In the 21st century, the internet is a big part of everyone’s lives. Not just in our homes, but lots of people use their phones with 5G and mobile data when they're out and about as well.  

I use the internet for all sorts of things, like catching up on my social media, listening to music on Spotify, and keeping on top of the news. But whatever you do online, it’s really important to keep yourself safe.  

Staying safe online means you protect things that are important to you like your bank account or your personal details. Although most people online are ok, there are people out there who try to do bad things, like try to .  

I remember getting fake friend requests on Facebook once, which made me feel  really worried. I was scared that whoever was doing it were trying to scam me or trick me somehow. I wondered why they had targeted me, but I didn’t fall for it – I wasn’t born yesterday! 

The profiles didn’t look right, and the pictures all look like they had come from magazines and that made me think it wasn’t a real person trying to get in touch. I was able to stay in control of the situation.

Looking over the shoulder of a man who is looking at music on his mobile phone.
 
But not everything is as easy to spot. I find a lot of other things, like online shopping apps and complicated emails difficult, especially if they aren’t accessible . It makes it more difficult for me to understand what they're about, and that means it would be more likely that I would click on something that I shouldn't.

There are things in my email inbox that I find confusing, like buttons that say “archive” or “focus” and aren’t explained, really.  I wish people would think more about using plain language! It would make it easier for everyone to understand.  

If things aren’t easy to understand it makes it difficult to know what is safe and what isn’t. That’s why I was excited to hear about the grant from Google.org that will help Mencap deliver a more accessible and inclusive world for everyone. 

We will be working to make a range of new information and resources to support people a learning disability to use the internet safely and give people the skills to avoid harm online. Not only that, but we can go out into the community to get people to come together and support each other to use the internet confidently.  

As a person with a learning disability, I think it is so important for everyone to be able to access the digital world so nobody is left behind and can enjoy all the great things about the internet. It is a great opportunity and a huge honour to be given this grant, and it will make a huge difference for so many people. 
 
Mencap is also working on a new website so I hope this year is going to be a big year for accessibility online, and I can’t wait to be a part of it!