E-safety and Ethics

With the ever-growing technological world, children are going to inevitably access the internet and it is up to parents and teachers to monitor this.  As Prensky (2001) indicates, today’s children are socialising in a very different way from their parents, with over 200,000 emails and instant messages being sent and received all before the child leaves school.  Today’s children are ‘digital natives’ and are growing up in a technological world.  92 per-cent of children aged 9-19 have accessed the internet at school, with 71 per-cent owning a computer, 38 per-cent owning a mobile phone and 17 per-cent owning a digital television, all with internet access (Livingstone and Bober, 2005) (online).  Therefore, E-Safety is an aspect which needs to be closely considered, both at school and home. 

 

Technology and ICT is becoming more prevalent in schools and it was noted by a head teacher speaking in Male and Burden (2013:9) that “corporate systems that lock everything down” can obstruct learning opportunities.   Such devices in school can offer fantastic learning resources, but there is always the issue of E-Safety, which could cause a dilemma.  However, children are constantly going to be exposed and able to access inappropriate material, which brought about a view by Becta (2010:3) (online) signalling that children “should learn to manage risks, whenever and wherever they go online, and understand safe and responsible behaviour in using technology at their learning provider, in the workplace, in the home and beyond”.  The Byron Review (2008) (online) supports by suggesting that we need to empower children to manage these risks, as opposed to focusing on media causing harm.  Therefore, addressing these issues and educating children about them can provide a safer home and working environment. 

 

However, this could cause controversy within today’s world due to parental anxiety.  This is witnessed within outdoor play as parents can restrict children’s physical activity, play and freedom outside supervised environments (Palmer, 2006), which could be the case for the media and internet.  If children are not exposed to the risks and learn how to overcome them, there may be the issue of continuous naivety and vulnerability.  Nevertheless, The Byron Review (2008) (online) recognises E-Safety within the school as “reducing availability, restricting access and increasing resilience to harmful and inappropriate material online”.  Restricting access links back to possible obstruction of learning activities, highlighting the controversy surrounding this issue.  However, trying to restrict access to inappropriate online material can be seen positively within the home.  Palmer (2006) considers the control of electronic media by parents by reinstating the television, computers and console games into the family space.  This could be a way forward for E-Safety and Palmer (2006) suggests the educational benefits of such media.  Internet surfing, word-processing and the creation of own websites and video presentations all involve “higher order thought processes and command of language and literacy skills” (Palmer, 2006:268).  Therefore, the control of technology within the home supports children’s education, together with E-Safety.

                                 

The Byron Review (2008:5) (online) indicates the three Cs of E-Safety as content, contact and conduct, with the two main issues being grooming and cyber bullying.  As has been previously stated, educating children regarding the risks of the internet is the main way forward for protecting children from inappropriate material.  The website, ‘KidSMART’, is a useful, child friendly site for educating children about internet safety.

 

Moreover, there are organisations available for dealing with issues regarding children’s internet safety and it is the teacher’s responsibility to behave professionally and appropriately when dealing with suspicions or disclosures.  There is an online protection centre called the ‘Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre’ which is available for reporting such suspicions. 

 

To conclude, although there can be safety issues regarding the internet, many beneficial aspects arise from using the internet which should be celebrated.  Teachers should be aware of all aspects of the internet and the current legal requirements, national policies and safeguarding guidance available to promote children’s well-being.

 

Bibliography

Becta (2010) Safeguarding in a digital world: An overview for learning providers. Coventry: Author (accessed 25/03/14) http://education.qld.gov.au/studentservices/behaviour/qsaav/docs/safeguarding-digital-world-learning-providers.pdf

 

Byron Review (2008) Safer Children in a Digital World: The Report of the Byron Review. Nottingham: DCSF (accessed 25/03/14) http://dera.ioe.ac.uk/7332/1/Final%20Report%20Bookmarked.pdf

 

Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre http://ceop.police.uk/ (accessed 25/03/14)

 

KidSMART http://www.kidsmart.org.uk/beingsmart/ (accessed 25/03/14)

                                                                     

Livingstone, S. and Bober, M.  (2005) UK Children Go Online: final report of key project findings. London: LSE Research (online) (accessed 25/03/14) http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/399/1/UKCGO_Final_report.pdf

 

Male, T. and Burden, K. (2013) ‘Access denied?  Twenty-first-century technology in schools’ Technology, Pedagogy and Education

Palmer, S. (2006) Toxic Childhood: How The Modern World Is Damaging Our Children And What We Can Do About It, London: Orion

Prenksy, M (2001) ‘Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants, Part II: Do They Really Think Differently?’ On the Horizon 9 (6)