This Is Why K-12 Online Student Safety Is Essential

K-12 students are dedicating a more significant portion of their time to digital activities. Today, technology is a fundamental component of their education, and 1:1 school districts, allowing every student access to a web-connected device, are getting increasingly common. However, our reliance on these technological systems has resulted in a rise in cyber threats, which are becoming more advanced and numerous. As such, K-12 online student safety is crucial and should be a top priority for every school. 

The consequences of cyberbullying on learners can be catastrophic. From numerous severe consequences, including feelings of sadness, frustration, resentment, humiliation, academic underperformance, sleep deprivation, to even suicidal thinking. Therefore, many schools are opting for safety solutions that can efficiently monitor the material that students access daily.

As the frequency of cyberattacks and cyber threats, such as cyberbullying, continue to surge, many K-12 schools and districts attempt to bolster their defensive measures. In achieving student online safety, they often set up different types of K-12 threat detection.

Effective K-12 Online Threat Detection Is a Must for Every School

A productive technique for detecting potential dangers in K-12 education is the use of web filtering for schools. These filters restrict access to websites and online material that could be regarded as improper or harmful for students. Using software that allows filtering such content based on URLs, categories of content, and actual content itself, provides a layer of security, shielding students from various online hazards.

Web filters designed for schools can identify harmful content, such as material found in school emails and Google searches. Furthermore, they can notify school officials if a student attempts to access restricted content. This allows educators and school admins to stay on top of students’ screen-time activities. It does so by allowing them to take proper measures to safeguard their students. This capability is an effective and valuable tool for identifying potential threats to K-12 students.

Furthermore, some software comes with additional threat detection that not only blocks the unwanted content but also points out any dangerous Google searches, messages, and the like – practically everything concerning found on school devices.

Here are some of the main reasons K-12 online student safety is absolutely essential:

• Cyberbullying and online harassment: Online platforms are often a space for cyberbullying and online harassment. This kind of online treatment can seriously affect students’ mental and emotional health and must therefore be restricted.
• Exposure to inappropriate content: The internet can also be a breeding ground for inappropriate content unsuitable for K-12 students. Such content includes explicit material, violent or disturbing content, or content that promotes harmful ideologies.
• Vulnerability to online predators: K-12 students can be especially vulnerable to online predators who may attempt to access personal information or engage in inappropriate conversations.
• Ensuring student engagement and productivity: By monitoring and controlling the content students access, you can improve student engagement. Ensuring they use relevant media connected to the curricula, students’ focus and engagement are better.

How To Execute K-12 Online Threat Detection Effectively?

There exists a multitude of solutions to tackle threats. However, the most efficient ones appear to be the combination of artificial intelligence (AI) surveillance and human analysis. The necessity of prompt responses and action-taking makes the merger of both approaches highly effective. Detecting potential threats within K-12 schools often pertains to violent behavior. Any inclinations towards self-harm or any form of violent behavior, such as bullying, require immediate action without delay. Therefore rapid intervention is crucial.

Because of the severity of the topic, a large number of students, and the volume of data that needs to be monitored, AI-powered K-12 threat detection systems prove to be highly advantageous. They are capable of processing large amounts of data in a relatively short amount of time. But despite AI technology continually evolving and becoming better at recognizing everyday threats, it is necessary to include human analysis. Human analysts working around the clock are responsible for confirming or dismissing the severity of the threat and ensuring that actual threats get appropriately addressed. So, when worrying content is detected and double-checked, the responsible people (usually tech administrators or principals) are notified and can take further action.

Ensuring Student Online Safety Calls for More Than Knowing How To Restrict Websites in School

K-12 threat detection presents many advantageous features for schools, making it indispensable to any school’s technical security blueprint. Taking care of students and school staff has more benefits than just making them feel good. It can also make teaching easier and help students do well in school.

School web filters can enhance student safety and restrict access to explicit content, thereby simplifying network administration duties. Web filters also offer several other perks, including augmented concentration among students and improved software that can monitor classroom screens. Ultimately, web filters are absolutely necessary for schools that prioritize safeguarding students and creating a conducive learning environment. 

But of course, simply using a school web filter does not necessarily ensure K-12 online student safety. Because we must protect children at all costs and ensure their learning experience is as optimal as possible, the web filter you choose must be up to the task. If you want to know more about a sophisticated classroom monitoring solution that ensures student online safety with a combination of AI and human reviewing, marking content granularly and with context awareness, don’t hesitate to contact us for additional information on Blocksi’s solutions.

SOURCES

[1] Cybersecurity

[2] What Is Cyberbullying