Safer Internet Day: Smart Tech, Safe Choices

This ‘Safer Internet Day’, we are sharing our thoughts on this year’s theme: Smart tech, safe choices – Exploring the safe and responsible use of AI.

Artificial intelligence (AI), and technology more broadly, can be an incredible tool – but also a force to be regulated. While the use of new and innovative technologies in school and at home has been shown to promote educational quality and student achievement, there are downsides. AI can be a source of disinformation, and discourage independent thinking and academic integrity. Critics have called for the need to “act immediately, before AI overwhelms the next generation.” It is therefore crucial, particularly within a school environment, to educate students and staff alike on the safe and responsible use of AI.

At Marymount, we offer training, guided by our online safety policy, as part of our robust online safety ethos. We also have an Online Safety Committee consisting of representatives from boarding, the IT Department, the PSHEE department and the pastoral team, who keep up to date on current online safety issues and guidance issued by relevant organisations. From designated online safety lessons to the use of monitoring and filtering systems that protect our students, online safety provision is omnipresent in our school.

In contrary to academic opinion that AI hinders critical thinking, AI researcher Advait Sarkar argues that, with the right principles of design, AI can be considered a “tool for thought” that can challenge perspectives, reintroduce critical thinking, enhance creativity, and strengthen intentionality and recall.

Among such conversations, the importance of critical thinking is more prevalent than ever. We are proud that our International Baccalaureate (IB) programme fosters independent thought, international mindedness, and inspires students to be unafraid of challenging perspectives. Both in and out of the classroom, learners are encouraged to be open-minded, reflective, and constantly questioning.

Digital citizenship is inextricable from existence in our modern world. So, with the perfect balance between traditional and progressive, we enable our students to become informed digital citizens within a safe and regulated environment. From the bottom up, we equip them with the knowledge and tools to understand internet safety; from the top down, we adopt tangible measures to ensure responsible use. One such measure is the secure storage of students’ phones during school hours. Here, we are ahead of the curve, with a ban on pupils using mobile phones during the school day recently receiving backing by the House of Lords – bringing legal force to a practice we have enforced for some time. Internationally, conversations about banning social media use for under-16s are gaining traction.

Ultimately, we recognise that skills learned during school will carry on to adult life, and responsible use of technology is a vital skill in our current digital world. Here are just some of the ways online safety can be integrated into school life:

• Model responsible technology use and behaviour: Accompany intention with tangible action, such as physically removing access to smartphones and ensuring academic integrity when using AI as a tool.
• Cultivate a safe environment: Enforce monitoring and filtering systems that regulate access.
• Deliver foundational knowledge: Focus on teaching the underpinning knowledge and behaviour that allows students to navigate the online world safely.
• Integrate online safety into all aspects of the curriculum: Utilise existing lessons to reinforce online safety learning alongside dedicated online-safety lessons.

For more information, please read our Online Safety Policy.