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The Daily PollA NEW SURVEY carried out by CyberSafe Ireland revealed more than 40% of children between the age of eight and 13 years old are talking to strangers online.
It also found that this was transferring to the classroom with more than half of teachers who participated in the research saying they had dealt with online safety incidences over the past year.
Interestingly, some 52% of teachers said they did not feel equipped to teach online safety messages despite 99% of students having an active online presence across social media and gaming platforms.
So today we’re asking: Should children be taught online safety as part of the curriculum in primary school?
Yes absolutely. Preferably instead of any religion
@Brian Dunne: spot on Brian, instead of deluding them teach them how to protect themselves from the deluded, will make for a much better society in the long run
@Brian Dunne: Religion is important. Learning about other cultures and beliefs will do them no harm.
@eoin carroll: Well, that’s just, like, your opinion, man.
@eoin carroll: That’s not the religion that’s taught in most primary schools. In 90%+ of schools children are taught religious instruction, i.e. iron age fables, as fact during Faith formation. Thankfully there’s an opt out.
@The Risen: but it’s the religion that SHOULD be taught in schools. Billions of people we share the world with have religious beliefs. Children should be taught about the other people they share the world with. It might help reduce wars in the long run… assuming we have enough time left on this planet to make anything worthwhile
@Joe Phillips: You’re confusing RE with RI/Faith formation. RE teaches facts about multiple religions, RI teaches one religion as fact.
@The Risen: Ok, that simplifies it nicely then. Personally I think we should absolutely be teaching RI and I think RE should be renamed ‘brainwashing’ and outlawed.
@The Risen: They’re also taught fables and myths, our own Irish ones (tir na nog etc) as well as ones from around the world (the wooden horse of Troy etc), just because something might not be true doesn’t mean there’s not lessons to be pulled from it. I’m an atheist and my own children do religion in school, they learn about other religions and the one they’ve chosen for themselves to be apart of. They mostly learn about not judging others and being nice to everyone, where’s the harm in that?
(I may have mixed them up there… but I think my point is just about legible)
@eoin carroll: Learning about other cultures is not religion class.
@Joe Phillips: Educate together teach this without a religion class.
I’m one of the lucky people who had RE in secondary school, but it was very much historical/social studies vs actual doctrine. I would emphatically advocate for that to be taught.
@Rachel O’ Meara: if you think religion teaches them to nice to people you could explain how the virgin birth does that. It’s a deliberate attempt to show women in a poor light with unrealistic expectations of women. Can you show me where in tie no nog which does have religious overtones or troy that does that.
@Mjhint: Show women in a poor light? You’ve got to explain that one, as far as I can see it was very progressive for the time, one guy gets a woman pregnant but she stays in a relationship with another guy and the three of them raise the baby. Sounds like modern day Ireland. As for the virgin birth it exists in all sorts of creatures, perhaps not in mammals but it does exist.
@Rachel O’ Meara: correct not in mammals. Also religions always seem to take issues with the female anatomy and showing the birth canal as one wat system and the casting christ as pure because he was born of a virgin as if that’s either realistic or necessary & the statues of her as white as snow & with submissive expressions. Its misogyny on a grand scale.
@Mjhint: actually, in some dolphin schools, there aren’t enough males for all the females, so some females are having babies through progenation, which is where you only have one genetic parent. Thing is, they will only ever have female children, which actually compounds the problem of not enough males.
So there ARE mammals having babies without a second genetic donor.
@Mirabelle Stonegate: never knew this so thank you for correcting me.
@Rachel O’ Meara: They’re taught fables and myths like Tír na nÓg, but they’re not told that they are factual, unlike the hocus pocus of communion and confirmation.
@Brian Dunne: exactly Brian
@Mjhint: While I can see your point the bible was written thousands of years ago, attitudes towards sex here in the west today are very different in comparison. I wouldn’t go so far as to say it’s misogyny, all religions call on believers to do their duty towards their particular god. If it wasn’t the case Joseph would have walked away. He stood to lose out too, after all they both had reputations to maintain. I’d say it was a more a mutual agreement especially for the good of the child yet to be born, they put their kid first, good on them. Pretty much like the article on internet safely, parents should be putting their children first and teach them about internet safety, not leave it up to strangers to raise their children for them. Teachers teach subjects, parents teach life lessons.
