Leeds children present online safety letter to West Yorkshire Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, Alison Lowe OBE

Members of the Leeds Youth Council wrote the letter and created a series of short films as part of an online safety campaign led by the NSPCC which has been run over the last 18 months with partners including Child Friendly Leeds, home broadband provider Plusnet and West Yorkshire Violence Reduction Partnership.

The campaign offered support and advice to professionals, parents and children across the city, and culminated in a red carpet event at Leeds Civic Hall attended by Leeds City Councillors Helen Hayden and Andrew Scopes, as well as Director of Children and Families Julie Longworth where the films – made by students from Leeds Trinity University with the city’s Youth Council and St Francis Catholic Primary School in Morley – were screened before being made available to everyone through the Child Friendly Leeds website.

This week, the young people presented the open letter to Alison Lowe OBE to strengthen their call to the council to listen to the city’s young people, to hold social media companies to account, and to standardise media literacy education in schools across the city.

Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, Alison Lowe OBE, said: “It is inspiring to see such passion and intelligence in our young people, and I believe this open letter can help children to stay safe in the online world.

“Young people have a very different online experience to adults, and it is vital that parents, carers, teachers, and government decision makers understand that.

"To truly help young people navigate the online world safely, we need to hear their thoughts on the challenges and possible solutions, and I’m grateful to everyone involved in this campaign for helping us help young people in West Yorkshire.”

The campaign reached thousands of local children across Leeds by sharing safeguarding tips and live stage performances of theatre production The Net: Sam’s Story which brought online safety workshops to schools across the city.

Now, children across Leeds have been urged to enter a competition to design a poster sharing online safety advice, with the winners receiving art bundle prizes and their submissions displayed at the city’s bus station.

Emma Hobson, NSPCC Local Campaigns Officer, said: “This competition is open to children across the city in years 5, 6, 7 and 8, and we’re really looking forward to seeing how creative the young people can be.

“The closing date is December 18, and the winners will be announced in January, so why not head to the website for more information and be sure to get your entries in soon.”

To find out more about the campaign or to enter the poster competition, visit the Campaigns section at wearechildfriendlyleeds.com, click here or email [email protected]