Young people across Scotland have taken on the role of Digital Safety Ambassadors as part of a wider project that aims to promote online safety with confidence, compassion, and care.
In partnership with the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) and the Scottish Youth Parliament (SYP), the project launched in 2024. Since then, it has given young people the opportunity to meet with decision-makers and share their successes with their counterparts in Wales and Northern Ireland.
This initiative has seen Members of the Scottish Youth Parliament (MSYPs) team up with other Digital Safety Ambassadors to take part in workshops discussing current regulations and co-designing materials to raise awareness of the risks faced by young people online.
With six regional voice groups across different areas of Scotland, these young people have produced a wide range of multimedia content that will be shared on SYP’s and the NSPCC’s social media channels over the coming months.
Joanna Barrett, NSPCC Associate Head of Policy for the Nations (Devolved), said:
It’s exciting to hear how our Digital Safety Ambassadors have been grappling with the complex topic of online safety, which includes some very tricky issues, and they’ve come up with such creative ways to make such engaging resources.
We believe it’s crucial for young people to be able to influence decisions about online safety because they are some of the most active users of digital platforms and their perspectives, experiences and needs are important and should be valued and listened to.
With this project, we hope to give young people a voice, empowering them to help make the online world safer for children and young people.
Mary-Martha Dickie, Digital Safety Ambassador and one of the MSYPs for Girlguiding Scotland, said:
As young people have a huge online presence, it is vital they understand how to be responsible social media users, and this project is a great way to help young people stay safe online. By being part of this project, I’ve been lucky enough to meet so many cool young people from different backgrounds, which has greatly boosted my confidence.
What’s more, the Digital Safety Ambassadors will host an insightful, youth-led virtual amplification event on the topic of young people’s online safety, where they will showcase the child online safety tools they’ve developed to key Scottish stakeholders and decision-makers.
Helping educate others about digital literacy is incredibly crucial – and I’m so glad I have the opportunity to be part of the team that challenges stigmas in our online world,” said Rajsee Saraf, Digital Safety Ambassador and MSYP for Glasgow Pollok.
Further details will be shared on our website soon!
