On 30th January 2025, Children in Northern Ireland (CiNI) launched a new youth engagement and amplification project focused on online safety. The project is being run in partnership with the NSPCC, who is also working with their online safety participation group – Voice of Online Youth – and partner organisations in Wales and Scotland to help foster nation-specific impact across the UK. The new advisory group aims to amplify young people’s voices and help them shape the future of online safety in Northern Ireland by sharing their perspectives with key stakeholders.
From left to right: Jamie, Debbie and Claire (staff members from Dry Arch Children’s Centre), Iona, Eimear, Conor (staff member from Clonmore Youth Club), Alanna-May, Dr Ernest Purvis (Head of Policy at CiNI), Paula (staff member from Blackmountain Action Group), Matylda, Maria, Bethany (staff member from Oasis Youth/CiP), Theo, and Ethan.
Through regular meetings, workshops and events, the young people involved will have opportunities to discuss their experiences and provide insights into the key challenges of staying safe online. The project will focus on their priorities and concerns, allowing young people to feed directly into policy and practice, as well as improving solutions that are designed to protect all young people online.
Theo, Ethan and Paula from Blackmountain Action Group.
Dr Ernest Purvis, Head of Policy at CiNI and Project Lead, said:
“We are delighted to be working alongside the NSPCC on this crucial project, which will ensure that young people in Northern Ireland have a say when it comes to improving online safety and protecting children in the digital world.
“Young people are spending an increasing amount of time online. The evidence points to children becoming active online sooner and using apps from a very young age. This coincides with an increased prevalence of online harms, abuse, and negative impacts associated with excessive use of technology.
“We hope to prioritise the lived experiences and insights of young people, providing them with a platform to share their views and ideas for change, and campaign for better education, resources, awareness and response to online harms.
| Matylda and Maria from Oasis Youth/CiP |
The project is youth-led, ensuring that the young people involved are not just participants but take the lead in identifying topics, creating advocacy materials, and designing solutions.
When asked why she signed up, Matylda, 15, said:
“I wanted to try something new and get more experience. I want to make a difference and have an impact [while] building my confidence and working with other young people from all around the UK.”
Maria, 14, said: “My opinion on online safety is that it’s really safe, but [it’s] not good that really young children are using it.”
Jamie, Iona, Eimear, and Alanna-May.
Jamie, 17, said: “there aren’t enough safety precautions set up for young people online. I was invited by my leader to get involved in a positive and relevant project, and I want to meet new people, boost [my] confidence, and have my voice heard.”
Iona, 13, said: “I think there’s too many dangers online.”
Phyllis Stephenson, Project Development Manager at the Child Safety Online Solutions Lab at NSPCC, said:
“Children’s voices are often missing from conversations about child safety online and yet it is crucial that we hear from young people about their views of online safety.
“Young people bring unique perspectives, experiences and valuable insights which help us to understand the true impact of online harm and enables us to identify the support needed to keep them safe. “By listening to young people and championing their voices, we can support decision makers and those with responsibility for child safety online in Northern Ireland to keep young people
at the heart of solutions to online harm.”
| Jamie, Iona, Ethan, Theo and Paula. |
Through extensive engagement with children and young people, the initiative will explore what online safety currently looks like for them, the effectiveness of controls and responses to harmful content/behaviour, as well as other concerns such as Artificial Intelligence, online advertising, privacy and education. The project is also about influencing real change, and bridging the gap between young people and decision-makers, so it will aim to shift narratives, inform policies and improve the role that we all play in online safety.
Watch this space for further updates as we continue amplifying young voices to create a safer digital world!
On 30th January 2025, Children in Northern Ireland (CiNI) launched a new youth engagement and amplification project focused on online safety. The project is being run in partnership with the NSPCC, who is also working with their online safety participation group – Voice of Online Youth – and partner organisations in Wales and Scotland to help foster nation-specific impact across the UK. The new advisory group aims to amplify young people’s voices and help them shape the future of online safety in Northern Ireland by sharing their perspectives with key stakeholders.
From left to right: Jamie, Debbie and Claire (staff members from Dry Arch Children’s Centre), Iona, Eimear, Conor (staff member from Clonmore Youth Club), Alanna-May, Dr Ernest Purvis (Head of Policy at CiNI), Paula (staff member from Blackmountain Action Group), Matylda, Maria, Bethany (staff member from Oasis Youth/CiP), Theo, and Ethan.
Through regular meetings, workshops and events, the young people involved will have opportunities to discuss their experiences and provide insights into the key challenges of staying safe online. The project will focus on their priorities and concerns, allowing young people to feed directly into policy and practice, as well as improving solutions that are designed to protect all young people online.
Theo, Ethan and Paula from Blackmountain Action Group.
Dr Ernest Purvis, Head of Policy at CiNI and Project Lead, said:
“We are delighted to be working alongside the NSPCC on this crucial project, which will ensure that young people in Northern Ireland have a say when it comes to improving online safety and protecting children in the digital world.
“Young people are spending an increasing amount of time online. The evidence points to children becoming active online sooner and using apps from a very young age. This coincides with an increased prevalence of online harms, abuse, and negative impacts associated with excessive use of technology.
“We hope to prioritise the lived experiences and insights of young people, providing them with a platform to share their views and ideas for change, and campaign for better education, resources, awareness and response to online harms.
| Matylda and Maria from Oasis Youth/CiP |
The project is youth-led, ensuring that the young people involved are not just participants but take the lead in identifying topics, creating advocacy materials, and designing solutions.
When asked why she signed up, Matylda, 15, said:
“I wanted to try something new and get more experience. I want to make a difference and have an impact [while] building my confidence and working with other young people from all around the UK.”
Maria, 14, said: “My opinion on online safety is that it’s really safe, but [it’s] not good that really young children are using it.”
Jamie, Iona, Eimear, and Alanna-May.
Jamie, 17, said: “there aren’t enough safety precautions set up for young people online. I was invited by my leader to get involved in a positive and relevant project, and I want to meet new people, boost [my] confidence, and have my voice heard.”
Iona, 13, said: “I think there’s too many dangers online.”
Phyllis Stephenson, Project Development Manager at the Child Safety Online Solutions Lab at NSPCC, said:
“Children’s voices are often missing from conversations about child safety online and yet it is crucial that we hear from young people about their views of online safety.
“Young people bring unique perspectives, experiences and valuable insights which help us to understand the true impact of online harm and enables us to identify the support needed to keep them safe. “By listening to young people and championing their voices, we can support decision makers and those with responsibility for child safety online in Northern Ireland to keep young people
at the heart of solutions to online harm.”
| Jamie, Iona, Ethan, Theo and Paula. |
Through extensive engagement with children and young people, the initiative will explore what online safety currently looks like for them, the effectiveness of controls and responses to harmful content/behaviour, as well as other concerns such as Artificial Intelligence, online advertising, privacy and education. The project is also about influencing real change, and bridging the gap between young people and decision-makers, so it will aim to shift narratives, inform policies and improve the role that we all play in online safety.
Watch this space for further updates as we continue amplifying young voices to create a safer digital world!
