More and more of the money we spend is spent online or digitally and that includes gambling. Learners need to understand the benefits and risks of using digital money and online accounts to make purchases. Do they understand the amount of targeted advertising that they are exposed to? Are they aware of when a social media ‘influencer’ is being paid to promote products to them?
Online risks:
- pressurised into spending by targeted advertising, influencer promotions, or in-app/in-game microtransactions – such as gambling offers and promotions on social media
- not saving payment details on games consoles, devices or gambling apps can reduce the convenience of spending too much
- cyber scams, such as phishing and ransomware, linked to gambling
Becoming cyber resilient is the first step to being safer online. Talk to your learners about the devices and accounts that they use to access online information:
- Make them aware of any potential risks, such as clicking links in posts and on web pages – these could lead to phishing or malware
- If they are accessing their information on social media, there are usually filter settings in the security and privacy settings for the platform – these can be used to reduce the content from certain sources, sites or profiles
- If content is harmful or malicious do they know how to report it?
Being more cyber resilient reduces the risk of internet safety issues arising. We all want the internet to be a more welcoming space for children and young people and that is why we promote this positive message of safe, smart and kind.
With your learners:
- Discuss with learners what gambling is and the risks it carries to wellbeing – an dhow to report a problem
- Explore the safety features of online gambling – account settings, information literacy to better understand deals, offers and promotions
- Investigate the need for support from friends and family to deal with gambling – would they report or support their friends or family?
