School leaders comment on Safer Internet Day

Commenting on Safer Internet Day (Tues 6 Feb), Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders’ union NAHT, said: “NAHT are proud to support Safer Internet Day. The internet is a powerful tool for connecting to each other and for learning, but the online world is changing all the time.

“We need to make space for open and honest conversations with children and young people to talk about their digital lives and experiences. This is vital for us to understand the challenges they are facing and how we can support them in safely navigating the online world and ensuring they feel confident to ask for help when something doesn’t feel right.

“This is something both schools and parents have a crucial role in – as well as education outreach from internet and social media providers. And we would like to see the government do more to establish a national strategy and implement effective legislation in order to safeguard young people online.”