YOUR VIEWS: Should primary pupils be using computers?
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After news that primary pupils had viewed porn on a school device a reader responds.
It is with extreme disappointment, but unfortunately not surprise, that I read about primary school pupils seeing porn on the Chromebook computers given to them by their school (Courier, 31/1/23).
Learning largely through digital sources has been shown to introduce a number of new problems to classroom settings, such as reducing physical social communication skills, increased isolation for pupils, overload of unverified information, increased risk of cyber bullying, and accidental access to porn or other inappropriate material. Pupils need to have a high level of self-motivation and time management skills as they navigate through the digital world and identify what is, and what is not, relevant.
Dealing effectively with these challenges requires significant support from teachers and parents, and a mature and self-controlled approach to learning by pupils.
It is therefore surprising that Highland Council provides Chromebooks to primary school pupils, who are not yet always mature enough to understand the dangers and risks involved with the internet. We have children in primary school ourselves, and our own children have not yet been taught by the school about the potential risks of being online – we have had to start teaching them that ourselves.
Furthermore when the children come home they often have a headache from the amount of time they have spent looking at a computer screen, and often have stories about what they or their classmates have found while searching the internet (not all of it age appropriate unfortunately).
We have raised this with the headteacher, but been informed that Highland Council is pursuing a “digital first” approach, which will increase the number of electronic screens in schools further – including in primary schools.
I noticed in the Highland Council’s response to the pupils seeing porn that there is a strong reliance on digital filters by the council, but clearly these filters are not always effective.
If the council will continue to increase the number of computers with internet access in our schools then it needs to be supported by a significant increase in support, monitoring, and teaching about how, when, and why digital tools can be used – including the dangers – and not just an assumption that providing more screens to pupils will somehow magically help them to learn.
Unless this is done then I’m afraid there will continue to be primary school pupils across the Highlands stumbling across porn and other inappropriate material on their school computers.
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