A SOUTH Cumbria woman has designed a hard-hitting poster with the aim of encouraging children to protect themselves from online grooming.

The warning campaign has been designed by Georgia Goodman, a 19-year-old from Ambleside, who has been volunteering with the Brathay Trust. Her work with the national children and young people’s charity, which is based on the shores of Windermere, has inspired her to reach out to youngsters and help them stay safe.

The poster has been made with the help of the charity, Fixers, as part of a project supported by NHS England North. It warns children about the importance of keeping privacy settings high on social media and being sensible about what they share with others. It will be shared with secondary schools to make youngsters aware of the risks.

Miss Goodman said: “Through my voluntary work I have met young people who have been directly affected by this issue and seen the impact it’s had on their lives. I feel like it’s a subject that needs to be spoken about.”

The poster, aimed at children aged 11 to 12, shows a boy being groomed by a stranger who is lying about their identity and asking him for photographs. It also lists other signs of grooming to look out for, including being paid lots of attention, being asked to keep secrets and being asked for personal information.

It is hoped the materials will also encourage youngsters who are being groomed to speak out to someone they trust such as a friend, a teacher or the police.

Miss Goodman said: “A lot of the time young people don’t actually realise what’s happening to them isn’t right, they just think it’s a little bit creepy. But it’s wrong.

“The advice I would give is, ‘Don’t share anything you wouldn’t want your nan to see’. Don’t send revealing pictures, respond to messages from strangers or accept friend requests from people you don’t know and if you don’t have privacy settings on then don’t tag your location.

“If someone can see you’re being tagged all the time it makes it easier to get a hold of you and find out where you are. You’re an easier target without even realising it.”

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