This week Jamie Greene MSP gave a speech on the importance of protecting children online in the Scottish Parliament.

The issue has been in national news lately after a House of Commons report found that internet giants are not doing enough to protect people online.

Jamie Greene MSP pointed towards dating apps being potentially dangerous for young users and said that there is a need to educate our youth in the laws that are in place to protect them when things go wrong.

Mr Greene said: “The internet is home to many innovations but as it has grown so has some of the risk. More and more young people are getting online and one in five eight year olds has a Facebook account.“ “It’s too easy for children to access explicit images, cyberbullying is a growing problem and it’s difficult to assess if somebody is who they say they are online – an issue prevalent with dating apps. In many cases terrorist groups are recruiting online and actively seek young and vulnerable people.”

“It’s vital that organisations, government institutions and schools across the country make steps to protect young people online.”

“It’s vital that we not only look at new legislation but also educate our young people on existing legislation in place to protect them. They need to know that when things turn sour far from being alone they have the full weight of the law behind them.”