Children Fending for Themselves Online
Helen Caldwell, Senior Lecturer in Education (Primary Computing) gives us her view on this topic.
Over the Christmas and New Year break, children in households across the country will have been heads down looking at screens, mobile devices or laptops. New research, ‘Growing up Digital’, from the Children’s Commissioner for England believes that youngsters are being left to fend for themselves on the internet, even though they are now the biggest users.
OFCOM Research shows that children today are now spending more time online than watching TV. While online our children are increasingly using their devices in a multitasking environment that mixes gaming, watching short online video content and using social media to communicate with others in a more interactive way than ever before. For many children and young people social media and the internet is a positive and enjoyable part of their social identity, allowing them to feel connected to their peers. However, alongside the rise in use there has been an increase in the misuse of technologies, putting children at a greater risk of exposure to inappropriate material or conduct such as cyberbullying or grooming.
With internet usage rapidly developing, it’s imperative that protection laws and education for children move at the same pace. I don’t believe that children are being entirely left to ‘fend for themselves’ as the Children’s Commissioner for England suggests; internet safety is already a prominent strand of the computing curriculum for children aged 5 onwards. The recently established computing curriculum for primary schools teaches children to use technology safely and respectfully, to keep personal information private, and to identify where to go for help and support when they have concerns about content or contact. And the Teachers’ Standards set out a duty ‘to establish a safe and stimulating environment for pupils rooted in mutual respect’ and ‘to safeguard pupils’ well-being’, making internet safety a whole school responsibility.
Online safety education should also be a societal responsibly; with parents and teachers working together to recognise the risks associated with the speed of adoption of new devices and services.
Online safety education should also be a societal responsibly; with parents and teachers working together to recognise the risks associated with the speed of adoption of new devices and services, and the changing nature of children’s social media use. A great tool for parents is Net-Aware, as an interactive guide to the pros and cons of common social networks used by children.
Personally, I’m in support of the Children’s Commissioner’s suggestion of the appointment of a ‘digital ombudsman’ to represent children’s rights to social media companies. I agree that increased transparency and simplification of terms and conditions would help all users understand the pitfalls associated with social networking. This is especially important in light of the fact that the 13+ age limit does not deter many children from joining sites such as Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, Instagram and Snapchat.
In schools, we recognise the importance of tuning into what sites children are currently using, evaluating their social media tools and providing opportunities to talk about the issues. We provide opportunities to practice what has been taught in a controlled environment, enabling children to test strategies for dealing with difficult situations so that they have carried out responses such as blocking people or reporting concerns. They might role play scenarios such as receiving unsolicited emails or adverts, or dealing with upsetting content, bullying messages or requests for personal information. We teach them how to respect copyright, avoid viruses and malware, and maintain online privacy. And in the same way that we approach other aspects of responsible behaviour, we teach the importance of thinking through the consequences of both positive and negative actions, pointing out good choices and using poor choices as learning points. Giving children the confidence and skills to navigate more safely in this way builds their resilience.
Alongside this, teachers seek to promote the beneficial uses of technology to make learning more personal, collaborative and creative, and to develop successful social relationships. We don’t want to prevent children using the internet and social media, nor do we want to leave them to discover the dangers for themselves. Rather, we should empower them to keep themselves safe by providing them with a secure environment in which to learn positive digital citizenship, and by teaching them to self regulate their online behaviour, keep their digital identify under review and be discerning about internet content. Such an approach will help to minimise risks and make the positives outweigh the negatives.
Children grow up as active participants in a digital world; part of their education is to learn to use technology creatively in their future work and to critically evaluate the opportunities and challenges it presents. An important aspect of our teacher training at the University of Northampton is to equip new teachers with the internet safety knowledge and pedagogical skills they need to make learning about internet safety explicit and effective in their teaching.
Helen Caldwell is Senior Lecturer in Education (Primary Computing) at the University of Northampton (@HelenCaldwel).
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