This may significantly increase the risk of bullying or abuse.ĭata protection law Lawful basis for processingĬlubs need to consider the implications of the GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. The use of a group chat for a team will reveal phone numbers to other group members. By using WhatsApp, this will disclose the child’s mobile telephone number to the staff member and there is no longer a single channel of communication between the parties. If email is used to do this, there is an auditable trail that serves to protect the interests of the child, the staff member and the club. It is also usually a requirement for a parent or guardian to be copied in on every communication with the child, along with the club safeguarding officer, so that everything is transparent. In short, the answer is yes, and we will look at some of the reasons why.įirstly, and most importantly, it is never appropriate and typically against club safeguarding policies to message or email in any way, a child under the age of 18 without the express consent of a parent or guardian.

As a sports club or individual sports coach, it is very convenient to use WhatsApp to communicate with members to organise sessions and for squad communication, but is this going to cause you problems? Scammers have been reported to take over accounts, and message contacts under a false identity.There are a lot of young people who prefer WhatsApp to communicate with their friends. Remind them never to share personal information over WhatsApp, even if they think they know who they are talking to. When identifying a spam message, ask your teen to look out for anything suspicious like spelling errors, links or odd requests to forward the message.

Spam and hoax messages are getting more sophisticated. Is WhatsApp safe for kids and teens? Yes, if you teach them how to identify potential scams A list of WhatsApp approved fact-checking organisations is also available here. Some reliable sources include government websites and international news outlets. Remember to let them know that they can always consult you or reliable sources if they are unsure about the truth behind a message. Remind them that sharing false information can lead to more harm than good. Have a conversation with your teen about the potential consequences of forwarding messages on WhatsApp.

Is whatsapp safe for 11 year olds