Telegraph: Parents worried they will scare children by telling them about paedophiles

[Jim Burton]

https://web.archive.org/web/20251202220 ... tell-them/

Parents are too worried to talk to their children about the risks of online paedophiles because they fear it will scare them, a survey by the NSPCC has found.

The report reveals 9 per cent of parents said their child had been targeted by blackmailers attempting to threaten, coerce or exploit them, often for sexual favours.

The NSPCC said the predators often used intimate images or videos of a young person or information about their sexuality gained from private online conversations.

However, two in five parents admitted they rarely or never talked to their children about the threat posed by paedophiles, according to the survey, carried out for the charity by Savanta.

The reasons given for not talking about online blackmail with children include fears of overreacting or scaring a child (32 per cent), their child’s current mood or feelings (29 per cent) and their child’s reluctance to talk about sensitive topics (25 per cent).

The charity has released the data to advise parents and carers that the NSPCC helpline is available for adults with any concerns about a child.

[PorcelainLark]

Parents realize that fearmongering to their kids is wrong? Good instincts. At least sensationalist media hasn't destroyed common sense completely.