Newcastle University

Responding to today’s society where grandparents are increasingly taking over the care of children while parents go out to work, Newcastle University is taking an innovative approach to raising awareness of child-targeted cybercrime such as cyberbullying and online grooming.

Using the popular Xbox, 30 children from St Peter’s RC Primary School, in Gateshead, are being given the chance to challenge their grandparents online – demonstrating their skill and technical know-how while opening their grandparent’s eyes to the world of online gaming.

Led by Phil Butler of Newcastle University’s Centre for Cybercrime and Computer Security, the ‘Safer Internet Day’ will also offer grandparents practical advice about how to keep children safe, what to look for and the potential risks to their grandchildren.

“This is about bridging the generation gap and giving grandparents an insight into their grandchildren’s world,” explains Mr Butler, a former DCI with Northumbria Police.

“Love it or hate it, the internet is a massive part of our children’s lives so we need to make sure they can enjoy the benefits it has to offer without being put at risk.

“Grandparents are often the prime carers but many have little understanding about online gaming and chatrooms and the potential threats they pose.

 “Our aim is to get the children teaching the grandparents.  We want to raise awareness of the dangers of unsupervised use but also empower the adults so they can help the children to use the internet safely.”

The programme will be launched under the Hadrian Project which brings together experts from Newcastle University, the North East Fraud Forum, other regional academic institutions, local and national government, North East businesses and lawyers to tackle a wide range of issues relating to internet safety and security.