As technology advances and continues to do so, the internet has become an essential part of our daily lives. Although it comes with many benefits, it also poses potential dangers, especially for children and young adults. As a teacher or a parent, it is crucial to take steps to ensure the safety of your students/children while they are online. Unfortunately, it is difficult to monitor everything that students do online or the websites that students visit. Furthermore, the internet is full of predators who pose a threat to children and young adults, which is why some schools and parents are wary of online learning.
In this article we share some ways parents and teachers can use to ensure the safety of your students while they are online:
1. Regularly review and update your internet safety policies:
The internet is constantly changing, so it’s important to frequently review and update internet safety policies to stay current with new threats and best practices for keeping students safe online.
2. Advise Checking Privacy Settings On Social Media
It is crucial to explain to students how the content they share on social media channels can potentially harm them in the near future, especially when your students are middle school learners sharing every aspect of their personal lives.
Even though many sites may be blocked during school hours, we encourage you to check privacy settings on those platforms that aren’t restricted. To a basic level, educators should teach students how they can access the privacy settings on the websites or apps they have accounts for, focusing on the following aspects:
3. ADVISE NOT TO participate in cyberbullying
Advise your child/student not to send mean or threatening messages online, and not to engage with these types of messages or comments if they receive them. Teach them that Cyberbullying is never okay.
4. Create a safe and controlled environment
Set clear rules and guidelines for internet use in your classroom/home and enforce them consistently. This can include things like requiring students to use only approved websites and apps and monitoring their internet activity during class.
5. Use filtering and monitoring software
Make use of software that can filter out inappropriate content and monitor your students’ internet activity. This can help prevent them from accessing harmful or inappropriate sites and alert you to any potential issues. Check out some of the best software you can use here.
6. Model safe and responsible behaviour
As an adult, you are a role model to children. By exhibiting safe and responsible internet usage yourself, you can teach students to do the same
7. Don’t publicly share students’ names
Never share student names on social media or elsewhere on the internet. When sharing accomplishments, be sure to blur or edit out visible names. There might be instances where using a first name only might be appropriate, but do your best to not share the full names of your students publicly. This same set of privacy might go along with sharing students’ faces in a photograph. When in doubt, crop the photos to avoid showing a student’s face, or place an emoji or graphic over the top.
Keeping students safe online involves education, monitoring, and open communication. By creating a secure and controlled environment, educating students on internet safety, utilizing filtering and monitoring software, promoting open communication, modeling safe and responsible behavior, utilising privacy settings, and regularly updating internet safety policies, you can help ensure your students have a safe and positive experience on the internet.
