SOCIAL NETWORKING AND SCHOOLS

“I want to kill Mrs Jones”
“My name is Ahmed and I’m in love with Hussain cos I’m gay”
“Laura wants to tell moo that she's a bitch”

These are just some of the comments sent to Childnet by schools who have concerns about inappropriate postings their pupils have submitted on social networking sites such as Bebo and Piczo.

Whilst these sites give pupils a unique way to connect with each other outside of school and socialize, when a joke or comment about a pupil or indeed a teacher escalates into bullying, or even an unlawful threat, it is understandable that schools have to get involved but how?

On this area of the website Childnet seeks to help schools consider what they can do practically to support young people in using these new sites positively and safely, as well as signpost to relevant policy advice and wider educational resources.

Is this an “in school” or “out of school” issue?

New technology is blurring the distinction between what is “in school” and “out of school,” and we have already seen how mobile phone misuse has led to pupils being bullied and harassed within and outside of the school gates. Whilst some schools want to simply block or ban access to these sites in school hours, there is no stopping children using sites in their own time. Indeed because there are so many such sites, pupils can simply migrate to another one.

Some social networking sites have special features where users can easily link to everyone in their school or college who is on these networks, and this is a further challenge for schools. Furthermore some sites have the infamous ‘rate my m8s’ pages where unsuspecting ”mates”, having been captured unflatteringly by their friend’s mobile camera, and are posted onto their sites for others to comment on. Then there are the sites like RateMyTeacher.com which takes inspection to a whole new level!

It’s easy to be fearful of new trends  because we don’t use them or fully appreciate how they work and however challenging these issues are for schools, it is important to recognise that there is no “putting the genie back in the bottle!” and ”In school” activity must prepare students for life outside of the school gates and increasingly this includes how to behave and act responsibly and safely in all arenas – including online. 

What Can Schools Do?

School rumors about both pupils and staff have always circulated, and it’s important to remember that the technology itself doesn’t create the inappropriate behavior, it merely amplifies it! Social networking sites allow these rumors to be published and spread at a faster rate, in an environment that the school has no jurisdiction over, and which is more public. 

However, there are a range of actions that schools can take.

1

TAKE THE TIME TO LEARN ABOUT HOW SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES WORK:

It’s crucial that teachers and administrators start by learning about these new sites themselves and understand why they appeal to young people. It is easy to establish your own accounts and some teachers are already using blogging software to set homework and allow pupils to publish their assignments for others to collaborate and comment on. There are very real positive opportunities for children to publish their stories, and create their own learning resources.

There are wonderful examples where children have created their own learning resources using the Internet for social and educational good. For examples from all around the world see Childnet’s Academy programme.

For an excellent tutorial on how to set up your own Social Networking site see www.internetsafetyzone.org and click on Social Networking

Becta in the UK have produced a good overview document for Teachers on how to use weblogs safely in schools and a guide for teachers on Social networking

2

UNDERSTAND THE RISKS AND SAFETY ISSUES:

Blogging is part of a social and technological revolution that some people are calling Web 2.0. What’s different about it is the ease with which anyone can produce and set up their own website, distribute their own content and link with like minded sites to create a very powerful network for sharing ideas and influencing opinion.  The result is that millions of children and young people around the world now have a cheap and easy platform on which to communicate and share their lives. In the USA many young people now give out their “Myspace” website address instead of their telephone number.

However, there are very real risks to children and young people, not just from predators who might wish to contact them  through these sites, but more commonly from young people themselves who can use these sites to cyber-bully and harass their peers.

Childnet has outlined the risks to young people in 3 main areas of  Privacy, Photos and Postings. Click here to read about these risks.

3

FIND WAYS TO INTEGRATE THE ISSUES INTO THE CURRICULUM:

Schools need to educate pupils about the risks they cause to themselves and others when they partake in risky or inappropriate behavior online – but also to listen to students' views on these services. In discussing the risks with pupils ,teachers have a unique opportunity to address current areas of the curriculum such as personal safety, privacy, citizenship, plagiarism, reliability of information, and ethical issues in a way that is relevant and engaging for young people. This is an opportunity for a two-way educational dialogue with students. For example asking pupils, would they want their future employer to find embarrassing pictures of them on the web?  

For excellent advice on how to integrate technology safety issues into the curriculum see Becta’s Signposts to safety document.

Childnet have developed a CDROM for use in secondary school about internet safety and appropriate behavior online. It contains a Cyber bullying quiz for Young people called Prank or Pain? Childnet has also created a great website called www.chatdanger.com about how to stay safe in interactive areas of the web, this site contains lots of real examples of what can go wrong.

4

INVOLVE PARENTS:

But the conversation shouldn't be just two-way. Experience from the USA, where schools have already been grappling with this issue for some months, shows that the key to containing incidents involving social networking sites is school-parent-pupil communication. Acting quickly on incidents to show students and parents the harm caused has shown good results. BECTA in the UK have produced good guidance on how schools can actively involve parents on the issues of internet safety both in the school and at home.

For an excellent set of news articles on how schools in the USA are developing a dialogue with parents re social networking issues see http://netfamilynews.org/nl060519.html#.

Childnet has also produced leaflets on internet safety issues  - including social networking issues that schools can order to send home to families - order copies here. There is also a special Parent’s guide to the safety issues at www.childnet-int.org/blogsafety/parents.

5

REVIEW SCHOOL POLICIES:

Schools need to develop an ICT policy or an Internet policy which allows them to react quickly to off site incidents if they cause substantial disruption to school life. The policies should make it clear to pupils and staff what disciplinary actions and sanctions will be taken if they breach the policy. Here follows some specific responses for schools to consider.

• If a child is being bullied via a social networking site: If the bullying violates the school's own anti bullying policies the usual disciplinary action should be followed. It would be worth reviewing and updating the school policy to cover technology misuse, and ‘out of school’ issues which affect school life. It is important to save any evidence of bullying  so that it can be reported to the provider of the service and if appropriate the police.
• If a child has posted inappropriate images of themselves online: First check to see if the child is old enough to use the site. Some providers state that users have to be aged 13 and will remove profiles of children younger than this. If a pupil makes an illegal threat or comment, or posts an illegal image onto a site, then the usual channels of contacting the police should be followed. For racist material or indecent images of children, schools can get advice from the www.iwf.org.uk.
• How to report to the police: It is important that schools make pupils aware of the 24/7 online police reporting called the Virtual Global Task Force which enables parents and young people to make reports of actual or attempted abuse by sexual predators online which police will investigate.

Resources

In the UK BECTA - the British Education Communications and Technology agency has produced important e-safety advice.

Which links to documents including “A guide to Developing whole-school policies to support effective”  Click here to download the PDF version.