Teachers, parents must help kids become good Netizens
Today’s young citizens have never been more globalised and interconnected than they are today. With the rise of Google, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and many other platforms that have dedicated themselves to sharing stories or connecting information, we live in a world unrecognisable from a generation ago.
My own generation — millen- nials as we are sometimes referred to — knew a world where the Internet was something that had to be “dialled up”.
The digital natives of today have never known a world without the Internet. My own daughter, age 5, can confidently use an iPad to roll through multiple YouTube videos accessible at the touch of a finger. She, like many others in Generation Z, exist in a world transformed by digital technology and interconnectivity.
As a result, there has never been a more important time to teach digital citizenship to our children and young adults. Today we all carry smartphones that have more computing power than the Apollo 11 command module required to land human beings on the moon. This technology is incredibly powerful and has the means to be a source of joy, learning, and innovation for our young people. Having said this, it also has the power to be a danger to young people’s mental well-being, careers, and relationships.
A recent story — regarding an artificial-intelligence (AI) text generation tool that was deemed too dangerous for wider release — shows one example of the importance of digital ethics.
Young people will likely be employed in industries that utilise AI and digital technologies, which could subvert institutions and factual commentary.
It is important for us to consider the ethical use of technology, not just its dangers to our own selves. Racial bias and discriminatory prejudices within those who code AI platforms could potentially be hugely harmful in the future. Our children need to be aware of this, and teaching them that online ethics are no different from good manners is incredibly important.
These issues and many others are covered in our digital literacy framework.
Like many schools, we have always taught digital safety and the dangers of online activity. More recently, we have seen a need to adopt this curriculum and we now have brought in a digital literacy framework. This is a working document used by teachers and students to cover aspects of digital leadership, giving them guidance on issues they should be aware of. It forms part of our curriculum and it is covered at different stages of school, from primary up until the end of Post-16 study. We also hold regular parental meetings on various issues outlined in this framework, and we plan to give many more this year as new issues arise.
Digital citizenship requires a team effort and schools need parents and students to work with us on these issues. Technology is rapidly changing the world around us, and our children need their schools and society to help prepare them for a digital future — one in which they will be agents of change in a, hopefully, better future.
Racial bias and discriminatory prejudices within those who code AI platforms could potentially be hugely harmful in the future. Our children need to be aware of this.”