What are the dangers of the Internet?

It is true that there is some material on the Internet that would be offensive to most people, such as pornography, racist and fascist material, and this can be accessed by children if using the Internet unsupervised. The main educational providers 'filter' known offensive locations of material of this kind, but there is too much for this filtering to be totally effective, and the locations change frequently. The only way to block access to this kind of material is to have a restricted range of pages available, in which case many of the advantages of the global and dynamic nature of the Internet may be lost. An alternative system is to educate pupils and encourage an acceptable use policy and partnership between home and school in dealing with the less savoury side of Internet use.

By far the greatest danger on the internet is ‘grooming’ of children by predatory paedophiles, using social media and chat-rooms. Much of this risk can be reduced by proper diligence of what children are actually involved in online and by educating children to be careful and not to trust what they are being told online. (See Social Media).

While schools and parents need to exercise caution in the access they allow children to the internet, they should not be deterred from using it. Its educational benefits outweigh any possible dangers, which are comparatively minimal. Schools have always helped learners to engage with society, based on clear support and guidance, and use of the internet should be no exception.

In very recent years there has been a development that has brought with it increased problems for internet use. Mobile devices, such as mobile phones, tablet PC’s, Kindles and iPads have seen a massive rise in numbers and usage. If children have their own devices it is very difficult for parents to know exactly what their children are accessing on a daily basis. You can use ‘Parental Controls’ on your home internet system, or look for these options on the mobile device and you should do this as a matter of course.

If you have concerns about a mobile device you may need to check your child’s browsing history or remove the device from use altogether.