In this episode we talk about how to take a harm reduction approach to young people's online behaviour, and why this is better than an 'online safety' message. When we talk about 'Online Safety' we often aim to prevent or prohibit young people from accessing certain parts of the online world, and whilst we may have the best possible reasons for wanting to do this, it means that if young people decide to engage in the behaviour anyway, they have no understanding of what the risks might be or how they could reduce them. We talk about how we can apply a harm reduction ethos to all interaction with young people in relation to online activities, and what harm reduction might look like in specific cases.
A key element to remember with harm reduction is that it doesn't mean we can't say 'this is risky, and the best way to stay safe is not to do it' it just means the conversation doesn't end there.
To see a transcript of this episode go to https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vT0Sf8IQ7bnO1aU4jUyZZYtw7eOXtWrcmdrpUWe6rPlwBg3YfVQGRLJSQYhayjsK_i-3VqNurhj-SYx/pubhtml.
