Authors: Birgy Lorenz, Kaido Kikkas
Estonian children are a demographic that appear in the Top 5, in the EU, as Internet users who both take advantage of new ICT solutions as well as become susceptible to their downsides (various online threats). In this country, coordinated efforts in raising e-safety awareness are relatively recent. Earlier activities were poorly coordinated, lacked continuity and relied mostly on volunteers. During the last few years, the Safer Internet Program in Estonia has added a much-needed coordinating approach.
Lessons Learned from the Safer Internet Program in Estonia
1. From the field
Lessons Learned from the Safer Internet Program
in Estonia
Authors Estonian children are a demographic that appear in the Top 5, in the EU, as Internet
users who both take advantage of new ICT solutions as well as become susceptible to
Birgy Lorenz
Institute of Informatics, their downsides (various online threats).
Tallinn University, Estonia
In this country, coordinated efforts in raising e-safety awareness are relatively recent.
birgy.lorenz@gmail.com
Earlier activities were poorly coordinated, lacked continuity and relied mostly on vol-
Kaido Kikkas unteers. During the last few years, the Safer Internet Program in Estonia has added a
Estonian Information
much-needed coordinating approach.
Technology College, Estonia
kaido.kikkas@tlu.ee
Our goal is to define the topics that have and have not been covered by the program,
identify the program’s weaknesses and strengths, analyse its effect, and recommend
Tags focuses for future stages. We have analysed the content (study materials and an e-
course) created by the project, the experiences of the trainers, and course feedback.
awareness, training, Based on these data we have formulated recommendations (from the viewpoints of
best practices, policy the project, school management, parents and government) for the next stage of the
recommendations, youth initiative.
1. Introduction
According to the EU rankings, Estonian children hold 2.-4. place in their Internet usage. For
children aged 10-14, being connected is often more valuable than getting good grades at
school or sometimes even eating. According to various sources, over 45% of students claim
to have some kind of learning problems, 57,7% of Estonian children have had some kind of
internet security issues (EU average being 30,8%) and only 45,4% of children profess the
knowledge about how to properly act in these situations (EU average 66%). Understanding
what e-safety is and how to deal with it is a common problem among parents and students
in virtually all the countries involved.
Mobile phones, Internet and high-speed digital transmission systems have led the informa-
tion revolution at home, at school and at work. One of the consequent issues is the emer-
gence of children who, having very good access to the internet, are more computer literate
than their parents (especially in using social networking, Web 2.0, etc), use mobile phones
frequently – and most likely without any parental supervision.
Children can be seen having developed their own life strategies and survival techniques and
they don’t share their problems with parents and teachers. So in a pedagogical sense, we
have a major problem - not only due to the emerging generations ethical/behavioural norms
being increasingly unknown to their predecessors, but also because children’s judgment val-
ues are increasingly based on their own knowledge and understandings rather than those of
their parents.
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2. From the field
The solutions should involve (from both teachers’ and parents’ The Estonian studies on the topic have covered the following is-
side) understanding of risky behaviour, knowing and paying at- sues: cyber bullying, technological competence, identity issues
tention what children do on the internet and open discussions (mostly based on rate.ee, an Estonian social networking site)
of internet security issues. Only then can one hope that children and parental awareness. Due to the field changing rapidly, some
are safer and can make their own decisions that they can live of the results are already outdated (see more from http://goo.
with (Kalmus, 2007). Also, there is a problem with the absence gl/18elp Table 1).
of the proper ontology of security-related risks. Parents are
rather more concerned about purely environmental risks (e.g. 2.1. Different solutions
the room being too cold) or technological problems (e.g. the
computer infected with malware) than maintaining the psycho- The EU-imposed behavioural standards and solutions do not
logical and emotional stability of their child. necessarily work in Estonia due to the nation’s multi-layered
historical legacy. On the one hand, as in Finland (BBC, 2010) In-
Our aim is to analyse and explore the best practices in the pro- ternet is considered a human right – and in Estonia more so,
gram Safer Internet in Estonia (EE SIC) as well as to as the Soviet censorship memories are still fresh. On the other
• define topics that have and have not been covered by the hand, the EU/US-imposed suggestions and restrictions on nu-
program; dity could conflict with Estonian national traditions (e.g going
• identify the weaknesses and strengths of the program; to sauna; see also Millar, 2009). Also there is a credibility issue
• analyse the effects of the program and recommend foci for regarding the solutions recommended by EU that may be at
next stages. odds with the liberality of Estonian internet policy (Saar, 2001;
Infoühiskonna edendamise poliitika, 2007; Schilthuis, 2010).
