WIRED’s March cover might depict the end of the world (look inside for the people saving it), but today’s Safer Internet Day is a reminder that the next generation are already more switched on and technologically literate than any generation that has come before. And, with the right precautions, that can only be a good thing.
That is what Safer Internet Day 2017 is about - it is designed not to scaremonger, but to educate and also celebrate; to strike a balance between internet freedoms and educating kids about the relevant risks.
Research conducted by the Safer Internet Centre found that of 1,500 volunteers, 84 per cent of 8- to 17-year-olds have shared a photo online, with 12 per cent sharing a selfie in the last hour. But what’s the impact of that? As with anything image-based in a society that, at least in the commercial consumer sector, places a high value on beauty, there are risks. 38 per cent of respondents had received negative comments on a photo they had posted, with one in five children and teenagers being at the receiving end of an image or video post designed to bully them.
However, the vast majority have also reported having an incredibly valuable experience through images posted online - 80 per cent said they felt inspired by an image or video online to do something positive and 67 per cent have posted media for a positive reason including to encourage others to do something positive.
The internet does, of course, provide bullies with an easier portal to harass. But likewise, it provides those with something to say, creatives or burgeoning activists, with an infinite platform to spread their message and connect with like-minded individuals. Read more: Pornhub wants Twitter to face the full wrath of the Digital Economy Bill
Safer Internet Day 2017 has focused specifically on images and videos shared online, and the impact on young people. Concerns over image were most prevalent among 13- to 17-year-old girls, with 61 per cent worrying about how attractive they looked in photos and almost half feeling sad about their appearance in online media. The fact that young people are facing these concerns earlier in life through social media necessitates projects like Safer Internet Day, to ensure teenagers can look outside the echo chamber of their peers. One photo project by two teenage girls to mark the day concluded: “there is no such thing as a perfect selfie”.
The next generation might be inundated with media and the beauty ideals that go with it but they are also savvy enough to know the Kim Kardashians of the world have an entire industry polishing and refining every Instagram snap to “perfection”. If they don’t, that is again, the point of Safer Internet Day - to fill the gaps in knowledge and remind parents and educators that young people should utilise the internet with full knowledge of the mirage that hangs over vast sections of it. The UK isn’t doing too badly here either, however - the same report found 70 per cent of young people agree that images and videos can be misleading, purveying partial truths.
This is the area that needs most improvement - educating young people so the gaps in their knowledge diminish.
“Today’s findings remind us that with an ever-changing landscape, it is more important than ever to equip young people with the skills, knowledge, confidence and resilience to communicate using images and videos responsibly and positively,” said Will Gardner, a director of the UK Safer Internet Centre and CEO of Childnet.
The Conservative government pushed through the implementation of ISP filters in every household in the UK - yet 65 per cent of young people have shared images or videos with total strangers online and 70 per cent had seen images and videos unsuitable for their age.
It’s clear blocking content does not prevent children and teenagers from making bad choices, or from finding 18+ content. In light of this, investment in education seems a more worthwhile pursuit than the age verification rules set to be enshrined in law for any website with over-18 content once the Digital Economy Bill comes into force later this year. Naturally, the Minister for Online Safety, Tracey Crouch, emphasised how better protected children would be from “harmful content” thanks to the Digital Economy Bill. However the Minister for Vulnerable Children and Families, Edward Timpson, focused on the need for education: “We're continuing to work hard to make sure that young people, parents and teachers, are actively involved in promoting safe online practice, and we've been providing training and resources to support teachers in delivering the new curriculum, which includes e-safety.”
A survey conducted at the National Anti-Bullying Centre at Dublin City University (DCU) ahead of Safer Internet Day justified the need for this, finding only a third of parents feel confident they are protecting their children online, with most fearing the risks of cyberbullies, online grooming and pornography access. Counterintuitively, the survey also found there had been a significant drop in the supervision of children’s internet use in the past five years. This falls within the timeframe of the ISP filters being made standard, and could point to that standard providing parents with a false sense of security - along with a spike in smartphone and tablet use over home PCs. Age verification on 18+ content may only exacerbate that falsehood.
Teachers or parents looking for tools to support them can find Safer Internet Day resources online. Safer Internet Day 2016 reached 2.8 million children, so the hope is the tools shared today and projects created will spread even further.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
