What to do after a SafeCircle alert

What an alert contains

Each alert in the parent app shows four things:

• Risk level: medium or high (low results are never sent)
• Category, one of seven: grooming, bullying, sexual content, isolation, requests for personal information, moving a chat to another platform, or threats
• A short written reason, in one sentence, explaining why it was flagged
• A suggested next step

You do not see the message text. The check runs on your child’s phone, and only the alert leaves it, over encrypted connections. Alerts can be wrong in both directions: they can miss things and they can flag harmless messages. Treat each one as a reason to check, not as proof.

Step by step

1. Stay calm and read the whole alert. Look at the severity, the category, the reason and the suggested step before you act.
2. Check it against what you know. Ask whether it fits your child’s recent behaviour and the context. Treat higher severities and categories such as grooming, sexual content and threats as more urgent. Lower-severity alerts are usually a reason to check in when things are calm.
3. Talk without blame. Start with an open question, such as “I got a notice about something in one of your chats. Can you tell me about it?” Avoid punishment in the first conversation.
4. Preserve the evidence. The messages stay on your child’s phone, so ask them to keep the conversation and show you calmly. Save usernames and profile links too. Do not delete anything yet.
5. Block and report. Once the evidence is kept, block the account on the platform and report it. If there is sexual content or a threat, do not forward the material. Report it instead.
6. Decide whether to involve others. Contact the school when the issue involves other pupils, bullying or school rules. Contact the police or child-protection services when there is grooming, sexual content, threats, requests for money or any sign that your child is at risk.
7. Follow up. Check in again in a few days. Update your family agreements if needed, and review whether the settings still fit your child’s age and needs.

If your child is in immediate danger, call your local emergency number. For specialist help in your country, including child protection and reporting services, see the help now directory.

Talking with your child

Your child may feel embarrassed, angry or guilty when you raise an alert. Let them know that telling you is the right thing, whatever the answer. Explain what the app does and what it does not do, so the arrangement feels fair.

If your child is upset by the conversation, slow down. A calmer second talk often works better than a rushed first one.