This is a subject that makes my blood boil.

Tech companies want you to believe they have made life significantly easier. And in many ways, they have. Even in my lifetime, I have seen things develop in ways I could only have dreamed of. I cannot brush my teeth if I have not charged my toothbrush. That still quietly blows my mind every now and then.

The tech aside, there is something much more sinister sitting underneath it.

I was on gay chatrooms from the age of 10, if not younger. AOL was incredibly easy to manipulate, and I felt like I did not fit into the real world. I cannot explain how addictive the attention was. It felt like being at the centre of something bigger than me.

That feeling did not stay online.

I cannot bring myself to write what happened next. I tried to report it. I was told, “You are going to ruin a life. Are you sure you want to report this?”

It is something that has come back to the surface recently as I have been in therapy. I am reassured that it was never just me knowing what I was doing, or that I deserved it.

My self-worth has always been low. Until recently, I placed my identity in bending over backwards to please people, not just older men but other figures in my life. I have never had a normal romantic relationship, and friendships are often intense and short lived.

This is a topic people skirt around. Whether that is discomfort, ignorance, or a reflexive defence of parenting, I am not sure. But one thing is true. Parents, carers and guardians need a harsh dose of reality. They need to look directly at the problem, because it has always been there and it is not going away.

Ofcom says that 99% of children aged 12 to 15 go online. Around 90% own a smartphone by age 11. More than half of children aged 8 to 11 have a social media profile despite minimum age rules.

NSPCC analysis shows that sexual communication with a child offences recorded by police have increased by 89% since 2017.

What about those figures is not alarming enough to demand immediate action?

It is good that the Government has committed to change. But opening the conversation to the public feels misplaced. The public does not know what to do. They need clear rules, clear boundaries, and systems that actually protect their children. That gap speaks to how we handle issues like this in the first place.

There is always an argument that experiences like mine are not representative. But this is happening far more often than people are willing to admit, and it could be happening in your home.

Check devices. Be present. Spend time online together. Be involved in homework, entertainment, and curiosity. None of that is unreasonable.

Office for National Statistics data shows that 35% of children have accepted a friend request from someone they did not know, and 19% have messaged someone they had never met in real life.

Even without the predatory element, those under 16 are not equipped to handle the environment they are placed in.

The UK Parliament POST has found that around 40% of children report encountering unkind behaviour online.

They will say what is in their mind, and the consequences can be serious. This has affected, and in some cases ended, young lives.

This is not about telling children to be tougher. It is about understanding the system they are in, and recognising that it is not built with them in mind.