@Mairead1990: They don’t come with a disclaimer, they are both taught in the same vein. However much you don’t agree with or subscribe to (I include myself in that) experts all agree Jesus was a real person. There’s no denying that fact. Compared to the first testament he comes off as a bit of a progressive, God 2.0 if you will, peace and good will to everyone, treat people as equals, don’t judge others, don’t bully others etc. What I find laughable is most non religious people hate religion yet they preach the same message from a book they claim is rubbish. The very same people who did religion in school and then grew up and out of it. Perhaps if ye thought about it for half a second it did teach ye something positive. Then again perhaps not seeing as I’m the atheist defending it.
@Rachel O’ Meara: they’re not being taught fables or myths anymore…
@Christopher O’Brien: Actually they are, mainly in third and fourth class.
@Rachel O’ Meara: actually, experts are pretty sure that “historical” Jesus is an amalgamation of several different people, and not a singular person.
yes scrap religion slot it in there
@Brian Dunne: Exactly. A class to protect them from predatory peadophiles instead of a class which teaches them respect for organisations which protect predatory peadophiles.
@Mjhint: welcome. It’s not terribly well known, but definitely interesting. I remember reading about it in Focus, a well respected science magazine, then the same topic came up in doctor who a couple of weeks later, but in relation to people. I think that coincidence is why I remember this bit of trivia, lol.
@Brian Dunne: Defenitly. Religion and forced prayers and catholic ethos should be gone from all mainstream schools its complete delusional, narrow minded bs. THIS could save young peoples lives, not some pretend god.
@Rachel O’ Meara: Whats laughable about using your own common sense and to know that having a moral compass is a good thing? believing in god and being a good person are not mutually exclusive, you know. I havent a clue about the bible but i know what it is to be decent, its called having a conscience and knowing the difference between right and wrong. That doesnt make me some hypocrite.
@Pauline Gallagher: Mammy and daddy aren’t teaching morals at home, they’re not teaching anything hence the article and articles like it on every topic from nutrition to telling the time. You’re right they’re not mutually exclusive but when mammy and daddy aren’t teaching it at home they have to learn it from somewhere and religion does a pretty good job for those that really need a lesson in how to be nice to others.
Teachers are there to teach English irish maths etc. It should be up to parents. At this rate teachers will be expected to teach kids even the basics of manners. Do parents do anything in raising kids anymore?
@Eimear Houlihan: Many teachers do have to teach children basic manners. When you meet the parents, you understand why that is the case.
@Eimear Houlihan:
Totally agree with you, this is a parental responsibility .
Children are now given phones & tablets before they can walk.
Today’s parents are happy to let utube, Google and Facebook bring their children up.
As for basic manners , courtesy and etiquette…
Don’t go there !!!!
@Eimear Houlihan: I agree 100% when it comes to manners, that absolutely should be ingrained into them before they even start school. However i do think some form of online safety should be done in school. Some parents might not have a clue about internet, also there are kids minded by grandparents etc who don’t know anything about it either.
@Tara Dowling: If parents and grandparents are that clueless then they can send kids to something outside of school time or maybe dont give an 8 year old a device. PS. I hope I remember all my ideals when the time comes for me
Why does an 8 year old need a phone? Why does an 8 years old use Snapchat?
@Pól Ó’hAodha: Exactly! Stupid parents allowing their children to have unfettered access to computers. There are phones designed for children to allow them have contact with parents without giving them unregulated internet access.
@Conrad Shields: but they can also have contact with their friends. I don’t neccesarilly disagree with you but I see the logic in it
Teaching kids online safety is the responsibility of the parents. After all, it is the parent that allows them to have the device in the first place.
Sure, schools can play a role in teaching about online safety but ultimately, it is the parent’s responsibility.
@Gerard McDermott: most parents don’t know proper online safety. So how can you expect them to teach their children?
I personally get very frustrated with my dad’s lack of care online.
