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With a quick tap of their mobile phone screen, young people have access to a whole world of information on the internet and a network of communications via social media channels.

This can bring educational benefits, new opportunities and the chance to make new connections and reduce isolation.

But there鈥檚 also the risk that children might be exposed to some sort of trauma through these platforms 鈥� and it might be hard for them to escape from that.

Cybertrauma is any trauma caused through, with or from any internet-ready device.

It鈥檚 a broad topic that includes cyberbullying, child sexual exploitation, sharing of sexually explicit images, social media trolling, and any other way a person can feel victimised through this forum.

It鈥檚 a subject that鈥檚 been coming up in therapy rooms across the country for the past few years, as cybertrauma in any form can have a knock-on effect on children鈥檚 mental health and wellbeing.

Psychotherapist Catherine Knibbs will be speaking about this issue at our Children, Young People and Families conference that takes place in London on Saturday 9 February.

Risk of repeated trauma increases

鈥淭he risk of repeated trauma increases as technology increases,鈥� said Catherine, who鈥檚 a doctoral researcher and specialises in the field of trauma and technology.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not just about crimes such as child sexual exploitation or about online bullying, some young people can be traumatised by clicking on a news story online. They can鈥檛 escape what they鈥檝e seen.鈥� 聽

鈥淲e need to understand what is happening online, how children can be affected by cybertrauma, so we can support them. There are so many different apps springing up all the time, we have to keep up to date. We have to engage with this technology so we know what young people are talking about.鈥�

But once people are aware of the technologies out there, what can they say to young people who are being traumatised because of what they see online?

鈥淭he advice used to be just turn it off, leave your mobile phone or computer alone, don鈥檛 look at it. But that advice doesn鈥檛 work. You can鈥檛 take these young people out of this environment,鈥� said Catherine.

鈥淭his virtual environment seems real to these children.

鈥淭hey have to learn the tools to deal with this real virtual environment.聽 They need psycho-education and the tools of knowing how to report, block and delete, but also who they can turn to for advice.鈥�

One worrying aspect of cybertrauma is how the thing that causes the trauma may keep coming back.

鈥淲e need to acknowledge this. There is permanence on the internet,鈥� said Catherine.

鈥淭ake grief for example. We have always been told that聽death is permanent. But that doesn鈥檛 happen like that on the internet. There may still be a social media account for someone who has died, photos of them may flash up unexpectedly on social media accounts or somewhere else on the internet. It鈥檚 as if they are coming back to life.

鈥淩epeated trauma is 鈥榲irtually real鈥� when it comes to the internet.鈥�

Technology has benefits

Catherine鈥檚 keen to stress that there are positives about the internet and new digital technologies.

聽鈥淭here is a lot of fear and scare-mongering about social media and the digital world when it comes to children鈥檚 mental health. 聽These technologies can have many benefits, they don鈥檛 have to cause harm. I sometimes use computer games with my clients; they can help.

鈥淔rom a mental health perspective and the way that children are developing, they are becoming more and more robust.鈥�

But she said we all need to help young people understand the risks involved and how they can cope with what happens online.

鈥淲e all need to be more tech savvy. We need to understand these apps, online communities and how young people engage with it.鈥�

Catherine delivered a workshop on Risk, danger or cybertrauma? Cyberspace and the impact on CYP and the therapist聽at our 2019 Children, Young People and Families conference.