Keeping Children Safe in Education states that “it is essential” for colleges to ensure that “appropriate” monitoring systems are in place. Despite this, a significant number of UK colleges are relying on filter logs alone to identify vulnerable students online. Not only does this hinder compliance, but it puts students and the colleges themselves at risk.
This article explains what digital monitoring is and highlights the factors that make this form of safeguarding no longer optional, but critical in further education.
What is digital monitoring?
Digital monitoring identifies risks in what students do, say and share on college-owned digital devices. This applies to websites - for example, inappropriate messages posted on forums, and activities outside the browser, for instance, suicidal ideations written in Word documents. When such risks are identified, alerts are created for DSLs to review.
On unmoderated monitoring systems the DSL is tasked with sorting through alerts to prioritise those that require immediate attention. This often involves combing through large amounts of data to identify genuine risks amongst numerous false positives that must be manually removed. The process is very time-consuming and can lead to alert fatigue, where DSLs become so inundated with false alarms that serious risks are easily overlooked.
On human-moderated monitoring systems, alerts are automatically categorised. Low level alerts are stored for DSLs to review at their convenience, while mid and high level alerts are assessed by a team of trained moderators. Moderators remove false positives and notify DSLs of high risk alerts by email or phone call, depending on the severity.
Learn more about how digital monitoring works: DSL Insights: Your Complete Guide to Human-Moderated Digital Monitoring.
Why digital monitoring is now essential for FE colleges
1. Large numbers of tech-savvy students
College students are digital natives on the brink of adulthood. They’ve grown up with technology and use it in all areas of their lives, meaning they are potentially more adept at using devices than those tasked with safeguarding them.
Students in this age range are also likely to be better at hiding dangerous behaviours and masking vulnerability than their younger peers.
This combination means, without the right tools, it can be incredibly hard for DSLs to spot students at risk online - and almost impossible to catch risks early.
2. Wider institutional implications of missing online risks
In further education, failing to identify online risks early puts more than students at risk. In the short term, learners’ grades can start to suffer, and as the risk escalates, they may stop attending classes and drop out.
In the long term, falling grades and attendance can impact a college's reputation and viability. Trust in leadership is eroded, and lower student numbers are likely to result in slimmer budgets. This then has a knock-on effect on the volume of new student applications, and the negative cycle continues.
3. You will miss students at risk
Web filters play a key role in safeguarding, but they are not designed to identify a majority of risks that develop online. Accessing an inappropriate website is one thing, but what about the harmful behaviours happening in assumed “safe spaces”?
Violent manifestos written in Notepad, bullying taking place over Excel, cries for help drafted and deleted in Word - to name but a few. This isn’t just speculation, it’s already happening.
In 2024, Smoothwall Monitor identified an FE student in the UK:
- Facing a serious risk online - every 18 minutes
- Suspected to be involved in a seriously cyberbullying or violent incident - every 46 minutes
- Facing a very serious risk to their health or life - every 10 hours
- Involved in a suspected terrorism alert - every 24 hours
All through what they were doing, saying or sharing online.
Web filters only control access. They cannot identify harmful behaviours that are revealed inside or outside of the web browser on digital devices.
There's never been a more important time for monitoring in FE
Without digital monitoring in place, education settings will miss students at risk online. This is why the DfE makes clear in statutory guidance that monitoring is an essential part of safeguarding.
In the unique college environment, an absence of monitoring leaves not only students, but also the organisation itself, vulnerable. It’s therefore crucial for those still relying on filter logs to adopt true monitoring. Only then can early detection of online risks become a reality.
To learn more about digital monitoring in FE, or to see how other colleges are spotting risks early, contact our FE expert, Sean Lazenby, at sean.lazenby@smoothwall.com. He’s ready to help.
Digital Monitoring in FE: 6 Imperatives for Success
Our short paper written exclusively for FE colleges, See the Signs, outlines the 6 imperatives for digital monitoring success in further education.
They’re more straightforward than you might think.
Get your copy
