The Digital Landscape: A New Frontier for Child Safety
In the grand scheme of things, our children are safer now than they’ve ever been. We’ve seen a significant decrease in child accidental death and injury rates thanks to improved public safety measures. Bullying rates have also taken a downturn since 2014. The fear of “stranger danger”, while still a concern for many parents, is statistically less likely to occur than we might think.
However, the dawn of the 21st century has ushered in a new set of challenges to child safety, particularly in the digital realm. The COVID-19 pandemic has only amplified these challenges, with children spending more time online due to national lockdowns and school closures. While the digital world offers a plethora of opportunities for children to learn, play, socialize, and participate in civic life, it also presents risks that can have real-world consequences.
Digital Dangers: Mirroring and Morphing Real-World Risks
Many of the dangers lurking in the digital world are simply reflections of those in the physical world. Bullies, for instance, can extend their reach from the schoolyard to the digital sphere. Children can encounter hate speech and racism in the virtual games they play, the videos they watch, and the apps they use to communicate.
However, the digital environment also brings unique risks such as sexting, or the misuse of children’s data. It can be challenging for children (and adults) to distinguish between genuine content and digital marketing tactics like pop-ups or sponsored links, highlighting potential consumer risks. Exposure to these risks can impact children’s emotional well-being and academic performance, compromise their privacy, and even have financial implications.
The Global Response: Coordinated Efforts for Digital Safety
Addressing these risks requires a coordinated effort across various sectors, including education. The global nature of the Internet and the rapid pace of technological advancements necessitate swift and collective action. One of the challenges we face is gaining a better understanding of the risks children are likely to encounter online to develop appropriate policy responses. Contrary to popular belief, data on cyberbullying suggests that its rates haven’t skyrocketed as often portrayed in public discourse.
Education systems, often in collaboration with other sectors, have implemented measures to protect children in the digital environment. The OECD’s 21st Century Children project, in its most recent report, explores some of these policies and practices aimed at improving child safety online and how education systems are adapting to the rapidly changing risk landscape.
Cyberbullying: A Priority on the Policy Agenda
Cyberbullying is a top priority for many countries across the OECD. Measures taken include developing national action plans, establishing helplines for children, parents, and teachers to receive support or report serious cases of cyberbullying, and disseminating information to help teachers integrate Internet safety into their teaching.
For instance, in Australia, the Office of the eSafety Commissioner operates a reporting scheme for severe cyberbullying cases. In Ireland, Webwise provides information and resources about Internet safety for parents, teachers, and young people.
Data Security and Privacy: A Growing Concern
The security and privacy of student data is another priority issue in many countries. Greece, Norway, and Switzerland have implemented single sign-on or safe login programs for school children. In the Flemish community in Belgium, Ireland, Latvia, and Luxembourg, schools receive guidelines on how to effectively protect student privacy. These are just a few examples of how education systems are working to improve students’ digital safety.
Digital Skills and Literacy: Empowering Children for the Digital Age
Education systems also play a crucial role in promoting digital skills, digital citizenship, and media literacy. By equipping children with the skills to navigate the digital environment effectively and ethically, we can help them understand the digital risks they face. For instance, higher media literacy can help children discern between misleading or fake information and facts, and seek trustworthy sources of information. Teachers, with the right skills, can guide children to understand the risks and potential of the digital world.
However, despite the progress made in ensuring students’ safety in the digital environment, there is still much room for growth in education policy and practice. For instance, in the product market, companies are held accountable for safety compliance of digital tools and platforms, not just issued with non-binding recommendations or guidelines.
The Future of Digital Safety: A Collective Responsibility
As our society becomes increasingly digital, understanding the accompanying risks and opportunities becomes more critical. Only then can we implement policies and practices that will truly protect and support children in this space. Safety doesn’t happen by accident; it requires diligent work across sectors, research disciplines, regions, and countries to enhance child safety in the digital environment.
One way to ensure safety is by checking the legitimacy of websites. For example, you can use tools like Web Paranoid to check if a website is a scam or legit. By taking such precautions, we can create a safer digital environment for our children.