Search Engines

9th April 2025Louise Gatti

Search engines are a huge part of daily life, helping us find information in an instant. But with this convenience comes a hidden risk, especially for young users.

With billions of websites just a click away, children can easily encounter misleading, inappropriate, or even illegal content. Search engines don’t always filter this effectively, and features like AI-generated summaries or unlabelled ads can make things even trickier to navigate.

That’s why this week’s #WakeUpWednesday guide focuses on what parents and educators need to know about search engines. From the risks of misinformation and AI errors to practical steps like activating parental controls and promoting digital literacy, it’s packed with expert advice to help keep children safe online.

Instagram

2nd April 2025Louise Gatti

Instagram remains one of the world’s most popular social media platforms, especially among teens – used by around 70% of 13 to 17-year-olds.

It may be one of the most familiar social media names around but features like AI-powered chatbots and Threads integration have added fresh challenges for families and schools to navigate. From worrying livestreams to issues like social exclusion and fear of missing out, Instagram isn’t just about photos. As the platform evolves, so too must the conversations we have with young people about how they use it.

Our latest #WakeUpWednesday guide outlines what these new features involve, the possible risks they bring and how to make the most of Instagram’s parental controls to keep children safe online.

Bluesky Social App

26th March 2025Louise Gatti

Bluesky social app is a microblogging social media platform that gained popularity after separating from Twitter in 2021. It’s more than doubled its user numbers in the past six months alone, from 14.5 million in October 2024 to 32 million at present. Since accounts must be public, this opens the door to potential trolling, cyberbullying, and the spread of misinformation.

We’ve created this free guide – also available in podcast format – offering parents and educators advice and guidance on the tools available to keep children safe while using the popular social media platform Bluesky