Online Safety in 2026 – Emerging Threats and Practical Safeguarding Solutions
Online harm is evolving fast: AI-generated content, deepfakes, anonymous accounts, and always-on group chats are changing how children experience risk. This article gives practical safeguarding actions for schools, clubs, and child-facing organisations: understanding emerging threats, strengthening reporting routes, reducing image-sharing risk, improving parental engagement, and teaching digital resilience.
Online safety is safeguarding (not an IT issue)
Online incidents are rarely just online. They show up as anxiety, attendance issues, peer conflict, self-harm risk, coercion, or exploitation. That's why online safety needs the same discipline as any other safeguarding concern:
- Notice early
- Record clearly
- Escalate consistently
- Follow up and review
1) The 2026 risk landscape: what's changed?
Online safety guidance isn't new, but the threat profile is.
AI-generated content and impersonation
AI tools can now generate convincing:
- Fake images and videos
- Voice notes that sound like a real person
- Screenshots and evidence designed to manipulate
Safeguarding impact: children can be coerced, shamed, or blackmailed using content that looks realeven when it isn't.
Deepfakes and sexualised image harm
Deepfake-style image manipulation increases the risk of:
- Peer-on-peer abuse
- Image-based bullying
- Non-consensual sexual content
Safeguarding impact: rapid escalation, intense shame, and increased mental health risk.
Gaming platforms andsocial spaces
Gaming is no longer just gamesit's voice chat, DMs, communities, and live streaming.
Safeguarding impact: grooming pathways, exposure to adult content, and normalisation of harmful language.
Always-on group chats
Group chats can amplify:
- Bullying and exclusion
- Sexual harassment
- Pressure to share images
- Coordinated targeting of a child
Safeguarding impact: harm can be constant, not confined to school hours.
2) Practical safeguarding controls that actually work
You don't need a 40-page policy to reduce risk. You need a few controls done consistently.
Strengthen reporting routes (for children and adults)
- Make reporting simple:Tell a trusted adult + Use this form/email
- Rehearse what happens after a report (so children trust the process)
- Ensure staff know what to do with screenshots, devices, and disclosures
Reduce image-sharing risk
- Clear rules on photos at clubs/events (who can take them, where they're stored)
- Staff boundaries: no personal messaging with children
- Remind families about privacy settings and location sharing
Teach digital resilience (not just don't do it)
Children need scripts, not lectures:
- How to exit a chat safely
- How to block/report
- What to do if someone asks for images
- How to ask for help without fear of punishment
Keep parental engagement practical
Parents are often overwhelmed. Make it usable:
- A one-pageTop 5 risks right now
- A short checklist for device settings
- Clear language on what to do if something happens
3) Handling an online incident: a safeguarding-first approach
When an incident happens, speed and clarity matter.
A simple response flow
- Immediate safety: is the child safe right now?
- Preserve information: screenshots, URLs, usernames (without sharing widely)
- Record the concern: facts only, no assumptions
- Escalate: follow DSL/safeguarding lead routes
- Support: pastoral support, safety planning, parent/carer engagement
- Review: patterns, repeat issues, supervision gaps, training needs
This is where digital safeguarding records are criticalthey help you build a chronology and spot repeat harm.
4) Staff, volunteers, and online safety: don't skip the basics
Online safety risk increases when teams are seasonal or dispersed.
Minimum controls:
- Online safety included in induction (not optional)
- Clear boundaries on phones, photos, and messaging
- Consistent supervision expectations
- Visibility of staff compliance
Using safeguarding software helps keep these checks and training records centralised, especially across multiple sites.
5) Turning trends into action: what to review this term
If you want a practical starting point, review:
- Your reporting routes: do children actually use them?
- Your image-sharing rules: are they clear and enforced?
- Your staff induction: does it include real scenarios?
- Your recording: are online concerns logged consistently?
How safeguarding software supports online safety
Online safety generates lots of small signals. The danger is missing the pattern.
Safeguarding software supports you by:
- Centralising concerns into consistent digital safeguarding records
- Making it easier to track repeat names, locations, themes, and timelines
- Improving handovers between staff and safeguarding leads
- Supporting evidence for audits and inspections
A quick online safety safeguarding checklist
- Reporting routes are clear, rehearsed, and trusted
- Image-sharing and staff boundaries are explicit
- Online safety is built into induction and supervision
- Concerns are logged promptly into digital safeguarding records
- Teams use safeguarding software to track patterns and evidence action
Online safety in 2026 isn't about banning devices. It's about building safer systems, faster responses, and confident children who know how to get help.