Getting balance right is a very big challenge

Social media is a double-edged sword. It can be of real benefit as a way for people to communicate and the way they learn, but it comes with dangers that cannot and must not be ignored.

Yammer is the Microsoft social media platform within Glow – the Scotland-wide school network.

It is closed to the general public but open to pupils and teachers. Every Yammer user has their own profile with basic details but also interests and expertise.

Somewhere around 15% of pupils use Glow each month. Within that, Yammer allows them to create groups bringing together pupils and teachers with a common interest, for example a class or department.

That is its strength. It educates young people on the use of social media and adds to the richness of their education.

But there are dangers. Not all the content that, for example, a young adult in late secondary school might appropriately share will also be appropriate for a child in early primary school. They will discuss issues in ways that are not wrong in themselves but that no parent would wish an early primary school pupil to access.

And when a young person shares something inappropriate – as will happen from time to time – the critical question is what happens next? It must be dealt with quickly.

That is why the system is “moderated” – with inappropriate content flagged.

That’s the issue that The Courier has highlighted. Material was shared by a pupil that was inappropriate. It included drug references, images from a horror movie and references to being a paedophile.

I want to be very clear to parents that this absolutely was not material from drug dealers or sexual predators. This was inappropriate content shared by a young adult.

The material was flagged by the moderation system and the pupil involved was disciplined.

But that does not mean there are not real concerns here.

The inappropriate material should not have been visible to younger pupils at any point. What is more, there are clear improvements required in the moderation system.

The account was identified in January as having a username referring to paedophilia and flagged to the local council. The pupil’s account was suspended but the offending material remained visible. That is clearly unacceptable. I am also acutely conscious that many parents will have heard of Yammer for the first time this week. Parents must be well informed about these developments.

When these shortcomings emerged late last week the chief inspector of schools rightly took the decision to suspend the entire system.

Until such time as I can be assured that these issues are satisfactorily resolved, the system will not be restored.

There is, however, a wider reality that we must also face: social media is not going away and we need to educate our children on how to deal with it.

Balancing the positive benefits of a system like Yammer with the safeguards every parent has the right to expect is a challenge.

Only when I am satisfied we have met that challenge will we restore the system to Scottish schools.