in 2019 (Ofcom 2020)
• 1 in 7 surveyed young people aged 11-18 said they had been asked to send Self-Generated Indecent Images and sexual messages (NSPCC 2019)  
• In the first 18 months since it was made illegal, 5,211 offences of Sexual Communication with a Child have been recorded (NSPCC 2019)
• Since 2015 there has been a 54% increase in the number of URLs confirmed by the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) as containing Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) 
• 21% of surveyed girls aged 11-18 said they have received a request for a sexual image or message (NSPCC, 2019) 
• 2.88m accounts, 140,000 of which are hosted in the UK, are registered on ‘dark web’ child abuse networks (NCA 2019)
• Collaboration between the National Crime Agency (NCA) and Police forces has led to an average of 400 arrests per month for online child sexual abuse offences (NCA 2019)  

In an increasingly dangerous digital world, SafeToNet offers both parents and their children peace of mind through their unique safeguarding app. The award-winning SafeToNet app can be downloaded for free, for a limited time only, from the App Store, Google Play Store and the Samsung Galaxy Store.  

The app is based on award-winning technology that uses artificial intelligence and behavioural analytics to understand the full range of the emotions that children experience online. This technology is used to nudge children towards safer behaviour and to advise parents about their child’s vulnerability to risk, without spying on the content of their messages, balancing child safety with privacy. 

Richard Pursey, SafeToNet Group CEO, says: 

“Safer Internet Day is a fantastic initiative, and one that we are proud to be part of. But this is only the first step towards building a safer internet for children. 

A number of recent studies have laid bare the shocking truth: that digital devices and streaming services are exposing our children to the most harmful kinds of content, from beheadings to sexual abuse imagery. As long as a child has access to a smartphone, they are at risk from predators. 

SafeToNet technology means that parents do not have to be terrified. Our app empowers children to be resilient with real time advice and guidance, offering both parents and children security and peace of mind. We are working hard to ensure that children everywhere are able to use their own devices safely.”

For more information please contact 

Jacob Moreton at Borkowski
jacob@borkowski.co.uk | 0203 176 2700

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Theme for 2020: #Freetobe 

About SafeToNet

SafeToNet is a cyber-safety company and a leading global authority in online safeguarding, dedicated to keeping children safe online wherever they are around the world.  

The company has developed award-winning technology that uses artificial intelligence to tackle online threats such as cyberbullying, grooming and sextortion.   

SafeToNet filters harmful content in real-time, before damage is done, whilst enabling children to become safe digital citizens through advice and guidance. 

SafeToNet has offices in the UK, US, Canada and Germany and employs passionate people who care deeply about online safety for children. 

The company sponsors a UK registered charity, the SafeToNet Foundation, whose charitable objectives include educating and informing the public about online child safeguarding and providing grants for research and rehabilitation programs. 

The SafeToNet app is available on the App Store, Google Play Store and the Samsung Galaxy Store.  

About Safer Internet Day

Safer Internet Day is an international awareness day, coordinated in the UK by the UK Safer Internet Centre, that inspires hundreds of organisations to promote the safe, responsible and positive use of digital technology for children and young people.