Back in the days of Geocities and the like, we didn’t have internet at home. But internet safety was drilled into me. To the point that my Facebook account isn’t under my own name. The only personal information on it visible to anyone, even friends, is my date of birth. I’m 32. I’m extremely strict about my ersonal online safety even now.
My dad on the other hand.. has all the information online he always told me never to give anyone. And yep, I’ve called him out for being a hypocrite. He knows I don’t approve of how he handles his personal information online. Which ironically is a result of what e taught me as a child, lol.
@Mirabelle Stonegate: but the result can’t be that schools take on the role of online safety educators. They don’t have the time or equipment and training the entire teaching staff and keeping them up to date is a behemoth project. It is the parent’s responsibility. They don’t have to be the source of information but they can facilitate.
@Mirabelle Stonegate: then parents need to educate themselves! As a parent it is my job to learn about it online social media.
Majority of kids who are aged 8 will have parents under the age of 50 and using social media themselves
@Mirabelle Stonegate: “most parents don’t know proper online safety. So how can you expect them to teach their children?”
Replace the word parents with teachers.
Teachers can’t possibly know enough about an area that most have very little, if any, training in.
I voted “no” because while I believe that on line safety is a priority it should be taught by PARENTS not teachers.
The answer to everything now is to add life lessons to the school curriculum and pass the responsibility from parents to teachers .
Teachers have enough to do teaching children without raising children as well.
Proper parenting more like it too
It is akin to road safety.
@Jay Kavanagh: i like that comparison as children do seem to pay attention to road safety and recite togeter some of the things they have learned. Same for online safety, that you compare this with.
@Jay Kavanagh: Parents should be thought how to use the router, you can block IP. moderate security and site access and control the time the internet goes off on most home routers. But how many parent know how to do it?
@The long walk home☘️: children don’t only access the internet in their own homes.
@EillieEs: but the person paying the bill can limit the access of the device. Be it on mobile data or public WiFi, you can limit it.
Should all parents be obliged to attend parenting classes?
online safety lessons would be a good idea, but in my mind a bigger question should be ” should 8-13 yr olds actually be on social media sites that are SUPPOSED to be age restricted ?” there has to be some parental responsibility to ensure that children are not viewing inappropriate sites or material . not EVERYTHING can be done via the state !
Most people would say yes as it seems a no-brainer however education quality is already being watered-down, what’s wrong with mammy or daddy opening their mouths and taking to their children? They’ll want classes in shoe tying next.
@Rachel O’ Meara: how many parents actually know anything about internet safety.
I set up an Instagram account recently and was discussing with my mother about finally uploading a photo to it. I was trying a to figure out what I would upload. She said that, as we were going to a birthday party, I should take photos of the people there, kids and adults, and upload them. Thing is, for most people, that would be the normal thing to do. But not me.
Most of the kids there didn’t have their parents around, so I couldn’t get parental consent to upload the photos. I have no way of knowing if there is a restriction where one of these kids can’t have their photo on social media, for fear they will be stalked/harassed or similar. Might sound ott, but it can happen.
Maybe some of the adults are like me, and just don’t want their photo online without their permission being given.
So, I took a photo of the cake. I still haven’t posted it, admittedly. But that’s a procrastination thing at this stage.
Honestly, most adults are so clueless about online safety that we DO need outsiders to teach kids. Frankly, I think that there should be mandatory classes for parents as well, when it comes to online safety.
@Mirabelle Stonegate: If in doubt leave it out. Could apply to anything but is always a good piece of advice to go by. Parents who care will teach their own children, those that don’t care not only leave their children in the dark about internet safety also do so about lots of other things. There’s kids having started first year at the start of the month going into school not being able to read properly or tell the time after eight years in primary school. Does the blame lie with the teachers or parents? My children are up to speed on internet safety, it’s not my fault other people don’t teach their children things I don’t see why my childrens education in other subjects should be watered down to make room for it. Perhaps an opt in class after school is the way to go.
We teach it in our school but unless parents are going to buy into it , it’s not going to be successful.
@Bríd Uí Mhaoluala: not true.
