Please find the National College guide for ‘What Parents & Educators Need to Know about Sports Betting Online’ below.

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Sports betting has become increasingly visible across apps, websites, social platforms and sports coverage, making it easier for young people to encounter gambling messages before they are old enough to take part legally. This guide explores how betting content can appear through adverts, influencers, tipsters, friends, gaming spaces and even adult accounts.

It also highlights the risks of impulsive spending, chasing losses, ‘free bet’ offers and the way gambling can become normalised around sport. With practical advice on starting calm conversations, spotting warning signs, setting safer digital boundaries and finding support, the guide helps parents and educators approach the topic with confidence.

Please find the National College guide for ‘What Parents and Educators Need to Know about Online Grooming’ below.

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Online grooming is a growing and deeply concerning threat, with thousands of offences recorded each year in the UK. This edition explores how offenders build trust with children through fake identities, flattery, gifts and group chats before exploiting that relationship. It also examines the rise of sextortion and how gaming platforms and social media can become gateways for harm.

Beyond sexual exploitation, the guide highlights criminal grooming and radicalisation, helping adults recognise that manipulation can take many forms. With practical advice on spotting warning signs, creating open conversations and understanding the platforms children use, this resource empowers parents and educators to intervene early and keep young people safer online.

Please find the National College guide for ‘What Parents and Educators Need to Know about the App and Play Stores’ below.

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With millions of apps available and children accessing them from an increasingly young age, app stores can present a range of risks. From malware and copycat apps to inappropriate content and persuasive in-app purchases, this guide highlights how easily young users can encounter issues – even when using official platforms.

It also offers clear, practical advice to help parents and educators manage these risks. From setting up parental controls and checking app credibility to having open conversations about safe usage, the guide supports adults in building children’s awareness, encouraging safer choices and promoting more balanced, responsible app use.

Please find the National College guide for ‘What Parents and Educators Need to Know about Image-Altering Filters’ below.

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Image-altering filters are now embedded in everyday online interactions, from playful effects to more subtle appearance-enhancing tools. This guide examines how these features can influence perceptions of beauty and reality, particularly for children and young people navigating social media. It highlights how filtered content can quietly shape expectations and online behaviours.

Focusing on risks such as low self-esteem, social pressure and hidden advertising, the guide also addresses more serious concerns like sexualised edits and blurred boundaries between real and altered images. It provides supportive, practical advice to help parents and educators build media literacy, encourage confidence and promote healthier relationships with online content.

Please find the National College guide for ‘What Parents & Educators Need to Know about Online Trends Encouraging Violence’ below.

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Violent clips, online ‘wars’, and shock-value challenges can spread rapidly across social media feeds – often appearing in front of young people who weren’t actively looking for them. This guide explains how algorithms, messaging groups and viral trends can expose children to real-world violence online, sometimes normalising harmful behaviour or encouraging risky offline actions.

It also highlights the emotional, social and legal risks linked to engaging with violent content. From anxiety and community fear to the dangers of sharing or promoting violent posts, the guide offers practical advice for parents and educators on discussing online safety, understanding the law, and helping young people respond positively and responsibly.

Please find the National College guide for ‘What Parents and Educators Need to Know about Streaming Services’ below.

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Streaming services have become the go-to entertainment choice for many families, with children often favouring on-demand platforms over traditional television. This edition explores the realities behind these services, from rising subscription costs and advert-supported tiers to the impact of autoplay and endless content libraries on young viewers’ screen time and wellbeing.

It also highlights key safeguarding concerns, including age-inappropriate material, binge watching, algorithm-driven recommendations and phishing scams. With clear, practical advice for setting profiles, PINs and time limits – alongside tips for discussing algorithms and stereotypes – this guide supports parents and educators in promoting safer, healthier streaming habits.

Please find the National College guide for ‘What Parents & Educators Need to Know about WhatsApp’ below.

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With its end-to-end encryption and huge popularity, WhatsApp is often seen as a private and secure way to stay in touch; however, that same privacy can make it harder for trusted adults to see when things go wrong. This guide explains how features like group chats, disappearing messages, ‘Channels’ and location sharing can expose young users to pressure, unwanted contact and inappropriate content.

It also looks at emerging concerns such as scams, advertising and the in-app AI assistant, helping adults understand how these elements may affect children and young people. Alongside the risks, the guide offers practical advice to support meaningful conversations, encourage safer settings and build young users’ confidence in navigating WhatsApp responsibly.

Please find the National College guide for ‘What Parents & Educators Need to Know about Mental Health Misinformation Online’ below.

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Children and young people are increasingly turning to social media for mental health advice, but much of what they encounter online is unverified, oversimplified or misleading. This guide explores why platforms like TikTok and Instagram have become go-to sources, and how misuse of clinical language and viral trends can distort children and young people’s understanding of mental health.

Aimed at parent and educators, it offers clear, expert-led strategies to counter misinformation. The guide looks at topics such as encouraging open conversations, identifying reliable sources, and strengthening school–home collaboration. Use this information to build young people’s critical thinking, resilience and confidence in seeking appropriate professional help when needed.

Please find the National College guide for ‘What Parents and Educators Need to Know About Roblox’ below.

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Roblox is hugely popular with children, offering millions of user-created games and social experiences. This #WakeUpWednesday guide explains how the platform differs from traditional video games, and why its scale, self-rating system and automated moderation can expose young users to inappropriate content or unsafe interactions.

Please find the National College guide for ‘What Parents and Educators Need to Know about Digital Devices & Wellbeing’ below.

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Digital devices are woven into everyday life for children and young people, but balancing the benefits with potential risks can feel challenging. This #WakeUpWednesday guide explores how screen use can influence sleep, emotional regulation, physical health and online experiences, offering clear context around why concerns about wellbeing are growing.