What does your school or kura need to know about protecting ākonga online? We talked to Netsafe to find out.
What does online safety mean for your school or kura? Is it about keeping ākonga from seeing inappropriate content? Blocking social media? Stopping scams before they get to inboxes? Preventing cyberbullying? Keeping bad actors from accessing your network?
Whilst the risk profile and priorities for each school may vary, there are some broad guidelines that can help schools and kura work toward safer digital spaces for ākonga.
We spoke with the experts at Netsafe about their definition of online safety, their top recommendations for schools, and how this year’s Netsafety Week theme, ‘Power in Partnerships’, highlighted the shared role we all play in keeping ākonga safer online.
What does online safety really mean?
First of all, let’s introduce Netsafe. This New Zealand not-for-profit has been helping individuals, businesses and schools stay safer online since way back in 1998. It offers free support, resources and education – and it’s also responsible for investigating complaints about scams, online harassment and other issues under the Harmful Digital Communications Act (HDCA).
As Netsafe’s Leanne Ross, Chief Customer Officer, explains, online safety is about much more than digital tools and protections.
“Netsafe defines online safety as the proactive creation of environments – both physical and digital – where ākonga (students), kaiako (teachers) and whānau (families) feel supported to use online technologies confidently, respectfully and responsibly,” says Leanne.
Crucially, online safety and security are quite different. Safety involves protecting people against threats like phishing, identity theft, bullying or exposure to inappropriate content. Security is about protecting digital systems against things like spyware, viruses, hacks and data breaches.
Why do ākonga need online protection?
Although the internet is an amazing place, it also comes with risks and dangers – particularly for young people. Online safety is about minimising these risks as much as possible through education, support and tech tools.
Online safety is a team effort
Teamwork in schools and kura is often highlighted as a key strength, where people with different skills and perspectives come together to form a stronger team. It’s the same for online safety. Everyone in your school or kura should be involved in their own way – from teachers, school leaders, partners like N4L and Netsafe, and ākonga and their whānau.
It’s about getting everyone on board and empowering them from the beginning, rather than writing up a list of rules and hoping for the best.
“Building a safe digital environment in schools is a shared responsibility,” explains Leanne. “It requires coordinated leadership, confident classroom practice and wraparound support.”
Here’s a look at how each group fits into the online safety picture:
School leadership and boards
If you’re a school leader or board member, you’ll know that creating physically and emotionally safe spaces extends into the digital world. As laid out in the Education and Training Act 2020, online safety is just as important as lockdown drills and first aid kits.
What does this look like in practice? Under the act, schools and kura need to establish policies and procedures around devices on their network, cyberbullying, online harassment, and data privacy. They should use a combination of technology and education to make sure digital spaces are as safe as possible and that ākonga know how to minimise their own risks when using them. For more details on specific roles and responsibilities, including those of school board members, check out our guide.
Top tips:
- Use Netsafe’s Capability Review Tool to evaluate your school’s online safety maturity across key areas, and create a tailored action plan.
- Access Netsafe’s Kete to develop clear policies, incident response plans, digital use agreements and source leadership guidance.
- Ensure your school complies with the Harmful Digital Communications Act and Education and Training Act 2020 by using Netsafe’s approved resources.
N4L, Netsafe, and other partners
If we extend the ‘team’ metaphor, external technology providers and organisations like N4L and Netsafe are the coaches on the sidelines, offering essential support, training, and guidance.
Schools and kura engage N4L to help them with the technical elements of online safety – including tools like Web Filtering, DNS Threat Protection and SafeSearch, along with safer settings for things like Google Classroom and YouTube. Over 96% of schools are using the recommended settings within our Internet Safety & Security Services. We also proactively monitor your network, notify you of cybersecurity vulnerabilities and incidents, and help you report them appropriately.
Netsafe plays a vital role as well, helping schools meet their obligations under the Harmful Digital Communications Act (HDCA) and providing resources, training and support for staff, kaiako, ākonga and the wider school community.
Top tips:
- Partner with N4L or another provider to build a custom online safety toolbox, including customised web filtering settings and Email Protection
- Work with Netsafe or use their resources to educate staff, kaiako, ākonga and whānau
- Report harmful incidents to Netsafe as soon as possible.
Kaiako
Teachers are at the coalface of online safety. They’re the ones communicating rules and policies, looking out for harmful behaviour, and reinforcing safety messages to ākonga in their classrooms.
Kaiako need training and support so they can effectively teach concepts like respectful online behaviour, smart digital citizenship, and protecting privacy online. They also need to create a safe space for discussion in classrooms, so ākonga feel that they can talk about safety concerns, scary incidents, or risky behaviour.
It’s also crucial for teachers to make online safety an ongoing conversation. Humans – particularly children and teenagers – need constant reminders to build long-term habits. For online safety, this could mean signs and notices around your school or kura, emails or messages reminding ākonga of expectations, and kaiako regularly talking about digital literacy and risk.
Top tips:
- Train kaiako on school policies, legal guidelines, and network technology
- Make online safety an ongoing classroom conversation
- Use reminders, signs, emails, and other methods to reinforce key safety messages.
Ākonga
Teaching digital citizenship in schools is fundamental. It helps ākonga to take ownership of their behaviour online, so they can avoid digital harm – both now and in the future.
Many students have misconceptions about how safe they are online. For example, some believe that all online content is private, that deleting something makes it disappear forever, and that online actions don’t have real-world consequences. Busting these myths can help ākonga better understand their digital footprint – and make better choices in online spaces.
Netsafe recommends making online safety an ongoing, integrated learning area, positioning students as active participants in their own online protection, and helping them build digital literacy and critical thinking skills.
“While students are digitally active, they are not always digitally aware,” Leanne says. “Empowering them with accurate knowledge, critical thinking and supportive conversations is essential to shifting behaviour, and helping them become safe, responsible digital citizens.”
Top tips:
- Deliver digital citizenship content using interactive tools like Netsafe’s Hector’s World and age-appropriate lesson plans
- Use tools like responsible use agreements and anti-bullying agreements to communicate expectations
- Enforce consequences for unsafe online behaviour.
Whānau and caregivers
Parents and caregivers play a frontline role in protecting ākonga online and promoting safer online behaviour – particularly as home networks are usually less protected than those in schools or kura.
However, many parents and caregivers feel unequipped to help guide their children’s digital lives. As a school, you can empower whānau by sharing Netsafe’s Newsletter Pack, Parent Webinars and a suite of free, accessible resources.
Top tips:
- Communicate your online safety expectations to parents through newsletters or school apps
- Send advice, links and resources about online risks, safety, and best practices
- Consider running workshops to help whānau understand online risks and encourage safer online behaviour at home.
Partnerships are key to a safer online future
Digital risks are growing more complex every day, and while tech helps protect ākonga, real success comes from people working together.
Schools, whānau, ākonga, technology providers and organisations like Netsafe all do their bit to help build safer online spaces – that’s the power of partnerships.
Want to know more about online safety and security in New Zealand schools and kura? Subscribe to the N4L newsletter now.