2. Background
Some countries have developed different solutions for prob-
Today’s Internet has brought along increasing levels of com- lems related to internet risks:
munication, cognitive development, academic achievement
• filter inappropriate content for children (differs between
and world globalisation. As a downside, we have to deal with
countries by age limit, content etc) at service providers
internet safety issues and fears like cyber bullying, harassment, (EFA, 2002; European Framework for Safer Mobile Use by
surveillance, inappropriate content etc (see also Byron, 2007, p. Younger Teenagers and Children: One Year After, 2008);
4). This field is important due to the need to understand how • development of legislative measures against harassing, bul-
today’s children and adolescents live in a new, massive, and lying, gossip or other “bad behaviour” (Cyberethics, 2002);
complex virtual universe, even as they carry on with their lives • technical surveillance and other intrusive trust models –
in the real world (Greenfield, 2006). like children’s obligation to share the passwords with parent
or limiting internet access (Smith, 2007);
References and studies assessing children’s security on the In- • teaching and talking in public about internet security issues
ternet could be divided into five larger groups: using helplines or dedicated web sites (Shoniregun, 2003).
• cyber bullying among children (Berson, 2002); A crucial challenge for schools considering the adoption of crea-
• morality-related - pedophilia, sharing inappropriate con- tive media (Web 2.0) and social network technologies is how to
tent and other abnormal behaviours (Akdeniz, 1997; Carr,
support children’s engagement in productive and creative social
2004; Mitchell, 2004; Peters, 2009; Koppel, 2010);
learning while protecting them from undue risks (Graber, 2009).
• programs and ideas for parents and schools (Livingstone,
2001; Wishart, 2004); In addition, we have found useful information from the resourc-
• other research including normal internet behaviour (Bullen, es and studies about psychology of adolescence (Kroger, 2004),
2000; Enocchon, 2005; Wolak, 2008; Dworschak, 2010); ethnography (Bortree, 2005), gender (Brandtzæg, 2005), inter-
• usage analysis of computers and mobile phones in Estonia, net strategies (Dunkels, 2007), harmful content on the Internet
EU or World level (EU Kids Online, 2006; Safer internet for
(EU, 2004; Hargrave, 2006), communities in cyberspace (Kolloc,
children qualitative study in 29 European countries, 2007;
Towards a safer use of the Internet for children in the EU – a 1999) and youth culture (Sefton, 1998; Willard, 2000; Bondeb-
parents’ perspective, 2008). jerg, 2004).
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3. From the field
2.2. The Estonian experience before 2010 information was sent to the Police and Border Protection who
initiated criminal proceedings. Other 170 reports were forward-
In recent years, some Internet security related campaigns, pro- ed via the InHope network to other countries’ hotlines or police.
jects and studies in Estonia have looked promising at first but Earlier there were more reports related to child exploitation,
then stalled due to lack of consistency. The chronology below nowadays people are reporting mostly ‘ordinary’ pornography
reveals that while the number of activities may seem satisfacto- related pages that are too easy to access for children.
ry, a majority of them could be traced back to a relatively small
group of people who have organized it all and sometimes even The helpline statistics shows it providing advice for children,
as a hobby-like, leisure-time project – citing the lack of funding parents and other involved groups on internet safety issues,
as a reason (see more from http://goo.gl/18elp Table 2). including how to recognize computer addiction, how to limit a
child’s computer use, how to behave in case of a computer ad-
There are also some changes in the National Curriculum, e.g. diction (4%); identity theft of internet social network accounts
using internet should be safer, schools are obliged to discuss po- (11%); competence imbalance on internet issues among par-
tential risks with children and teachers should include topics like ents and children or recommended rules for children using In-
privacy, copyright, online self-protection and safe socialisation ternet (10%); sex-related proposals received on internet (9%);
in their lessons (National Curriculum, 2010). However, due to sexual harassment (6%); advice in case of cyber bullying (18%);
the fact that computer lessons are mostly complementary (with excessive internet/mobile broadband bills (7%); unwanted con-
voluntary participation), the focus is blurred and no particular nections (14%); potential harmful content (20%) etc (Targalt In-
teacher could be held responsible for these tasks. ternetis aastaraamat, 2011:18).
