Online safety, vulnerability and safeguarding for ALN & chronically unwell teens

 

Online Safety for ALN & Neurodivergent Young People | Learn Without Limits CIC

This article forms part of Learn Without Limits CIC’s participation in Safer Internet Day 2026, supporting families of disabled, chronically ill, neurodivergent, and home-educated children. Generic online safety advice does not adequately protect disabled, neurodivergent, or chronically unwell children because it does not reflect how they actually access the internet, education, or social spaces, we attempt to address the most common gaps below.




Why this matters

Chronically unwell, neurodivergent and disabled teens often rely on online spaces more than their peers. For many ALN home learners, the internet is where:

  • education takes place

  • friendships are maintained

  • independence is explored

  • isolation caused by illness, fatigue or exclusion is reduced

At the same time, these young people are more likely to depend on assistive technology such as screen readers, AAC, voice dictation, captions, smart assistants and AI tools.

These tools are essential. They are also rarely considered properly in mainstream safeguarding guidance.

Most online safety systems were designed for children who are:

  • neurotypical

  • sighted

  • typing rather than speaking

  • attending school daily

  • supervised through formal institutions

That is not the reality for many ALN and home educated children.

Understanding vulnerability without underestimating your child

Being vulnerable online does not mean being careless, immature or incapable.

Chronically unwell and ND teens may:

  • spend long periods online due to pain, fatigue or limited mobility

  • be awake and online at night when symptoms flare

  • rely on voice, text to speech or AAC rather than typing

  • struggle with social nuance, persuasion or hidden intent

  • interpret language very literally, including AI generated responses

  • seek connection during isolation or low mood

Safeguarding must be built around how a child actually lives and communicates, not how guidance assumes they do.

A critical reality check for elective home education families

In elective home education spaces, both online and offline, there is no formal regulation.

This includes:

  • home education groups

  • social meet ups

  • learning pods

  • clubs and activities

  • online group chats and forums

There is no requirement for:

  • DBS checks

  • safeguarding training

  • vetting of adults running groups

  • identity verification in online spaces

Parents often assume that because a group is described as educational, supportive or community based, it is inherently safe. That assumption can be dangerous.

It is important for parents to understand a well documented safeguarding pattern:

Many predators gain access to children by first gaining the trust of adult carers.

This may look like:

  • appearing helpful, knowledgeable or generous

  • offering support to overwhelmed parents

  • positioning themselves as experienced in SEN, trauma or behaviour

  • volunteering to run activities, clubs or online spaces

  • slowly normalising private communication with children

This is not about suspicion or panic. It is about recognising that trust must be built carefully and reviewed regularly, especially in unregulated spaces.

Assistive technology and safeguarding gaps

Screen readers and text to speech

The risk
Screen readers and text to speech tools read everything aloud once content loads. This means:

  • sexual, violent or extremist content may be spoken before a parent can intervene

  • preview text, comments and adverts may be read aloud even if links are blocked

  • abusive or explicit messages can be broadcast unintentionally

For some ND teens, auditory exposure can be more intense and harder to disengage from than visual exposure.

Why filters often fail
Most parental controls filter web pages, not spoken output. Accessibility narration operates outside standard filtering systems.

What helps

  • child specific device profiles

  • disabling auto read or auto play where possible

  • practising pause and stop speech commands together

  • sitting with your child when introducing new platforms

AAC and communication apps

The risk
AAC tools may:

  • store message history in the cloud

  • sync across devices linked to adult accounts

  • expose deeply personal thoughts if accessed by others

  • make a child’s communication style visible, increasing targeting risk

AAC users are also sometimes perceived as cognitively younger, which can increase vulnerability.

What helps

  • check where data is stored and who controls the account

  • avoid linking AAC tools to social media or shared emails

  • use device level locks even within trusted apps

  • role play what to do if someone asks for private information

Speech to text and dictation

The risk

  • background conversations may be captured unintentionally

  • sensitive medical or family information may be transcribed

  • drafts may auto save to cloud services

  • mis transcription can result in messages being sent accidentally

Chronically unwell teens often dictate when fatigued, which increases the likelihood of errors.

What helps

  • turn off auto send and auto save

  • review before sending as a fixed habit

  • dictate in quiet, supervised spaces

  • disable microphones when not actively in use

Voice assistants and smart speakers

The risk
Most generic parental controls, including Google SafeSearch and ISP level filters, do not reliably apply to voice activated searches.

