The internet – a limitless playground with no boundaries

Two of the biggest threats faced by our children on the internet are naivety and complacency – theirs and ours.

Our digital native children don’t compartmentalise the internet in the way that we do.  We tend to log in and out of the internet.  For our children, it’s always ‘on’ – constantly in their hands or pockets.  For them, it’s always been there – part of everyday life.  It feels comfortable and familiar to them and appears to hold no real mystery – just possibility.

The internet is first and foremost an inextricable part of our children’s leisure and social lives.  They tend to overlook the internet’s practical and educational benefits but that’s for another blog, another day.  For them, it’s a limitless playground with no boundaries in which to meet people and have fun – two things that we actually want our children to do but in safe confines.

If we’re honest as parents, our children’s absorption in the internet can sometimes suit us.  It occupies them, keeps them quiet, allowing us to get on with our busy lives often driven ironically by the expectations and ever-quickening demands of a world powered by the internet.

The internet and the connectivity it carries particularly through social media is powerful and constantly evolving.  The desire of adolescents – often curious and insecure in equal measure – to make lots of connections is an enticing one.

But do they, and do we, understand how they can do this without putting themselves at risk of harm – of connecting with the wrong people – or worse still, the wrong people posing online as the ‘right’ people?

Children’s naivety can lead them to reveal personal details that, in the hands of the wrong people, may put them at risk.  Innocence and trust can expose children to risks they don’t have the maturity or experience to recognise or assess.  Do we know how secure our children’s online privacy settings are?  Indeed, how secure are our own?

As a teacher, I’ve encountered a small number of pupils for whom the amount of time they have spent online became a real problem – an addiction – that challenged aspects of their health, well-being and relationships.

I’ve encountered rather more who have been guilty of naivety in how they share their identities to the world wide community online and what they communicate to others without realising the permanent digital trail they are leaving.

Technology and online trends develop at a pace that is hard to keep up with.  Our children have a better command of both than we do.  But neither ignorance nor because it’s difficult are reasons to allow our children to place themselves in vulnerable situations.  Schools and parents have a shared responsibility to do their best to educate and keep children safe online.  We have to face up to both the opportunities and threats of the internet.

We all know where our children are right now but how much do we know about what they are sharing online – knowingly or unwittingly – and with whom?

Newcastle School for Boys is hosting an internet safety evening for parents this Wednesday 20th January at 6pm in the Hall at its Senior School on The Grove, Gosforth, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE3 1NH.