NSPCC launches inaugural gaming festival to help tackle child abuse in Falkirk and beyond

The child protection charity is inviting professionals, parents and gamers to attend the festival, which aims to raise awareness and educate parents, carers and

professionals on how to keep children safe while playing games online, as well as provide opportunities to fund raise for the charity.

Euan Graham, a local campaigns officer in Scotland, will lead an online workshop on Wednesday, February 7 and more than 900 people have already signed up to take part.

The festival, which takes place from Monday, February 5 to Sunday, February 11, has a number of partner organisations, including Vodafone and the British Esports Federation.

The new initiative comes after a recent report by the NSPCC saw an 82 per cent rise in online grooming crimes against children over the last five years and, with 89 per

cent of children in the UK now playing video games, the NSPCC is committed to ensuring that online protections extend to gaming platforms.

Childline counsellors are now hearing cases of abuse in the virtual world, with the most commonly mentioned gaming consoles in 2022/23 being Xbox, PlayStation and Nintendo and the gaming sites Minecraft, Roblox and Fortnite.

Euan said: “Gaming and technology is a huge part of young people’s lives, so it is crucial parents and carers to better understand what their children enjoy about gaming so they can better support them to navigate these digital spaces safely.

“Gaming is an increasingly social activity, meaning it is more important than ever that parents and carers have the skills and resources to keep children safe while gaming.

“Parents and carers will finish the workshop with more confidence and knowledge and come away with practical skills to ensure they are well equipped to help keep their children safe.”

During the festival a number of sessions will tackle the topic of keeping children safe when gaming online and all the events are designed to equip people with the tools

and confidence they need to protect young players.

Visit the website for more information.