I don't want my child using her real name.

Here's why the police like this approach, it builds children's confidence online, helping them to make better decisions, assert their own personality, not just submitting to everything.

• Start by insisting your child uses 'Private' or 'My friends only' in all social media as their profile setting
• No privacy setting. Then no social media.
• Friend request? You should be able to recognise the friend from the profile.
• Let them know it is normal to ignore, block certain friend requests. 

What could be better than a kid with 20 or 30 real friends on social media? FRIENDS, not followers, real friends don't bully each other so much. Real friends make up. Remember Facebook say that 'followers' are at least five times more likely to bully somebody.  

We know most kids and parents hate this approach, preferring popularity to safety. It will take a little effort to change things.
 

Facebook & The Police

Social media accounts ought to be private and regularly checked and verified. When kids use real names and photos, they behave better online, that's a fact. The Police and Facebook agree real names and photos make children posting on Snapchat and TikTok more cautious.

Real Name, Real Photos and Privacy (called 'My Friends only' in Snapchat). This creates a circle of trust where kids don't abuse each other because their accounts are real, not fake. It's called 'social media not 'bully' media, and it should be honest, real, not fake. Many parents disagree strongly here, saying to keep my kid safe, I want you to use a fake name to keep their kids safe. We disagree equally strongly. 

Parents are responsible for Kids.

If your kids misbehave online, the Police will come to talk to you, not your kid.   

Fact Kids & Teenagers Phones are not private

Who said kids & teenagers phone is private. They are not. Who is boss? Who is paying? Who is liable?

Taking Back control of Social Media

Time for parents to do, as they always did. So let's take back control for the two best reasons in the world.

Who says you have to explain 

• No is a complete sentence 
• Because I said so!

Snapchat, TikTok, What the Police think?

Police Recommended

• The City of Tokyo Police & Several US police advise this approach
• Honesty, Truth & being your best self values are the core of social media.
• Using your real name pictures means you are less likely to misbehave or make insulting or inappropriate remarks online.

TikTok

• In January 2021, US TikTok defaulted all new accounts to 'Private' for 13-16-year-olds.
• It's a start to addressing teenagers' misuse of social media. 
• Facebook tells us that proxy (fake) accounts are five times more likely to cause trouble online 
• Facebook owns Instagram, WhatsApp, so they know.
• Fake accounts are free to bully, hate, troll without fear of being identified.
• If your daughter has 1000s of followers, she will get bullied so says Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook.

Reporting to the Police

• Report Social Media incidents to Police.
• It is a crime to harass people online, Police will act.
• We recommend going to the station if that's possible.
• Don't delete the offending message, Police will need it.
• Police will act.