Higher vulnerability, same internet
SEND teenagers can be more vulnerable to:
- Grooming and child sexual exploitation (CSE)
- Criminal exploitation (county lines)
- Online scams, sextortion, hate content
- Pressure to send nudes
- Misreading friendships and intentions
- Mate crime (being befriended and exploited by "friends")
This is not because they are foolish — it's because trusting, literal-thinking and lonely teens are exactly who predators target.
Talk early, often, and without panic
- Use real words and real examples
- Explain that adults who ask kids to keep secrets are not safe
- "If someone online ever asks you to do something that makes you feel weird, tell me — you won't be in trouble"
- Watch their favourite platforms with them
- Discuss porn, nudes, deepfakes openly and age-appropriately
Practical protection
- Keep devices out of bedrooms overnight
- Use parental controls (Google Family Link, Apple Screen Time, router-level filters)
- Know their usernames and friends
- Check privacy settings together
- Agree what to do if something goes wrong — "Tell me, no consequences"
Worrying signs
- Secret phone, second SIM, unexplained gifts
- New older "friends"
- Going missing
- Sudden money, drugs, alcohol
- Withdrawing or new aggression
- Sexualised behaviour or language beyond their age
Where to get help
- CEOP (Child Exploitation and Online Protection) — ceop.police.uk
- NSPCC — 0808 800 5000
- Childline — 0800 1111
- Local authority safeguarding team / MASH
- 999 if a child is in immediate danger
Do
- Stay curious, not controlling
- Believe disclosures the first time
- Report concerns even if you're not sure
Don't
- Don't take phones away as punishment if they disclose — that teaches them not to tell you
- Don't assume "my child wouldn't"
- Don't rely on the school alone
A connected, informed teen is a safer teen.