Voice assistants:

  • bypass visual safeguards

  • provide summarised spoken answers without context

  • leave no visible search trail

  • allow private exploration of risky topics

For ND teens who prefer voice access, this can become an unsupervised route online.

What helps

  • restrict assistants to music, timers and weather

  • disable web search, messaging and purchasing

  • keep smart speakers out of bedrooms

  • review voice histories together calmly

Captions and auto translation

The risk
Auto captions and translations can:

  • distort tone and intent

  • remove safeguarding cues

  • normalise harmful language

  • misrepresent discussions of abuse or self harm

ND learners who rely on captions may miss warning signs that others hear.

What helps

  • watch new content together initially

  • discuss tone and subtext

  • favour moderated platforms for younger teens

AI tools and emotional risk

AI tools can support learning, organisation and communication. They can also:

  • reflect harmful ideas without challenge

  • feel emotionally validating in ways that replace human support

  • blur boundaries between tool and relationship

  • give unsafe health or mental health advice

When AI output is read aloud using assistive technology, emotional impact can increase.

Safeguarding approach

  • frame AI clearly as a tool, not a friend

  • keep use task based and time limited

  • no AI chats overnight or in bedrooms

  • regularly ask what the AI helped with today

Gaming safety insert for ALN children and teens

Online games are not just games. They are social spaces, chat platforms and communities with minimal identity verification.

A recurring safeguarding risk reported by parents and taken seriously by police is adults pretending to be children in online games and groups. This has occurred on platforms including Roblox, as well as in supposedly moderated group chats.

In some cases, the adult:

  • builds trust over time

  • encourages secrecy

  • moves conversations into private chat

  • introduces sexualised or coercive behaviour

  • attempts to arrange an in person meeting

Why this works

This risk does not rely on children being reckless. It relies on:

  • children trusting child labelled spaces

  • avatars, role play and private chat

  • moderation that is reactive rather than preventative

  • isolation or loneliness

  • parents assuming moderation equals vetting

Gaming rules that genuinely protect children

No private chat with unknown people
Children should not private message or voice chat with anyone unless parents know the other child’s parents.

Shared space gaming
Gaming should take place in living areas, not bedrooms. Adult presence disrupts grooming behaviour.

Voice chat boundaries
No voice chat late at night. No voice chat with unknown players. Headsets only when adults are nearby.

Closed groups are safest
The lowest risk setup is closed groups where:

  • every child is known

  • parents have each other’s contact details

  • at least one adult actively moderates

Delaying smartphones is protective
Many families choose basic phones for emergencies and delay smartphones until mid to late teens. This is a safeguarding decision, not a social failure.

What children should be taught clearly

  • Some adults pretend to be kids online

  • Anyone asking for secrets is a warning sign

  • If someone suggests meeting up, tell an adult immediately

  • You will never be in trouble for telling

Red flags parents should take seriously

  • pressure to keep secrets

  • requests to move chats to other platforms

  • sudden emotional attachment to an online friend

  • secrecy around gaming or devices

  • mention of meeting in person

  • gifts or in game currency being offered

Trust your instincts. If something feels wrong, it usually is.

If something goes wrong

You do not need certainty to act.

Parents can report on behalf of their child. Early reporting helps protect other children too.

Non negotiable protections that matter

  • No screens in bedrooms

  • Devices used in shared spaces

  • Layered technical controls combined with adult supervision

  • Open conversations without fear or punishment

No filter replaces an informed, present adult.

Safer Internet Day 2026

Learn Without Limits CIC is participating in Safer Internet Day 2026 on 12th February 2026. We will be running an online Zoom workshop for parents focusing on online safety, disability, assistive technology, and safeguarding in home education spaces.

Details on how to join our event will be published on our website:
https://learnwithoutlimitscic.org

Safeguarding disclaimer

This article is provided for general information and parental support only. It does not replace professional safeguarding advice, police guidance or statutory intervention.

Learn Without Limits CIC does not investigate safeguarding concerns and cannot act as a reporting body. If you believe a child is at risk:

  • contact emergency services immediately if there is danger

  • report concerns to CEOP or the police

  • follow local safeguarding procedures

We encourage early reporting, calm action and support for children without blame.

Final reassurance for parents

Elective home education and disability spaces rely heavily on trust. Trust must be built slowly, reviewed regularly and never assumed.

Good safeguarding is:

  • calm

  • proportionate

  • realistic

  • responsive to how your child actually lives and communicates

If this article feels long, it is because families of disabled and chronically unwell children are rarely given the full picture.

Presence, boundaries and early reporting protect far more effectively than fear.

Sources and further reading

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