By Beth Hampton, Dean of Students
22 November 2024
"We have overprotected children in the real world and underprotected children in the virtual world." – Jonathan Haidt
Today’s children are growing up in an era of unparalleled exposure to the internet, media, and mobile technologies, yet they often miss out on the everyday, face-to-face connections that shape emotional and social development. While the digital world offers exciting opportunities, it’s essential to engage with technology responsibly and mindfully.
Allison Ochs' Visit – A Recap
During the week of 28 October, Allison Ochs returned to work with students, staff, and parents across both our Primary and Secondary Schools. An expert in digital citizenship, Allison founded Edit Change Management in 2016 and has since collaborated with schools worldwide on key topics related to the digital world. These include media balance, social media, online identity, relationships and communication, privacy and security, cyberbullying, gaming, deep fakes, digital literacy, and artificial intelligence.
We asked our students to summarise their experience with Allison and their key takeaways. Feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with students highlighting how engaged they were throughout the workshops. Students reported feeling more confident in making safer choices online. Moving forward, students expressed a desire to continue learning about topics such as deep fakes, online scams, and Character AI.
Two parent sessions were offered, which were well attended, as Secondary Principal Mr James Penstone outlined in a previous Spotlight. One of the standouts of the week was the session where Secondary students gave frank and honest thoughts about their generation's use of current technologies. Allison shared top tips for navigating the challenges that often arise between parents and children regarding device use.
Parental Guidance Suggestions
- Set family rules around device use: for example, no phones at the dinner table or in bedrooms at night time.
- Educate about group chats: Encourage responsible use and discuss the risks.
- Monitor gaming and social media: Emphasise time limits and the risks of addiction.
- Be aware of Character AI: Discuss the implications and concerns.
- Consider introducing social media at age 13, with controlled access and clear boundaries.
- Engage in gaming with your children: Play together to understand the role it plays in their social lives.
- Teach and role-model boundaries: Encourage mindfulness around technology use.
- Educate about the criminality of AI-generated explicit content: Help children understand the potential legal consequences.
- Set guidelines for social media use. Establish rules for what and how your child posts.
Many rich discussions around technology and our responsibility as a school have occurred, and we are eager to hear more parent voices about choices we could consider as a school to help protect and support our wonderful students.
We hope these insights help support your ongoing efforts to guide your child’s digital wellbeing. For further information, you can find support and resources on the Edit Change Management website.
Wishing you a wonderful weekend ahead.
Beth Hampton
Dean of Students