Online Relationships: How to Start the Conversation

Your secondary-age child is spending time with people online you’ve never met. They might be gaming together, chatting on Discord, or messaging through TikTok. And you want to know if they’re safe—but you’re not sure how to ask without sounding like you don’t trust them. That’s the gap CEOP’s #AskTheAwkward campaign is designed to fill.

Why these conversations matter

Online relationships are real relationships. Your child may be closer to some online friends than to people at school. That’s not inherently a problem—but it does mean you need to know enough to spot when something doesn’t feel right.

Groomers and predators build trust slowly. They ask your child to move from a public chat to a private one. They compliment them more than their real-world friends do. They ask personal questions and remember the answers. Most of the time, your child won’t recognise this as a problem—they’ll feel special and understood.

> The goal isn’t to forbid online friendships. It’s to know enough about them to spot red flags before they become dangerous.

But here’s the thing: asking “Is anyone online trying to groom you?” won’t get you anywhere. Your child either won’t recognise it as grooming, or they’ll shut down because they think you’re accusing them of bad judgment.

That’s why CEOP created three short films that model how to ask the questions that actually work.

What #AskTheAwkward shows you

The campaign includes three real-looking parent-child conversations filmed with secondary school-age actors. They’re not cheesy. They don’t solve everything in three minutes. But they show you how to:

• Ask about online friends without demanding a full friendship audit. The conversation starts with “Tell me about someone you play with online” rather than “Show me your contacts”.
• Listen to the answer without jumping to worst-case scenarios. If your child says someone is 18, that’s not automatically a red flag—but “they asked me not to tell my parents” is.
• Build trust so your child tells you when something feels off. The films model parents saying “If anything ever feels weird, I want to know. I’m not going to be angry. I’m going to help.”
• Name the things you’re actually worried about. “Do they ask you personal questions?” is clearer than “Are they nice to you?”

How to use the films with your teen

You don’t have to sit down and say “We’re going to watch a film about online safety now.” That often backfires with secondary school children. Instead: