Can IT companies protect children?
We’ve always taken e-safety very seriously. We offer schools sophisticated content filtering systems which provide control over what can be seen online and can tailor this to suit classes of different ages. Of course, it’s not always easy to know in advance what you want to filter out and the threats online keep evolving. No filter can be 100% effective because new sites are popping up all the time. That is why we also offer a content monitoring system that detects inappropriate content being viewed and flags it up for teachers to take any required action. These systems are effective tools to protect children online, but they are not the only thing in the e-safety toolbox.
Can teachers help children to protect themselves?
Education plays a significant role in the success of e-safety programmes. This means educating children about what actions they can take in to stay safe online, but also reinforcing the idea that the online landscape changes rapidly. It is not effective to simply test children once on issues of e-safety and assume that they’re sticking to the rules. Some will forget, others will be looking for ways around the safety checks and meanwhile new threats will be evolving online. Education in this sense means keeping the conversation open about issues such as cyber-bullying and incorporating regular updates and discussions on the topic throughout the year.
How can parents get involved in e-safety?
Education doesn’t stop with the pupils; teachers and parents also have a role to play in helping children stay safe online. We also offer a range of training courses online and in schools with our partners Safety Net for teachers and parents as well as students, which help to inform them of the possible threats and behaviours to look out for. This is important because although content filtering and monitoring systems are very effective, it’s unlikely that children are encountering similarly sophisticated protections at home. That’s why it’s as important to know how to work with children on e-safety, and the right training can help parents and teachers spot signs that a child may be encountering something upsetting online.
So, who IS responsible for e-safety?
IT companies can offer tools to protect children from online threats but that’s only part of the story. Teachers, parents and the children themselves all have a role to play and training and ongoing education ensure this takes place. The more knowledge they have, the easier it is to exercise a measure of judgement on the issue -you may want to supervise very young children online, but with teenagers you can provide a measure of independence but make sure you understand, for example, the signs of potential cyber-bullying and what can be done to combat it. In both cases, the technology may play a vital role in protecting children and young people online but often education is the most powerful layer of protection.