O2 stores across Yorkshire and the Midlands get behind the Government’s new online safety campaign, ‘You Won’t Know Until You Ask’

Virgin Media O2 is supporting the Government’s new online safety campaign, ‘You Won’t Know Until You Ask’, helping parents and guardians have more confident conversations with their children about the content they see online.

More than 50 O2 stores across Yorkshire and the Midlands, where the campaign is being piloted, are displaying bespoke imagery to encourage adults to talk to young people about whether the posts or videos they see online are true or not.

It comes as the Government’s research found more than half of British parents haven’t come across the right resources to help them navigate these conversations – such as on misinformation and harmful content, including “ragebait” and misogynistic content.

Customers will be directed to find out more about the campaign via the Government’s new online safety portal.

The campaign has been created with a range of experts, including Internet Matters, of which Virgin Media O2 is a founding member.

Creating safer online experiences

The campaign forms part of Virgin Media O2’s comprehensive approach to online safety, where it is playing its part in providing the tools, controls and advice to create safer digital experiences for everyone. This includes:

• Offering parental controls for Virgin Media broadband and O2 mobile customers.
  • Virgin Media Essential Security comes with adjustable parental controls, where customers can set timers to restrict access, and can block specific website categories on topics such as drugs, crime, and any others parents consider inappropriate for their children.
  • O2 Parental Controls restrict access to a range of websites as well as 18+ content.
• O2’s online safety hub provides information and tips for navigating the internet safely, while its scam and fraud prevention webpage provides advice on how to prevent and report fraud. · Providing an AI-assisted solution, Call Defence, to combat fraud and flag nuisance calls, alongside firewall technology to block scam texts.

Dana Haidan, Chief Sustainability Officer at Virgin Media O2, said:

“We know parents and guardians are increasingly worried about the content their children might access online, and many struggle to talk to them about it.

“That’s why we’re proud to raise awareness of the Government’s media literacy campaign with our customers across Yorkshire and the Midlands to support adults to have more open and confident conversations with young people, and to help children develop the critical thinking skills to question whether the posts and videos they see online are true or not.

“This is part of our commitment to online safety and helping everyone get the most from the online world.”

Online Safety Minister, Kanishka Narayan, said:

“Too many parents tell us they want to talk to their children about what they see online, but don’t always feel confident about how to start those conversations.

“The Government’s ‘You Won’t Know Until You Ask’ campaign is designed to give parents and guardians practical tools and trusted information to help them support their children and build critical thinking skills online.

“We welcome the role that partners are playing in helping raise awareness of these resources in communities across Yorkshire and the Midlands.”