Last week, The Hall welcomed Open View Education for an assembly on how to stay safe within the digital age. With internet risks to young people, comes the responsibility for teachers to educate pupils on how to use the internet safely and respectfully.
According to an Ofcom report from 2023, 87% of children aged 3-4 years old went online in 2022. It was also found that 38% of 3–4-year-olds had their own profile on YouTube, with 14% having a profile on at least one other app or site.
These statistics present risk, but there are also benefits of young people using technology. Educational websites can stimulate children’s creativity and learning, they can help with language skills, numeracy and literacy, and ultimately help with overall digital skills and exploring different cultures and countries.
Nevertheless, it’s important to make sure children are using the internet in a way that is beneficial rather than harmful to their development.
The Junior School learned about how people can be unking online and how it can make themselves and others feel. They were taught how to behave in a positive way online as well as how to keep information safe online. They were also able to identify what to do and who to speak to if they experience something that makes them feel worried online.
Meanwhile, older years learned how to identify an online scam, talk about if they are being bullied online, how to block abusive users, find helpline services, and even capture bullying content as evidence to share with those who can help.
