It seems like everyone has a smartphone or tablet these days – and that includes our kids. It’s estimated that 47% of 10-year-olds in the UK have access to a smartphone, a number which rises to 93% by the time they reach 15. But is the fact that our children have the internet at their fingertips really such a good thing? Worrying statistics suggest that up to 43% of children have experienced online bullying, and children’s charity ChildLine reports a massive 87% increase in calls concerning cyberbullying in the last three years. So how do we keep our children safe? Woman’s Own investigates...
Corrinia Bennett, 34, lives in Lincolnshire with her husband, John, 44, and their three daughters.
As my phone flashed on the coffee table in front of me, I put down my cup of tea. It was July 2018 and I’d settled down on the sofa for the evening with my husband John, then 42.
‘Have you seen this?’ the message read. It was from the mother of a girl who was in the same class as my daughter, Mia-Lili, then 10. Looking down at the screenshot on my phone, I felt sick.
It was a picture taken from Instagram of Mia-Lili, with a poll plastered over it. ‘Who thinks she's ugly?’ it said. And to my horror, 53% of people had voted ‘hell yeah’.
This story is from the September 30, 2019 edition of WOMAN'S OWN.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the September 30, 2019 edition of WOMAN'S OWN.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
ANITA NAIK A PROBLEM SHARED
Mum-of-two Anita Naik has been an agony aunt for 32 years
ON SAFARI IN SOUTH AFRICA
Add the wilds of Kruger National Park to your bucket list, says Amanda James
'LET'S RAISE SOME SERIOUS CASH!'
The Radio 2 DJ is among the hosts of Children In Need…
THREE WOMEN ONE DRESS
Gemma Stevens, 34, needed a wedding dress that had stood the test of time
HOW TO HAVE A SILENT NIGHT
Trouble nodding off? Waking in the early hours? Our experts can help
MIND OF MY OWN
The Woman's Own columnist has her say on I'm a Celeb, work attire and young drivers
I THOUGHT HE'D COME TO KILL ME
For Sally Meeson, 45, the end of a relationship was the beginning of a nightmare
Loose Women IN CRISIS
With unhappy viewers and panel fall-outs, are the key characters about to be axed?
MAGNIFICENT MAURITIUS
Pe This istand in the ut 7% Indian Ocean feels Sa: like paradise, says Charlotte Richards
I HATE BEING A MUM
One woman, 55, reveals why she resents all of the sacrifices she made to be a mother