Using the internet safely

Equipping children with skills to flourish in the digital world

The Online Safety Bill’s return to the House of Lords has re-ignited debate around how exactly we can keep children safe online. The answer lies in equipping them with the skills to not just survive, but thrive in the modern and increasingly digitised world.

There is a plethora of effective safeguarding software that supports schools’ online safety strategies and protects pupils online, including solutions that monitor online activity for keywords that can indicate when they may be at risk. However, these should always be used in tandem with empowering children with the skills to safely thrive in the online world –multiple layers and approaches are always better than one!

A holistic approach to education which considers the ‘whole child’ is the key. Beyond digital competency, educators must consider how to embed digital citizenship skills across the curriculum and prepare young people to interact in the online world safely and respectfully.

Using technology across different subjects teaches students to engage with each other, collaborate and communicate responsibly online, whilst developing countless additional skills including problem solving and critical thinking. As highlighted within the Online Safety Bill’s debates, media literacy and the ability to engage critically with resources - instead of consuming without questioning anything - is a vital skill for all young people.

It’s also vital that we develop young people’s understanding of data privacy, encouraging them to be aware of when their personal data is collected, how it is used and, above all, how to exercise greater control over who has access to it.

As it becomes more ubiquitous, technology is challenging the traditional separations between education, work and life. Media literacy and digital citizenship skills are just one aspect that must be considered as part of a wider approach that considers the ‘whole’ child and what they will need to flourish beyond academia.

AL KINGSLEY Chair of Hampton Academies Trust and NetSupport CEO www.netsupportsoftware.com