I had internet safety drilled into me in the 90s, by my parents, when we didn’t even have internet. Now, they are horribly blasé about internet safety, with all their personal info etc online, and I’m the total opposite. I listened and took on board what I was taught as a child, even though my parents turned out to be Hippocrates.
it should available to all children in school yes. But should be taught by experts in the field not teachers. Technology is changing rapidly there is no way teachers could keep up to date. Parents should also be taught about internet safety so they can make informed choices and guidelines for their kids. I find parents are bombarded with so much they can range from hysterically strict which means their kid loses out or neglectful so their kid may be in danger. Teach parents how to be reasonable with introducing tech as the wonderful tool it is so they can get the balance right.
They already teach it at my kids school, so it’s not impossible to roll out as part of the curriculum.
It is parental responsibility, not the school. Parents are buying tablets and phones for the kids, paying for internet etc.
It is not the schools job, its the parents job!
Here we go again. Another article about ‘should primary schools pick up the slack of parents?’. Don’t get me wrong, it’s valuable but parental responsibility should kick in also. Many schools get the opportunity to have a guest come in for a half day workshop at best. Parents should monitor children’s online activity if they care about them at all.
A primary school child has no need to be online unsupervised..
@Tim McCormack29: yeah so that means it’s never going to happen…..
Absolutely not. This is the parent’s job and only their’s. Neither schools nor teachers are equipped to teach this.
Why should teachers be made to discipline and teach children safe Internet use. We are slowly parcelling responsibility and discipline to other people rather than parents parenting their children and being responsible for their behaviour. This adds onto the uproar over planning permission granted for a fast food store near a school. Parents need to take responsibility and teach their kids… Parent them and stop relying on others to do this.
Are parents incapable of educating their children themselves?
They already are
They already are!!!!!!
This is a parental responsibility.
Talks sponsored by the Parents Association are useful…some with parents only and some with parents and students hearing the talk together. Handouts and posters on the fridge are useful reminders. Parents and children communicating regularly. Limits on screen time. Keeping devices out of the bedroom and in public spaces. No social media accounts umtil the age of 13. Shared internet devices like iPads and laptops in the family rather than smartphones. No smartphones allowed on the grounds of primary schools.
It was only a very short time ago that this was the norm, and it was a very good set of safeguards for primary school children. Parents must take the lead and set the example.
Will get them talking to each other about it. Raise awareness and share.
Old style learning best
@Joseph Molloy: I assume you’re joking
Yes. It’s the world they are progressing into.
Why are we afraid to take the phones off them ffs, simple solution to the problem,kids have no business on the net til a certain age..
Yes and politics as part of the leaving cert so as to be more informed and educated about there future
It is already taught in most schools as part of the SPHE programme. Webwise is a resource that schools use to teach internet safety. At the end of the day it is the responsibility of the parents to monitor their children’s online presence.
Who are these 7% ? (No’s) Surely child safety and internet awareness is paramount? Sad people .
@Ciaran105: Maybe the 7% are the people that think it should be the parent’s responsibility.
@Gerard McDermott: it’s definitely a parental obligation but those children who slip through the net have to be helped also , belt and braces approach seems a good approach in this scenario !
without a doubt! Far more useful then religious classes
Yes. Teach them to stay away from cesspools like Facebook.
Yes I think so but it shouldn’t be a watered down sugar coated version it should be the harsh reality. They need to be scared. Not in a tyrannical way just enough so they question everything that pops up on the screen and are dubious about everyone on it. Better to be safe than sorry.
There is always something new to push on to the curriculum in schools. Can parents not do any teaching.
No!
It’s the perants that give them the mobile phones, therefore, they should be responsible to teach them about their safe use. In fact, I believe that there should bea department of education directive to all primary schools to ban smart phones. If then ‘need’ a phone buy a phone without internet conevtivity. For perants there is an added benifit to this, they don’t have to shell out for an expensive phone.
I thought most of these websites had a minimum age requirement? The person who buys the phone or tablet should be responsible for the education surrounding it.
Literally did this in class today! A lot of teachers teach this . .they need to be educated about the dangers.
Without a doubt …. and then teach the parents the same course .
By teaching how to be safe you are teaching them to be dangerous
No, let natural selection take course
Why are 8% of people saying no to this???
have your say