Daily Safeguarding News - Safer Schools NI

The hurtful words adults use that harm children the most

According to a new survey by the charity Words Matter, two in five children (41%) have experienced verbal abuse from adults around them.
Parents, carers, teachers, friends of parents and activity leaders are the primary sources according to the poll of young people aged between 11-17 years old.
Over half of those surveyed experience this weekly and one in 10 experience it daily.
A separate survey of over 1,000 parents revealed that 65% have heard adults saying unkind things to children.
Of those children and young people who took part, the most common hurtful and upsetting words were ‘you’re useless’, ‘you’re stupid’, ‘you can’t do anything right’, ‘you’re worthless’ and ‘I’m ashamed of you.
These findings coincide with the launch of new charity, Words Matter which aims to end verbal abuse to children by adults around them and improve their mental and physical health.
For more, please visit the Yahoo News website.

Technology Secretary Michelle Donelan has insisted that nothing has changed in the Online Safety Bill legislation.
This comes following a row about end-to-end encryption with tech companies.
End-to-end encryption is a security measure that protects data and communications by ensuring only the sender and recipient are able to read the data.
In terms of end-to-end encryption and the Bill, when a platform is either about to or already has encrypted and there was a concern raised about harmful content then the regulator would intercede and see what mitigations could be put in place to adhere to the legislation.
If this did not work then a safety net would need built in whereby the regulator would advise the platform to invest in technology that would maintain the privacy of encryption but enable the location of criminals.
For more, please visit the Express and Star website.

Translink announced it has partnered with Yoti to introduce a digital ID for travel on busses and trains so 13–16-year-old students to have an easier way of providing proof of age.
Users can download the Translink Travel U16 Youth ID credential from the Yoti app, available on Google Play or the Apple App Store.
Users create an account with a phone number, five-digit PIN and a school email address.
They add a selfie to verify identity and prove they are a real person, which is then used to make a biometric key.
When a user takes certain actions within the app, they will be prompted to submit a selfie/face scan to ensure they are not being impersonated.
Maeve Nethercott, Translink brand representative, stated: “The Translink Travel U16 Youth ID card will make it even easier for young people to provide proof of age and benefit from cheaper travel, so we would encourage all 13–16-year-olds to sign up and stay better connected to school and leisure activities.”
Fir more, please visit the Biometric Update website.