Historically, schools have been known as safe learning and social-emotional development havens. Many schools have safeguarding as one of their key pillars, which drives student success in all other areas of the academic experience.
Safeguarding refers to the processes put in place to protect children from harm and abuse, and with the rise of cyberbullying incidents among students, safeguarding becomes an even more integral part of a school’s functioning.
The recently released 2024 Tes International Safeguarding Awareness Report revealed new insights into safeguarding in international schools. School leaders who participated in the survey felt that international schools have more safeguarding and pastoral concerns than five years ago. The survey highlights reporting trends, safeguarding concerns, and the confidence levels of international school leaders in Africa, Europe, and Asia.
Safeguarding issues in international schools
With the advent of generative AI and the undeniable proliferation of social media, teachers and international school leaders face the difficult task of keeping children safe. Recently, there have been reports of students using AI to generate deepfakes of their fellow students for harmful purposes. Deepfakes are photos, videos, or GIF files that are artificially manipulated to use someone’s face or body.
A 2023 FBI investigation also found that schoolchildren in Australia, the UK, New Zealand, and Canada were coerced into sending explicit images of themselves and then extorted for money, which impacted their mental well-being significantly. Cyberbullying is another major concern threatening student safety. Almost 22 percent of the safeguarding leaders surveyed in the Tes International Safeguarding Awareness Report felt that the increase in safeguarding issues is attributed to social media influence and use.
Although safeguarding students online may be more challenging since these are generally autonomous platforms, safeguarding leaders and teachers in international schools are continuously working together to educate students on the dangers of social media and generative AI.
How international schools can address safeguarding issues in international schools
One of the most prominent concerns teachers listed in the Tes International Safeguarding Awareness Report was reporting processes in international schools. Many teachers and safeguarding leads interviewed in the survey reported that over 80 percent of the concerns they investigated came to them through students’ direct reporting.
This is challenging because teachers often have heavy workloads and require more time to address safeguarding concerns effectively. With this in mind, international schools must consider implementing various reporting tools, including anonymous digital reporting mechanisms, enabling better child protection and monitoring.
Most safeguarding leads surveyed in the Tes International Safeguarding Awareness Report said they were confident handling safeguarding matters. However, 34 percent of teachers and professionals in the broader school community reported a lack of confidence in their knowledge of safeguarding practices.
This signals the need for practical safeguarding training in international schools. With the introduction of generative AI and bullying moving from the playground to the internet, it's vital that all safeguarding professionals are prepared to handle these cases effectively.
Schools can also encourage student agency and promote the student voice by holding small student education workshops. In these workshops, students can discuss their experiences on social media and work together to find solutions to bullying and deep fake issues. This allows schools to implement policies and safeguarding practices deemed effective by students themselves.
How parents can get involved
Safeguarding should be a whole-school approach rather than a fragmented departmental one. International schools worldwide have been revising their school policies to address safeguarding matters brought about by AI. While schools are responsible for protecting their children while they are in their care, it’s also essential for parents to reinforce the need for safety while using the internet.
Websites like Childnet provide a wealth of information on talking to your children about technology. Here are a few tips for educating your children on using social media and the internet safely:
- Communicate openly with your child about the dangers of social media, such as cyberbullying and harassment. Educate them about not sharing their live location, full names or addresses online.
- Set ground rules for which apps and websites they can use and how long they use them daily. We also recommend engaging with them to draw up guidelines on appropriate online behaviour.
- Although building trust with your children is essential, employing safety tools like Bark can help you set up parental controls without necessarily invading their privacy. Bark lets you monitor your children’s online activity, manage their screen time, and filter websites.
Although social media and generative AI provide many opportunities for connection and deeper learning, children must be protected at home and school. International schools are leading the pack by leveraging their agility to quickly adapt to the safeguarding challenges presented by these new technologies in their school community.
