The wellbeing of children and young people should always be a prime concern of organisations exploring youth engagement. Being safe is a key aspect of well being.

The importance of designing and carrying out social media engagement with the safety of young people in mind is important because:

• The law recognises that young people require specific protections, and places specific obligations on authorities and institutions working with young people to prioritise the safety and well being of the young person.

• The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child expresses the specific rights of young people to be protected, to have special provision made for their developmental needs, and to participate in decisions that affect them.

• Most young people experience their teenage years as a period of dynamic biological and social change during which issues of personal identity and peer-group relationships can be of heightened importance and during which many young people are, by 'adult standards', less risk-averse.

(Source: Safe and Effective Social Network Site Applications, Davies 2008)

It is also important for organisations to ensure that they adequately support their staff to stay safe in their use of social media.

Promoting the safety and wellbeing of young people online has many aspects. No single approach can suffice on it's own. Consider:

• Creating a safe environment - through the design of online platforms and interfaces, and through the policies and conduct of adults and young people in those spaces;

• Promoting information literacy - so that young people can make their own informed decisions about their online activities and so they can navigate online environments and experiences safely.

• Promoting young people's resiliency. Encountering and navigating risks is part of growing up. Equipping young people with the stills to respond to risks, so that they do not lead to lasting harm, is a key part of promoting safety.

• Being vigilant and ready to respond to potential harms. Remembering that many online risks have their roots in offline issues. In some cases the right responses will be personal and social developmental interventions - in other cases you may need to contact the specialist agencies listed later in this document.

The EU Kids Online project emphasises that, increased opportunity for young people online, leads to increased risk - but that, conversely strategies to reduce risk, often restrict young people's online opportunities - and potentially their capacity to respond to risk in future. The EU Kids Online research also found growing indications that the provision of positive online content (which would include youth engagement opportunities online) “directly benefits [young peoples] development and reduces online risks by encouraging valuable and valued activities.”.

At the launch of the EU Kids Online I Report (PDF) Dr Tanya Byron outlined the importance of balance in our response to risk, stating: “We cannot and must-not build an environment for children to develop within which is built around what we see through the eyes of the most vulnerable child”. Our goal should not be to remove all possible risk from online engagement - but should be to ensure that vulnerable young people do not come to harm.

The EU Kids Go Online (2008) project provides a matrix model for thinking about risks to young people online (also adopted in the Byron Review). Whilst far from comprehensive, it can provide a useful frame for considering young people’s exposure to risks online.

The Interim Report of the Youth Work and Social Networking project explores in depth the literature on risks specifically related to online social networking.

The opportunities and risks of social media go hand in hand. It is important then to identify the risks and take steps to ensure they are mitigated, or that young people are able to navigate the risks safely.

• Social media sites can make it easier for anyone to publish content. This includes offensive, hateful or bullying content. This content can spread quickly and be tricky to remove.

• People may use the publishing potential of social media sites to share personal and private information, or to publish content which could impact upon their future education, career or relationship prospects.

• Social media and social network sites can act as 'amplifiers' of off-line activities. Whilst this can have significant positive effects it can also increase the harm caused by bullying, and exacerbate other personal and social development challenges young people are facing.

• Social media spaces can provide predatory adults with information and communications channels that can be use in grooming and sexual solicitation.

• Social media platforms often work on a 'trade data for service' model and there is a risk that third parties will abuse user supplied data.

Organisations also need to consider how they comply with laws, guidelines and terms and conditions that relate to their planned social media engagement with young people. For example:

• Data protection legislation;

• Laws on moderation and content publishing;

• Age restriction on the use of certain social media services;

• Guidelines on consent for photos, videos and participation of young people;

• Guidance on official civil servant or elected politicians participation in social media spaces;

There are a number of key agencies you should be aware of and who exist to deal with serious concerns about the safety of young people online.

The list below outlines who to contact when you have concerns about the safety of a young person online.

If you suspect a young person is in immediate danger or you need an immediate response you should phone 999.

The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP) are a police agency with powers to investigate concerns about grooming or sexual abuse of young people online. Professionals and young people can report concerns to CEOP via the 'Report Abuse' button on their website. http://www.ceop.gov.uk

The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) respond to reports of obscene and illegal content on the internet. You can report content to the IWF and they will work with Internet Service Providers to ensure the content is removed or access to it is blocked. http://www.iwf.org.uk

Responsible website providers will have clear processes for dealing with reports of abuse including inappropriate content or bullying. For concerns which do not involve illegal content or conduct, look for the 'report abuse' feature on the website in question. Most social network sites only check content when alerted to it by users.

You should raise any other concerns with your senior manager or the appropriate child protection/e-safety co-ordinator within your organisation.

Whatever actions you take you should make a record of them, and you should discuss them with your manager.

Make sure you are aware of the general child protection and reporting guidelines for your organisation. These will apply for online work with young people as well as for face-to-face work. Your organisation may also have a specific e-safety policy which you should make sure you are familiar with.

It is good practice to complete a risk assessment of any proposed use of social media for engagement with young people.

• The Safe and Effective Social Network Site Applications paper includes a risk assessment for Social Network Site application building as an annexe.

Have you got a risk assessment example to share? E-mail to yes@practicalparticipation.co.uk.

The things to think about page include a number of questions to ask yourself when planning different forms of online youth engagement.

The draft document 'Safe & Effective Engagement with Social Network Sites for Youth Professionals' (PDF) provides an overview summary of the information on this page as a five-page handout for staff training and development.

Please contact tim@practicalparticipation.co.uk if you are planning to use or distribute this document.