In this episode of What The Friday, Jimi sits down with Michael Semenczuk from West Yorkshire Police to unpack what online safety really means for young people today.

They explore how your digital footprint is created, how algorithms shape what you see, and why this matters for your future education, employment, and wellbeing.

Michael explains how to spot early signs of grooming, manipulation, and exploitation, the risks of sharing sexual images and deep fakes, and how pornography and idealised social media content can warp expectations around relationships, bodies, and sex. They also cover common online scams, staying safe in gaming spaces, using privacy and parental controls, and finding a healthier balance between life online and offline.

If you are worried about something you have seen or experienced online, you can find information and support from:

• West Yorkshire Police Online Safety Advice: https://www.westyorkshire.police.uk/advice/online-safety
• CEOP Safety Centre (to report online sexual abuse or grooming): https://www.ceop.police.uk/safety-centre/
• Childline (support for young people): https://www.childline.org.uk/
• NSPCC Online Safety: https://www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/online-safety/
• UK Safer Internet Centre: https://saferinternet.org.uk/

This episode was kindly funded by the Mayor of West Yorkshire through the Mayor's Safer Communities Fund and the Mayor's People Fund.

Don't forget to subscribe for new episodes or sign up to the Destination information & opportunities web-app for teens and young adults at www.destination.org.uk where you can find loads of useful life-benefiting content for young people.

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Special thanks to Jimi for editing and Youth Social https://www.youthsocial.co.uk for pulling everything together.

Finally, special thanks to Paul A Jackson for the music.