Cyber safety: How schools are sensitising children about internet ethics

Most children today have easy access to the internet. Mobile phones have crept into their day-to-day activities, whether it is for educational purposes or playing games. Newfound fame and validation on social media have also led many to become sensational content creators. But amidst it all, young innocent minds are constantly at risk of being exposed to inappropriate online content and misinformation or bearing the consequences of malicious online activities.

Sensitising children about cyber safety measures, therefore, is imperative to ensure children’s physical and mental well-being. And what better place to learn about it than schools?

Says Pooja Ghai, HoD-Computer Science, Apeejay School, Mahavir Marg, “The usage of mobile phones and laptops among children significantly increased during and after COVID-19. Teachers also share YouTube links and other study materials online. However, with this comes the risk of children being exposed to content that may or may not be appropriate, something they might not be able to distinguish between. Moreover, many children are becoming victims of cyberbullying.”

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Apeejay Mahavir Marg will be conducting a cyber safety workshop in the coming days, the teacher added. “The school will be conducting a cyber safety and ethics workshop for both the staff as well as the students from class VI onwards. The workshop hopes to make children understand what is good or bad on the web, what safety guidelines they should follow, what to do if they are trolled, and so on.”

Similar workshops have been conducted at other Apeejay schools as well. In 2021, Apeejay School, Faridabad, hosted an online workshop on cyber safety for classes VI-VIII. Children were introduced to the dos and don’ts on online platforms — from verifying content to avoiding posting negative or hurtful comments.

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Meanwhile, students of classes IX and X at Apeejay School, Nerul, have been studying cyber ethics and best practices as part of a curriculum unit. The students of other classes are also frequently taught about cyber safety.

Not just children, parents should also be mindful of their kids’ online activities. Sharing some tips for parental control, Ghai said, “Parents have to be more vigilant. Children often find it difficult to share their distress, but parents should tell their kids to share their problems with their friends or teachers and then perhaps with their mother or father.”

She advised the following tips:

• Children cannot abstain from using mobile phones and other devices. The most important thing is to have a parental lock on the devices.

• Parents should allocate a specific time for using electronic devices.
• Using various software, parents should monitor the search history and the content children are watching.
• Parents should have an open conversation with their children about cyberbullying. Make sure to not blame a child for their actions but give them support and confidence to mitigate a situation. Talk to them daily to know what’s happening in their lives, know about their friends, and so on.
• It is okay if a child has a social media account, but parents should also be added to the account.