Online Safety - Navigating AI, Smartphones and Social Media

The risks of the online world are well publicised as well as the benefits being online offers to its users. 

The landscape of online safety is evolving rapidly with new technologies launching that have little control or policies when looking at it from a legal perspective. 

How to tackle this issue is very difficult, banning children or young people from using the internet is unlikely to work - whole-school approaches are needed to address new technologies such as AI and growing threats like cyber security risks.

The Department for Education (DfE) expects schools to maintain mobile-free environments by default throughout the school day - including breaktimes and lunchtimes.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Risks in Education

AI has transformed the way many of us work and that includes children and young people. It is a tool which will be widely used to help with research and for activities outside of school work as well as teachers or school staff using it to help with preparation.

Common threats of this tool include: 

• Deepfakes and Synthetic Media: AI image and video generators make it easy to create non-consensual imagery, impersonate staff or peers and facilitate targeted online bullying
• Hallucinations and Misinformation: AI models can generate plausible-sounding but incorrect or harmful content, ranging from inaccurate revision material to unsafe advice
• Data Privacy and Protection: Entering personal pupil data or identifiable work into unvetted AI tools can breach UK GDPR and data protection laws
• AI-Assisted Grooming and Manipulation: Unmonitored conversational AI chatbots can expose vulnerable young people to inappropriate interactions or radicalisation pathways

This can be controlled by blocking AI tools from being used on school computers or controlling which tools can be used, education around the harmful impact of AI and how it should be used and conducting data protection impact assessments.

Dynamic Filtering and Active Monitoring Standards

The past schools may have used, and still may, static web blocking lists to protect children and young people online. This is no longer sufficient to protect school children with the DfE and UK Safer Internet Centre emphasizing that filtering and monitoring must adapt dynamically to live web traffic, social apps and generative content.

What is filtering?

Filtering is designed to block access to harmful or illegal online content and services. Filtering must be non-bypassable with protection in place for illegal content and dynamic analysis of live AI outputs.

What is monitoring?

Monitoring is an on-going process which flags concerning searches keywords or online activity with clear user identification logs, which also covers apps and users own devices if they are used for work or education purposes. This also needs to be followed by staff who are trained to act swiftly on alerts.

How to Srengthen your Cyber Security Infrastructure

We have all heard of cyber attacks in the news recently, it is a growing threat to all businesses but particularly education settings which are always a prime target.

There are many forms of cyber attacks which can target people in education settings including phising, ransomware and credential theft. 

Education settings are targeted because of the sensitive information they hold and attacks can not only disrupt education but lead to safeguarding issues. 

Here's some common cyber security steps that should be taken: 

• Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): Mandatory for all staff accounts accessing school networks or cloud databases
• Role-Based Access Controls: Limiting staff access to pupil records strictly on a need-to-know basis
• Regular Data Backups: Maintaining off-site, encrypted backups to ensure operational resilience against ransomware
• Phishing Awareness Training: Conducting regular awareness sessions so staff and children can identify suspicious emails and links

Mobile Phone Policies and Phone Free School Environments

New DfE statutory guidance expects schools to be mobile phone free environments both in lessons and during break and lunchtimes. 

The default policy should mean that mobile phones, smartwatches and any other device which can connect to the internet with communication functions should be turned off and placed safely in children's bags or lockers unless it is being used for education purposes.

Some schools use laptops, tablets or iPads for lessons and homework but mobile phones should be strictly excluded from this.

Schools that have sixth form students may wish to relax this policy from applying to them but this has to be done carefully. Sixth form students normally have access to a common room and it is advisable to allow them to use the devices in there but not in front of younger pupils as that could encourage them to break the rules.

The benefits to restricting mobile phone usage during school hours includes a lower risk of in-school cyber bullying, less distractions for the children and a reduction in covert recording.

Social Media Restrictions and Harm Mitigation

The UK Online Safety Act placed greater responsibilities on social platforms to enforce age restrictions, remove illegal content and shield children from harmful material online.

Schools still play a big role in reducing harm to children who use the internet through education, monitoring and filters. 

Tools such as age vertification gaps can be easily bypassed by altering dates of birth. 

Encrypted messaging on platforms such as WhatsApp or Snapchat can eaisly turn into hubs for cyberbullying, exclusion and sharing inappropriate media. 

Education must inform children of the risks as well as allowing them to recognise persuasive design, how to report inappropriate behaviour and manage their online footprint.

Safeguarding Leadership and Staff Responsibility

Online safety, like safeguarding, is everyone's responsbility from support staff to teaching staff.

Common structures can involve the designated safeguarding lead overseeing from a safeguarding angle, there to help with policies and alert escalation. 

Teaching and non-teaching staff can identify concerns and teach online safety with IT staff maintaining filtering and reviewing access logs. 

Staff should always be alert to pupils behaviour and any changes they may seen, common indicators for unsafe online acitivites could include them being secretive about what's on their screen, a change in habits or emotional distress linked to online interactions.

Logging should always be accurate so a track record can be kept of safeguarding concerns, these must be recorded immediately on the school's systems.

Regular training, such as Virtual College's safeguarding or compliance courses, keep staff informed about the latest requirements, guidance, emerging trends and apps and AI risks.