Culture & Social Media
Prep Time:
Internet Culture and Social Media
Cook Time:
Serves:
Internet Culture
Level:
4
About the Recipe
What happens online can feel just as real as what happens in person. You have the right to feel safe, and asking for help is always the right move.
Ingredients
In danger now? Call 999. Want to talk? Tell a parent, carer, teacher or someone you trust. You can report anonymously through Fearless (part of Crimestoppers).
Preparation
What you see shapes you
The more you watch something, the more the app shows you of the same thing. That is how the feed works: it learns what keeps you watching and gives you more of it.
That can be harmless, like football clips or music. It can also be harder to spot when it is videos that make violence, weapons or "road life" look exciting, people showing off money, cars and clothes that look easy to get, or content that makes you feel you are not good enough.
Ask yourself: Who made this? What do they want from me? Is this the full story?
You can take back some control. Mute or block accounts, use "not interested", and follow people who make you feel better, not worse.
Where it can lead
Most young people who use social media never face anything like this. But the same apps can be used to find, pressure and harm young people, so it helps to know the warning signs.
Gangs and county lines
Gangs can use social media to find young people and offer money, clothes, status or belonging. Warning signs include offers that seem too good, being told to keep it secret, more than one phone, and being asked to carry or hold things. Official Home Office guidance says a young person can be a victim of criminal exploitation even when it looks like they agreed. Read more on our County Lines page.
Domestic violence and controlling behaviour
Abuse can happen in teenage relationships too. Online it can look like a partner checking your phone, demanding passwords, tracking your location, telling you who you can talk to, or threatening to share private messages or images. That is not love, and it is not your fault.
Knife crime
Online arguments, videos and taunts can build tension that spills into real life. Carrying a knife is a serious offence and makes the person carrying it, and the people around them, less safe. Read more on our Knife Crime page.
Sexual offences and image abuse
Some people use social media to pressure young people into sending sexual images, then threaten to share them or demand money. This is a crime by the person doing it. It is never your fault. Read more on our Images, Pressure and Sexual Offences Online page.
If something happens online
→ Don't panic, and don't reply.
→ Take a screenshot and keep the evidence.
→ Block the account and report it on the app.
→ Tell someone you trust.
→ If you are in danger right now, call 999.
If someone is pressuring you for images or money
→ Stop talking to them. Do not send anything. Do not pay.
→ Keep the messages and tell a trusted adult.
→ You can report it to the police. Asking for help is the right move.
Look after yourself
→ Turn off notifications at night.
→ Unfollow accounts that make you feel bad.
→ Check your privacy settings and who can message you.
→ Talk to a friend if something online is weighing on you.