ECE Educate

You are here:

Summary of literature review

This page summarises the key findings of "A review of the literature on cybersafety in an education setting, A review of New Zealand and International literature, 2008" (The literature review), which was completed by the Auckland University of Technology (AUT). The literature review was commissioned by the Ministry of Education (The Ministry) as a resource to inform thinking and development on cybersafety in Early Childhood Education (ECE) settings.

Cybersafety in ECE is a key element in Foundations for Discovery (Ministry of Education, 2005). This was launched in response to the increasing use of technology in society and provides a framework for the inclusion of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) into ECE to enhance children's learning.

The literature review looked at:

  • The need for cybersafety
  • Approaches to cybersafety
  • Research into cybersafety
  • Interim recommendations to ensure cybersafety for ECE services

Due to limited research in New Zealand on cybersafety for the early childhood age group, AUT also examined international studies and research for older age groups. AUT defined cyber technology as any information and communication technology (ICT) which has the potential to be networked. This includes websites, webcams, emails, mobile phones (including text messaging), as well as digital cameras, and videos.

Key Findings of the AUT Cybersafety Literature Review

The need for cybersafety
In ECE, the importance of safe ICT use is supported by Te Whāriki (Ministry of Education, 1996) where it is stated that children should experience an environment where:

  • their health is promoted
  • their emotional well being is nurtured
  • they are kept safe from harm

AUT provided some specific ECE content from the website webAWARE. This suggested children aged two to four:

  • do not have the critical thinking skills to be online alone
  • accept media content at face value
  • may be frightened by images, portrayals of violence, and threats
  • risk moving from appropriate to inappropriate websites through hyperlinks

Reviewing literature from the Becta organisation in the United Kingdom, AUT identified that technology has become a normalised part of children's lives, and suggests educational settings have a duty to help children and young people remain safe when online, whether the internet activity takes place within or outside the setting.

With the increased normalisation of ICT, children need more protection. AUT suggests that although children are extremely confident users of cyber technologies, they are unaware of the potential risks and issues. Adults working with children need to understand the issues and know how to deal with safety concerns so that they can guide children's positive use of these technologies and protect them from negative experiences. 

To outline the various potential issues which need to be mitigated, AUT used Becta’s (2006) categories of risks associated with using cyber technologies:

  • Content – exposure to inappropriate material, misleading information, socially unacceptable material, and illegal material.
  • Content – grooming with the potential to lead to sexual assault or child prostitution.
  • Commerce – inappropriate advertising, gambling services, and financial scams.
  • Culture – bullying through websites and mobile phones, and downloading copyrighted material.

Approaches to Cybersafety
A number of the sources reviewed by AUT encouraged using an approach to cybersafety education which involves all stakeholders – children, educators, parents and whānau, administrators, and management.

Recommendations for ICT safety include:

  • Visiting the NetSafe website to gain a good understanding of cybersafety issues.
  • When deciding on each cyber technology to be used, any cybersafety issues around its use need to be considered. If there are potential cybersafety issues, consideration should be given ways to eliminate, isolate, or minimise the risk to children.
  • Installing and updating comprehensive and highly effective technical tools on computer systems. For example, software filters and secure passwords.
  • Teaching media literacy in a manner appropriate to age and experience.

Implementing well constructed cybersafety rules and rigorously enforcing them. Suggestions are:

  • developing user agreements for children, teachers, and educators,
  • obtaining parental permission for their children’s use of technology,
  • providing instructions on the safe use of the Internet, and
  • the installation of the Hector’s World Safety button™  which conceals inappropriate content when activated. The button is available from the NetSafe website.
  • Housing cyber technology equipment in a public area and strictly supervising the children who are using it at all times.
  • Taking precautions when using cyber technologies in the service. This includes emailing and transferring files between computers, and using photographs and web cams in and around the service. Careful consideration should be given to the type of content posted on the service’s website and parental permission must be sought before uploading photos of children or any personal information to the site.
  • Consider ensuring that all search engines used at the service are dedicated to children’s educational content, for example using white lists of acceptable sites which have the potential to prevent children from accidently leaving these child-friendly websites.

Strategies
The review pointed to the need for a multi-strategic approach to cybersafety including education, rules, and tools (Becta,2005; Thierer 2007). Using these three strategies together provides significantly more comprehensive protection against potential cybersafety risks.

Education Strategy
The literature stressed the importance of age-appropriate cybersafety education programmes and the scaffolding of learning (Iannotta, 2001; Reid, 2005). Cybersafety education should not just be limited to the educational setting, as problems may arise at home. It is therefore important that all stakeholders are involved for the sake of children's safety.

