An update to the article on Discord- a communication app used by gamers

We really appreciate our community working with us to understand what is happening for our young people online. This article from our hub last week highlighted the Discord app and information parents need to be aware of, after which a parent contacted us in the hope that we would share with other parents some of the negative aspects they had witnessed due to their child's experience whilst using it.

Their child had great intentions of helping others in the 'therapy' sessions but the types of help that people around the world were requesting were quite disturbing and explicit. This then put their child in a vulnerable position.

We encourage you to have conversations with your child about what is happening in their online space and helping them to build confidence in their ability to trust their instincts and seek advice when they feel they are 'out of their depth.' When Pauline from Linewize visited at the beginning of the term, one of the key pieces of advice for parents was to do their best to be a safe, non-judgemental person to tell so that they do seek help rather than hide incidents from you. A teacher may also be in their trusted circle.  

Netsafe is a great resource for you to seek help when cyberspace affects your whānau in some way. This link takes you to their 'report an incident' page and there is a lot of helpful information on their site, as well as our hub.