Are you protecting your children fully from the dangers that ICT can bring? The
usual answer to this question is "Yes, we have an Internet blocking system".
This common answer to the question of child protection shows that schools are utilising Internet Blocking Tools to protect the pupils from the array of unsuitable web sites.
However, the current media coverage of the dangers of ICT should be pushing us to take a closer look at this disturbing problem.
Here we look at the serious deficiencies of these applications, why Internet Blocking systems only go part of the way to protecting your children, and why the real dangers shouldn’t be ignored.
The "Duty of Care" deficiencies of Internet Blocking systems are two fold.
Firstly, blocking applications used in most schools do provide some protection, and this should not be devalued, however such systems can only ever block the children’s access to a number of obviously unsuitable pornographic web sites. Any Internet Blocking application can never keep up with the ever-increasing number of pornographic web sites, and children’s ability to circumvent the blocking technology continues to advance.
Secondly, blocking applications do not protect children from other ICT activities carried out both on and off-line. Although access to pornographic web sites should be avoided, the root of the danger from ICT activity lies in Email, Internet chat rooms, and on, and off-line activity in standard ICT applications.
Like most schools, Talbot Heath School for children aged 3-18 years, in Bournemouth,
appreciates the wealth of positive e-learning support on the Internet, and like
most schools, take their "Duty of Care" and "Acceptable Use Policy" responsibilities
very seriously and use Internet Blocking Tools to protect the pupils from the array
of unsuitable web sites. As Allan Maule, Network Manager explains, "We were using
an Internet Filtering application through our internet service provider, but there
were limitations to its capabilities. It was becoming increasingly apparent that
we were not fully aware of the ICT activity the children were involved with and
quite certain that they were gaining access to a number of unsuitable sites. As
we have 170 PCs in the school we felt we needed to provide sufficient protection
to both the schools Network and the children.
"Is your Internet Blocking System leaving pupils exposed?"
"In Computer rooms, it is hard enough to track the children’s activity at all times, however, the older children are allowed to use the computers in break times and lunch times, and therefore it was even more important to manage the activity".
Maule explained "we were committed to meeting our pupil care responsibilities to the greatest extent possible, and therefore set out to investigate whether any solutions existed that could overcome our concerns of the Internet Blocking approach. We felt that the parents were entrusting their children into the School’s care, and therefore we had a duty to address our concerns honestly’’.
In addition to the current Internet Blocking application used, Maule therefore installed an application called SECURUS on the School’s PCs for a two week trial, to research his suspicions. To get a true picture of the activity, for the first month, the children were not told about the tracking software. The software is non evasive, in that it does not actually block, thereby giving the teachers and children the freedom to work independently. However this works with the understanding that all unsuitable activity is tracked and reported on. In this way the children are given the autonomy and trust, but the monitoring of all activity ensured that the children were taking responsibility. The SECURUS software tracks words and phrases, from all ICT activity, carried out both on an off-line. The violation word and phrase dictionary can be added to at any time.
"Our research results were shocking," reported Maule, "The violation reports generated by the software showed that the older children were accessing unsuitable web sites and could create, transmit and receive Word files containing bullying and threatening, content. SECURUS Software was the only solution we could find that fully met all our requirements. Sending things internally on the network in Word documents containing bullying, innuendo, and explicit material couldn’t previously be prevented or captured, but now it can."
The system’s violation reports showed the children in breach of the School’s "Acceptable Use Policy". Since the system has been present, it has clearly served to educate the children into correct ICT usage, and today the number of violations reported and captured is minimal.
As Maule explains, "the dramatic reduction in ICT violations, and the knowledge that we are honestly protecting our children from all the dangers of ICT usage, is a status that all schools should offer. If your answer to the question was "Yes we have an Internet Blocking application", you should look more closely at the protection you are offering."