Improving children's media literacy awareness means they can effectively analyse, comprehend, and critique the media they consume. Critical thinking skills, which children learn through media literacy awareness, is highlighted as a way to help children build safe practices while using the internet (Education and Training committee, 2006; Virginia Department of Education, 2007).

The following New Zealand websites have been designed for ECE services and children aged up to age eight. They include strategies to stay safe and how to demonstrate ethical behaviours:

AUT suggests that, in the ECE setting, parents should be the targets of media literacy programmes as they need to understand the importance of cybersafety including types of danger, how to detect problems and possible strategies and options for help. ECE services could implement programmes that include:

  • Workshops
  • Training sessions
  • Sharing of information on internet safety policies and procedures
  • Suggestions for practice strategies that parents can adopt in the home setting
  • Frequent reminders and information about new technologies

Rules Strategy
The Rules strategy focuses on the legal implications and responsibilities that services have towards children in their care who are using technology, as well as the responsibilities of the children themselves. Components of the strategy include government policies, user agreements, and informal rules created by parents and others, which should be used to manage the safe use of ICT in public spaces, educational settings, libraries, or at home.

Reviewed literature advocates that 'acceptable-use policies' should be the cornerstone of internet cybersafety instruction. These policies should be linked to other policies such as child protection, health and safety, home-setting agreements, and behaviour management (including bullying). Both children and staff should understand not just the rules, but also the 'reasons' for the rules in order to give the policy value (Willard, 2003).

Examples of acceptable use policies suitable for ECE services can be found on the NetSafe website. These provide guidelines for parental permission, sample consent forms, use agreements, and policy templates.

Tools Strategy
The final layer of the suggested multi-strategy approach is the Tools Strategy. This is the use of technical controls which seek to protect people who use technology, as well as protecting the technology itself. Technical controls utilise a comprehensive range of electronic measures to potentially block harmful content.

The Internet Safety Group (2007) for ECE services recommends that services:

  1. Install electronic security systems such as anti-virus software, firewalls, and anti-spyware and ensure these are regularly updated. They also recommend the use of filters
  2. Use secure passwords that are changed regularly
  3. Install the Hector Protector™ button on all computers
  4. Securely store all ICT equipment/devices when not in use
  5. Read the 'First Steps to Cybersafety' pamphlet that can be accessed through the NetSafe site.

The literature reviewed by AUT indicated that tools such as firewalls, antivirus software, wireless encryption, antispyware, content filters, usage tracking programs, or monitoring tolls are all useful but not infallible. Tools must be combined with both education and rules strategies to provide a strong defence against the potential for cybersafety risks in a holistic manner.

References
Becta. (2005). E-safety - Developing whole-school policies to support effective practice.

Becta. (2006). Safeguarding children in a digital world. Retrieved February 29, 2008, from http://publications.becta.org.uk/display.cfm?resID=25933

Education and Training committee. (2006). Education in the net age - New needs and new tools. Report on the inquiry into the effects of television and multimedia on education in Victoria. Retrieved February 29, 2008, from http://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/etc/reports/multimedia/multimedia_rep.pdf

Iannotta, J., G. (Ed.). (2001). Nontechnical strategies to reduce children's exposure to inappropriate material on the Internet: Summary of a workshop. Washington D.C.: National Academy Press.

Internet Safety Group. (2007). Net Safe. Retrieved November 27, 2007, from http://www.netsafe.org.nz

Ministry of Education. (1996). Te Whariki.

Ministry of Education. (2005). Foundations for discovery Wellington.

Thierer, A. (2007). Parental Controls and Online Child Protection: A Survey of Tools and Methods. Washington, D.C.: The Progress & Freedom Foundation.

Virginia Department of Education. (2007). Ideas for integrating Internet safety into the curriculum. from http://www.doe.virginia.gov/support/safety_crisis_management/internet_safety/ideas_integrating.pdf

webAWARE. (2007a). Safety tips by age - 2-4-year-olds. Retrieved November 8, 2007, from http://www.bewebaware.ca/english/ages_tips_2_4.aspx

webAWARE. (2007b). Safety tips by age - 5-7-year-olds. Retrieved November 8, 2007, from http://www.bewebaware.ca/english/ages_tips_5_7.aspx

Willard, N. E. (2003, 9-123 July 2003). Challenging the technology "Quick Fix" myth: Comprehensive strategies to address the safe and responsible use of the Internet in school. Paper presented at the NetSafe II: Society, Safety & the Internet, Auckland.

Last updated: 16 July 2010