‘Vital ally’ joins fight against online child sexual abuse

A “vital ally” has joined the fight to keep child sexual abuse material off the internet.

The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) has welcomed online learning provider Natterhub on board as a new member.

Natterhub is “a safe, gated educational social media platform for primary schools, with weekly interactive lessons on all aspects of online safety for Years 1-6”.

The partnership will help the IWF in its mission to find and remove videos and images of children suffering sexual abuse from the internet.

Manjit Sareen, Co-founder and CEO of Natterhub said: “Our tool is to prepare young children for being online and to understand it and thrive, but also to understand the dangers.

“Over lockdown, children have been online even more and they are all on devices. It is important they know what is going on, and about the possible dangers.”

Ms Sareen added: “Parents never think it will be their child that comes across something. People need to be made aware of some of the issues out there.”

Susie Hargreaves OBE, Chief Executive of the IWF, said: “More and more, we are going to see the internet taking a central role in children’s learning. With the possibility of further lockdowns, the move to more online spaces could be accelerated.

“The internet is something to be celebrated, but parents and children need to know about the potential for abuse, and how to avoid it. This new partnership means the IWF has another vital ally in the fight against online child sexual abuse. It will help make the internet a safer place for everyone.”

To find out more about becoming a Member, and what the IWF can do for your business, visit https://www.iwf.org.uk/become-a-member