Girl approached by man on mobile app launches online safety video

A 10-year-old girl is spreading the message about online safety following her own negative experiences on the web.

Yasmine Labidi, a pupil at Barnby Road Academy, Newark, is hoping to alert other young people about the issue on her YouTube channel.

She was inspired to create the video after using the Just Draw mobile app.

“I was on the game where you draw and could talk to another person online, guessing what was being drawn,” said Yasmine, of Newton-on-Trent.

“There was a man on the game who I did not know and he asked me where I lived and some other details.

“I thought I would do a video to try to keep everyone safe and stop that happening because there are not always good people in the world.”

On her YouTube channel, called Its YAS, Yasmine urges young people to stay smart when talking to strangers by not sharing personal information or inappropriate images.

“The best piece of advice would be to tell a parent or carer if you are not feeling safe,” she said.

“If you know it is happening to someone else, then tell someone.

“You might think you are talking to someone your age, but there is no way of knowing if it is someone who is 30 or 40.”

Her mother, Mrs Natasha Labidi, said she was proud of her daughter.

“Yasmine is very grown up for her age. Although we tell her about the risks about things like apps, she did not believe me that much until she saw it happening,” Mrs Labidi said.

“It worried her a little bit and made her think that other children could easily be seeing things that are inappropriate for their age.

“She loves making videos and it was important for her to get the message out to other young people. I am very proud of her.”