In May 2021 the UK Safer Internet changed its definitions of ‘appropriate monitoring’. It confirmed, what we at Smoothwall have known for some considerable time, that there is, alive and kicking, in every school in the UK, and around the world for that matter, an Iceberg Effect.
But there are very many more risks ‘below the line’ that reside in the often private digital world that consumes many of our children today and to which adults have no visibility.
What a child says, does, shares or expresses in his/her digital world, in chatrooms, instant messaging, social forums, and more can, and do, provide vital clues when something is wrong.
And unless a school has some form of digital monitoring in place to pick up on these clues and alert them to the risks, they won’t be seen. Or they’ll be seen too late.
The UKSIC has now recognised this risk and placed more emphasis on digital monitoring than ever before.
Smoothwall digitally monitors nearly 1 million students in the UK. That’s 24/7, 365 days a year. The risks we have spotted and shared with DSLs have saved lives. It’s that simple!
Thousands of DSLs have been able to initiate faster interventions to prevent incidents from escalating, as well as remove students from imminent danger. This includes instances of self-harm, cyberbullying, sexual abuse, suicide, grooming, terrorism, drugs, gangs and more. And that’s across all ages. 19% of all serious risks in 2020 were detected amongst primary school children, for example. No child is exempt.
Smoothwall is the leading digital safeguarding provider in UK education. We have been supporting schools, colleges, and more recently, MATs for nearly 2 decades. Thousands of schools in the UK use our solutions to digitally safeguard the students in their care.
For more information about how to maximise your digital safeguarding strategy, please contact us at enquiries@smoothwall.com. We are happy to answer any questions and help in any way we can.