FOCUS ON: ONLINE SAFETY
Young people spend more time online each week than they do in school – how do we keep them safe?
safety is absolutely critical. Many of them are vulnerable and are consuming a wide range of media, including social media. So far, we’ve used the course to have a great group discussion about how people may not always be as they seem online and how to look after your personal data. Our students need to make the right choices and understand the risks and nuances of online behaviour. So far, this resource has done just that.”
T
he children and young people of today have never known a world without the internet, social media, and freely available, often unmonitored, devices at their fingertips every day. Despite this, many are frighteningly ill-equipped to negotiate their lives online. Over the last decade, young people’s internet usage has continued to increase, to the point where they are spending more time online each week than they are in school, with around 35 hours a week spent online. Similarly, the prevalence of mental health issues in children has increased - in 2021, it was one in six, up from one in nine in 2017.
While the internet has many benefits, from helping young people to access study materials, play games, and stay in touch with family and friends, there is also a darker side, and the negative impacts of this can lead to mental health issues. Ofcom discovered that over half of twelve to fifteen-year-olds have had some form of negative online experience.
Teachers across the country are growing increasingly concerned about how their pupils spend their time online and the effects it has on them. Julian*, an assistant headteacher at a secondary school, says his students ‘need constant reminders’ to be vigilant about their privacy settings and who they’re following online. And Gillian*, a teacher at a different secondary school, fears that now her pupils spend far more time online than they used to, there are ‘more opportunities for people to take advantage of them’.
Digital education innovator, EVERFI from Blackbaud’s mission is to help teachers tackle these complex issues and help young people stay safe online, form positive relationships, and improve their mental health with their range of completely free mobile-first courses.
While cyberbullying can affect all age groups, it peaks between the ages of eleven to fourteen, and it can cause serious damage to young people’s mental health. While bullying in school has sadly always been common, social media means it can continue beyond the school gates - and even anonymously. And while cyberbullying is not a problem unique to this country, the Teaching and Learning International Survey revealed that secondary school heads in England reported the highest level of cyberbullying among students compared to other countries. Concerningly, Ofcom has found that three in ten eight to fifteen-year-olds think that if a website is listed by a search engine, it can be trusted, and while the majority of twelve to seventeen-year-olds were confident they could tell what is real and fake online, only 11% could identify a genuine social media post. These statistics, and those on social media usage and cyberbullying amongst this age range show this is the perfect time in young people’s lives to undertake EVERFI’s Ignition course. The course is aimed at eleven to fourteen- year-olds, and teaches pupils how to safely and confidently navigate the digital world, as well as how to understand how to evaluate the accuracy and perspectives of online content. It uses flexible, simple real-life interactive and animated scenarios and role play to engage, teach and stretch pupils’ critical-thinking and problem-solving skills. EVERFI originally launched the course in the USA and has seen more than 3.5 million pupils taking it since 2010. The course is linked to national curricula in PSHE, computing, and design & technology. Matt Evans, a teacher from Shaftesbury High School, said of Ignition: “I was looking for a resource that tackled the topic of digital wellbeing and online safety and came across Ignition. It’s ideal. It’s structured with lesson plans and explanations that are teacher-friendly and easy to use. Teaching our students about online
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With the correlation between heavy internet usage and the rise in mental health problems, along with the impact of the pandemic, it is perhaps not surprising that in 2022, a record number of children and young people have been treated for mental health problems - over 400,000 a month. Mental health issues often start young, with 50% being established by the age of fourteen. Sadly, bullying is also most prevalent in these younger age groups and typically declines as children move through their school journey; twice as many ten-year-olds report being bullied in the last year compared to fifteen-year-olds. This data shows why it’s vital to intervene early to minimise the effects of poor mental health on children’s development, education, and employment, as well as teaching them at a young age about empathy and forming positive relationships with their peers, and in so doing lessen the likelihood of these issues in the future.
This is where the Compassion Project from EVERFI can help. The course - the first of its kind in in the UK - teaches children how to be compassionate, resolve playground disputes themselves, notice how others may be feeling, and to think about different points of view than their own.
The Compassion Project comprises two courses: Kindness in the Classrom for seven to nine-year-olds, and Positive Relationships for nine to eleven-year-olds. On the courses, children are introduced to a group of cartoon characters who are preparing for a talent show and are playing games in the playground. Through interactive scenarios, animated videos and offline activities, pupils are shown what compassion is and how to practise it to overcome disagreements and get along better with their classmates. The courses are accredited by the PSHE Association, and are linked to national curricula in PSHE. With so much evidence pointing to mental health issues being on the rise amongst young people, compounded by the damaging effects of living life online, or being cyberbullied, there is a clear need for timely and preventative measures. This academic year is the perfect time to support your students to develop the knowledge, empathy, and resilience to navigate this complex modern world.
Schools can register to access EVERFI’s free platform and get access to Ignition and The Compassion Project - and many others - here:
ueverfiteachers.co.uk/register
*Names changed to preserve anonymity October 2022
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