By age
What puts a four-year-old at risk is not what puts a fourteen-year-old at risk, and a system that treats those the same protects neither. Five stages, five films, and for each one the single move that matters most.
0–5
The youngest
At this age the child is not the target. The household is — and the child is the thing that makes the household findable.
Do this now The single highest-value thing a family can do in these five years is decide, once and together, what they publish about a child who cannot yet consent.
6–9
Early school
The first tablet arrives, usually shared, usually for games. This is where a child first meets a stranger who wants something.
Do this now Teach the tell, not the fear. A child of seven can absolutely learn that “don’t tell your mum” is the signal — and a child who knows the tell will bring it to you.
10–12
The hinge
The phone arrives. Social accounts arrive. And for the first time the child has a private channel an adult does not see.
Do this now Set the terms before the phone, not after. The settings conversation is easy on the day you hand over a phone they want, and hard eight months later.
13–15
Early teens
The threat changes shape. It stops being someone trying to reach a child and starts being someone trying to get something from one.
Do this now Say the sentence out loud, now: “If someone ever has a photo of you, you come to me and you are not in trouble.” It is the whole defence, and it costs nothing.
16–18
Nearly out the door
In two years nobody will be protecting this person but themselves. The job stops being protection and starts being handover.
Do this now Wind the surveillance down on a date you name in advance. A protection system that ends the day a child leaves teaches them nothing; one that hands over gradually teaches them everything.
