Managing online privacy and safety

The podcast discusses the importance of educating primary school students about social media. It emphasizes the need for students to learn about the risks and develop the necessary skills to navigate these platforms safely. The podcast also highlights the prevalence of young children creating social media accounts and the dangers of sharing personal information online. It emphasizes the need to educate students about online privacy, safety, and the risks posed by online predators. The podcast suggests using various methods such as YouTube videos and informative incursions to teach students about these issues. Hello, welcome to my podcast on the importance of educating primary students about social media. This will be split into a series of podcasts relating to various issues to make it easier for you to listen during your busy teaching schedule. So, whether you're listening to this on your morning drive to school or over a cup of coffee during your lunch break, sit back, relax and enjoy this informative podcast that will leave you feeling confident about the issues surrounding social media. As the use of ICT and digital technology has become paramount in the 21st century, both inside and outside the classroom, it is vital that students are equipped with the appropriate knowledge and strategies to use when on these applications. As students from a young age are now exposed to social media sites including Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, there are multiple risks that are present when using these apps. As teachers, it is our responsibility to teach students to recognise the content risks they face online and support them in developing the suitable social, cognitive and technical skills to address these risks. Whilst I am aware that social media has a minimum age requirement, there are children creating profiles with a fake age to gain access. A study conducted by BBC News highlights that a third of parents of 5-7 year olds revealed that their child has a TikTok account. I also personally encountered this with a student from a grade 2 classroom, claiming she has both an Instagram and a TikTok account. Therefore, this podcast will portray the importance of educating all primary school students on the issues of social media. The first issue that I will be discussing, which is a pretty broad topic and linked to other issues that will be discussed, is managing online privacy and safety, which is a sub-element of practising digital safety and wellbeing, taken from the ACARA framework. As we know, the ACARA framework provides key performance measures for schools and teachers to follow. As for dealing with primary students, we're talking about students from as young as the age of 5, which are more gullible and susceptible to sharing personal information online. This can be as simple as a child uploading their full name, date of birth and location to a social media platform, not knowing the detrimental effects this can have on them. Imagine a child uploading this information whilst having their account on public for the whole world to see. Here, the dangers of online predators are exposed, and we've all heard these horrific stories before. Online predators are on the rise, as ABC News states that a study conducted in 2022 shows that children are meeting strangers online at three times the rate of five years ago. These predators make fake profiles and present themselves as young kids, offering to be a friend and victimising our children. Having their account set on public is another major privacy issue. Imagine a child uploading images of herself in her school uniform, alongside every other location or extracurricular activity she attends. Of course, without knowing the dangers of social media, she wouldn't think twice about the consequences this poses. Therefore, it is important to educate students from a young age regarding the dangers they face whilst being online. This can be through watching YouTube videos that teach about the topic within the classroom, or holding informative incursions for students at home. Students should be taught how to receive and manage their privacy settings, to not upload their personal details online, and to not interact with strangers or people they have not met in person.