With the fantastic Safer Internet Day 2012 over once again there is now another 12 months in which to prepare for the next time. But I think a little time should be devoted to some reflection on the buildup to the day and the day itself.
Around the world in over 70 countries schools, agencies and many others devoted significant time raising the awareness of online safety in many different ways – training/awareness sessions, radio interviews, blogging, television, Twitter etc etc.
Reflecting back, there was some terrific advice given out – there was also many misleading statements:
- Never advertise on social networks that you are going on holiday.
- Always have the computer downstairs, never in the bedroom.
- Always monitor all of your child’s online activity/smartphone/x-box etc.
- Never let your children on Facebook/Twitter
- All social networks are evil and most people on there are predators
- and many more …… (I don’t want to turn this into a rant!)
I can’t help thinking we’re losing some of our common sense, let’s reflect on those statements:
Never advertise on social networks that you are going on holiday.
Isn’t that part of being social? Letting your friends and family know what you are doing? What we should be saying is, “Don’t have your address, telephone number etc. plastered all over the internet.
Always have the computer downstairs, never in the bedroom.
We don’t all have the luxury of space; we may as well also say, “don’t take your mobile/smartphone out with you,” given that it has a lot of the same functionality as your home computer.
Always monitor all of your child’s online activity/smartphone/x-box etc.
Do you follow your child when they go out to play with their friends? Sure, there are instances when you will want to or need to monitor online activity, but it should never be by default. Schools should consider their vicarious liability of children accessing inappropriate sites (but that should never be used as an excuse for an LA, RBC or school to block en masse).
Never let your children on Facebook/Twitter.
For many children/teenagers Facebook and Twitter is the internet! Why would we want to prevent them from going on two of the most popular services the world has ever seen? I’m fully aware of the minimum age of these services, but that won’t prevent children from going on there. Rules and policies are there for children to challenge – it’s a part of growing up.
For many children/teenagers Facebook and Twitter is the internet! Why would we want to prevent them from going on two of the most popular services the world has ever seen? I’m fully aware of the minimum age of these services, but that won’t prevent children from going on there. Rules and policies are there for children to challenge – it’s a part of growing up.
All social networks are evil and most people on there are predators.
Horrendously mis-informed scare tactics designed for one purpose only – to sell something.
We have to get out of this “you can’t do this, you must do that” attitude. I remember back in my Navy days, I was a submariner. Whenever we pulled into a new port a briefing pack was distributed around to everyone. This briefing was to make everyone aware of the culture, the diversity, useful language tips, places to go – but importantly, the places you were not allowed to go. Why was that important? Because that’s exactly where we went, it was where all the fun was. In my early days I was young, naive, stupid and inexperienced, but I had friends and peers who had lots of experience. They could “sense” where you really shouldn’t be, when there was going to be trouble, or when someone was going to get into trouble. It was all about risk assessment. I learned from their experience and gradually I learned to risk assess for myself. Not once did I ever get into trouble, and believe me we went to places that no tourist would ever go. Awareness was everything, and only by doing these things could I grow and eventually my turn would come and I would nurture others.
What is important here is that I was taught the rules, not the do’s and don’ts, but the “be aware of..” rules. By doing I was taught to risk assess, and if something didn’t feel right walk away or ask somebody responsible.
So, to get back to the title of this blog, what is e-safety and what isn’t e-safety:
Here’s what it isn’t:
- It isn’t blocking or filtering.
- It isn’t about banning mobile/smartphone use, whether in the classroom or outside.
- It isn’t about constant monitoring.
- It isn’t about raising awareness.
- It isn’t about education.
- It isn’t about risk assessing.
So what is it then?
E-Safety is a toolbox, and in any toolbox there are a number of tools, each of which has a different purpose. Some tools do the same thing albeit in a different way. Some of those tools I have mentioned in the bullet points above. E-safety is about picking the right tool for the job or situation. But most importantly, e-safety is about helping our children to grow, learn and have fun online…… e-safely!
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