EDUCATION
ENCOURAGING THE SAFE USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA
BY MIKE PIERCY, HEADMASTER AT THE NEW BEACON SCHOOL, SEVENOAKS.
HOW MANY PARENTS HAVE DISCOVERED THE MORE WE TELL OUR CHILDREN NOT TO DO SOMETHING, THE MORE INCLINED THEY ARE TO DO IT? GROWING UP INEVITABLY INVOLVES TEMPTATION, EXPERIMENTATION AND LEARNING FROM MISTAKES. DENYING THE USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA WILL RESULT IN DISAPPOINTMENT; ENCOURAGING SAFE AND CAUTIOUS USE IS FAR MORE LIKELY TO MEET WITH SUCCESS THOUGH ANTICIPATE SOME BUMPS ALONG THE WAY.
We recently had a social media expert work with our pupils. He was impressed with their knowledge of the dangers of various platforms. All good schools will have social media education for the pupils as part of their personal and social development programme, warning of the dangers and of overuse. Heeding the warnings, and resisting the temptation or impulse is a different matter, entirely dependent upon the individual and his / her judgment. The consequences of misuse are potentially serious: most young people will know of someone who has come a cropper, which will hopefully moderate their own activity.
Schools( and homes) should be open, trustful places where children feel comfortable speaking about their worries. Peer pressure can be at its worst in the world of social media – bullying, boasting, lying, and the desire to impress through the often faceless, seeming anonymity of the web. A child who is the victim of such peer pressure or, perhaps more important, the child who has posted something she / he regrets should be able to tell someone without fear of recrimination.
Our boys( boys’ school!) are not allowed mobile phones( or any media device) in school – easier perhaps in a school where the oldest pupils are thirteen. The ages 11 to 13 are possibly the most vulnerable and impressionable, especially for those 11-yearolds who start in an 11-18 school. The influence of older teenagers will inevitably be felt and the younger ones will wish to impress the older ones. On the other hand, with guidance, the older students can be a positive peer influence on the younger children regarding the safe use of social media.
In the home, some families leave all their web connected devices in the kitchen overnight. Many do not allow computers in bedrooms. Adults often check their phones last thing at night and again first thing as they wake. Children do the same and some are communicating on social media very late into the night. They do not wish to miss out on anything; to be the one who leaves the conversation first. Domestic rules about mobile devices, screen time and parental controls are helpful: discuss them with your children, come to an agreement and then stick to them.
All schools will have heavy duty screening software which monitors computer activity and flags up misuse. Similar practice can be adopted at home. Parents can enable‘ parental controls’ through their internet provider, through individual devices and on the various platforms. This allows the monitoring of their children’ s online presence – not a‘ big brother’ activity, just a safety net: children may unwittingly stumble onto something that is inappropriate, or even dangerous. They may also do something wittingly. Whichever, a parent will normally want to know, to protect and to guide.
In all of the above it is easy to forget what a wonderful resource the web is – for research, information, knowledge, communication; all at our fingertips, just a swipe away. In a lesson last week I was instantly able to find the answer to a question in my class. Roald Dahl, as an employee of the Shell Eastern Staff, was paid £ 500 annually in 1936 – a staggering equivalent of £ 33,799 in 2018.
The next open day at the New Beacon School is being held on Friday 25th May 2018 from 2pm-3.30pm. This is an opportunity to see the school ' in action '. Guests should arrive by 1.45pm when the Headmaster will address visitors. Please book your place at www. newbeacon. org. uk / openday
www. newbeacon. org. uk
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