Welcome to Cyber Safety Guy — Start Here
My name is Dale. I’m a former Royal Air Force Policeman with 22 years of service, the last 8 of which I spent as a Digital Forensics and Incident Response (DFIR) specialist. During that time, I was required to investigate criminal and inappropriate web browsing sessions. Over the course of my career, I analysed in excess of one million images, approximately a quarter of which were criminal.
I conducted that task without any counselling or psychological support in place.
In 2019, I was medically discharged from the RAF with a diagnosis of Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (C-PTSD).
I’m telling you that not for sympathy, but because it’s the reason I’m here, writing this, for you, as I don’t want your children to become evidence in somebody else’s next case.
Why I Created The Cyber Safety Guy Blog
Everything I witnessed during my career tells me one thing with absolute certainty:
The majority of online harm to children is preventable.
Not through spying or using fear, but through education and conversation. That means having parents and teachers who are informed enough to have the right conversations at the right time. That’s what this blog is all about.
I’m not here to terrify you. I’m here to try and make sure you’re informed and never caught off guard.
Who This Is For?
You’re in the right place if:
You’re a parent who worries about what your child is doing online, but doesn’t always know what specifically to worry about
You’re a teacher or safeguarding lead who wants up-to-date, credible information you can actually use
You’ve heard terms like deepfakes, grooming, or the Online Safety Act and want someone to explain what they actually mean for your family or your school
You want practical steps, not just statistics and overly technical mumbo jumbo
You’re not in the right place if you’re looking for someone to tell you the internet is hopeless and your children are forever doomed; that’s not what I do here.
A Few Things Worth Knowing
Every penny of subscription fees goes to Childline (NSPCC). I don’t do this for money. I do it because I’ve seen what happens when children aren’t protected, and I want that to mean something.
I publish in plain English. No jargon, no unnecessary technical language. If I use a term you might not know, I’ll always try to explain it.
I’m not perfect. I’m one person, doing this alongside a full-time career in cybersecurity, managing my own mental health. If I get something wrong, tell me.
⚡Please don’t forget to react & restack if you appreciate my work. More engagement means more people might see it. ⚡
Where to Start Reading
Here are the posts I’d recommend if you’re new here:
🔵 If you’re a parent worried about social media: From TikTok to Crisis, what the algorithm is actually doing to your child’s mental health
🔵 If you’re worried about AI: AI and Teen Safety, the risks most parents haven’t considered yet
🔵 If you want to understand the law: New Demands for Accountability, what the Online Safety Act actually means in practice
🔵 If you want to know what parental controls actually work: Cyber Safety Guy Review: Salfeld Child Control, an honest, tested review
Stay Connected
If this is useful, and I hope it is, the single best thing you can do is subscribe for free below. Every new subscriber means this information reaches more parents and teachers who need it.
You can also find me on LinkedIn and on Instagram. You can also reach me directly at cybersafetyguy@gmail.com.
Thank you for being here. It means more than you know.
As always, thank you for your support. Please share this across your social media, and if you do have any comments, questions, or concerns, then feel free to reach out to me here or on BlueSky, as I am always happy to spend some time helping to protect children online.
Remember that becoming a paid subscriber means supporting a charity that is very close to my heart and doing amazing things for people. Childline, I will donate all subscriptions collected every six months, as I don’t do any of this for financial gain.
You are brave and strong for all the work you do. I am eager to support you.