Policy document
Online safety education
Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology, Dugald Hepburn, Lorna Christie ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This document examines online safety education in the UK, noting that children's internet use is widespread and presents both opportunities and risks. The Children's Commissioner identified gaps in how schools teach online safety. New curriculum changes from 2020 will require all schools to include online safety education. The report also reviews the role of filtering and age verification technologies in protecting children online.
Key points
- Online technologies are integral to many children's lives in 2017
- The Children's Commissioner for England identified shortcomings in online safety education
- Curriculum changes from 2020 will make online safety teaching mandatory in all UK schools
- The document reviews current online safety teaching in schools and elsewhere
- Content filtering and age verification technologies are examined as tools to improve online safety
Limitations
This is a policy overview document rather than an empirical study, so it does not provide evidence on the effectiveness of online safety interventions or their outcomes for children. It describes the landscape and policy context but does not evaluate specific programmes or their impact.
Abstract
Online technologies are an integral part of many children's lives. In 2017, the Children's Commissioner for England identified shortcomings in online safety education and a number of stakeholders have called for action to increase 'digital literacy' in the UK. Upcoming changes to the curriculum mean that aspects of online safety will be taught in all schools from 2020. This POSTnote gives an overview of how children use the internet and the opportunities and risks it presents. It provides an overview of current online safety teaching in schools and elsewhere and how this will be affected by changes in the curriculum. It also looks at the role of content filtering and age verification technologies to improve online safety.