The Estonian e-police initiative started in June 2011 and has
2.3. The EE SIC program and the Estonian
since answered to 3341 requests, averaging to 508 in a month.
e-police initiative
The findings suggest that people have the most problems with
The mission of the Safer internet program is to promote safe traffic law (23%), theft and fraud (10%), slandering (8%), public
Internet use by children and their parents as well as the pre- disturbance by minors (6%) as well family problems, 4% relate
vention of online distribution of material containing illegal con- to identity issues. However, the initiative allowed the police to
tent (About the project, 2010). A prior study from 2010 shows acquire information and artefacts referring to actual crimes re-
a very high internet usage (99%) among the participants, but lated to e.g. pedophilia, illegal drugs, missing persons, violence
at the same time, 34% of them deny needing any help in e- against minors and hacking.
safety (especially male and younger people) and 9% have not
The Estonian e-police initiative (with a focus on children and
ever thought about the matter (seniors). Usually the help (when
awareness) has proved somewhat successful – but it seems that
needed) is provided by friends (42%) or ICT specialists (35%)
adults may in fact need a similar service even more urgently,
(Turu-uuring, 2010). They prefer to receive more information
their field of questions being even larger. As it has brought po-
from traditional media (52%) and school (47%). 14% have seen
lice closer to ordinary citizens, it should continue, but needs
child pornography online, but 75% do not know where to report
remarkably more attention. While Finland has a similar service
it and 14% did not even think there is an option or obligation to
available 24/7, Estonia currently has only a sole officer with no
report. Only 12% would act by informing the police, helpline or
replacement in case of vacation or illness.
child welfare.
We can conclude that the project has been implemented ad-
After the implementation of the Estonian e-safety hotline, the
equately. Different organizations are working together and sup-
number of e-safety related notifications has risen from 205 to
porting the project goals, people are starting to understand that
609, but it has also become a place where people tend to re-
there is somebody supporting Estonian parents, teachers and
port just ‘ordinary’ adult content than actual child pornography.
children in the area of e-safety. Yet the knowledge should be
From the July to December 2011 it received 986 first-time visits
spread further, especially on the government level.
from 27 countries. During the last year (Feb 2011-Feb 2012) it
has received 861 reports, of which 171 have been related to
sexual abuse of children, one of them concerning Estonia. The
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4. From the field
3. Methods least 20 visits. Of the categories, the materials for students have
proved to be the most popular.
At Stage I, we analysed the use of EE SIC materials and coded
what was available in the page on topics, target audiences and Viewing the statistics of trainings there has been done in 75
nature. We also investigated the web page usage patterns. schools, kindergarten, youth centre or libraries (see pic 1). Over
5000 students, 700 teachers, 500 parents have counted to par-
During the Stage II we asked e-safety trainers to take an e-
ticipate in the program. See in Picture 1.
survey - how effective do they consider the training; what in-
teresting ideas and data have they gathered and what kind of
information they themselves have facilitated from the lessons
and what they think will the future bring in this area. We also
gathered some background information. We used 30 questions
with rankings 5-10, yes/no/don’t know or open answers. All 10
trainers did participate in the survey.
At Stage III we analysed the awareness training activities from
2010-2012 by the location and number of participants.
At Stage IV we studied the results from four e-safety e-courses
from 2010-2011 by the location number of participants and
feedback to the course.
4. Results Picture 1: The awareness training locations in 2010-2012
4.1. Materials and training
4.2. Feedback from the e-safety trainers
The project materials are divided into five main categories on
its website: teachers, parents, students and younger children, The EE SIC program currently has 10 trainers. All of them are
plus an extra category for online tests. Most of the material are able to train in Estonian, two also in Russian and two in English.
targeted towards children or students (44 items), followed by Most of them have experience of at least 11 e-safety training
the ones for teachers or specialist working with children (so- events; four of them have at least 21. According to their feed-
cial workers, psychologists, youth workers). Only 7 items are back, they consider the interactive games on privacy, Internet
directed towards parents. The materials do have some overlap myths and case studies as the most valuable outcome of the
though, e.g. some parents are able to use the materials target- project. Presentations, videos and animations also received
ed towards teachers. good feedback.
The main target group is defined as students aged 10-16, but The trainers also point out that:
the website also contains three videos and two worksheets • students’ questions focused cyber bullying, social networks,
meant for primary school and kindergarten. Most of the materi- secure computer use, legislation, privacy and lost devices
als meant for students are entertainment-oriented and interac- (e.g. what to do when a mobile phone gets lost; how legal is
sharing videos over the Net);
tive, while the ones for adults tend to be static and textual. The
• teachers are worried about being less knowledgeable than
topics covered the most were passwords (15%), cyber bullying
students and proper ways to act on an incident (e.g. cyber
(15%), meeting strangers online (6%), social networks (15%), bullying or -harassment). They also understand that the
appropriate online behaviour (11,5%). training should begin earlier and some elements should be
already available at kindergarten;
The Google Analytics data from the project web site reveals that
• parents mostly worry about keeping their child’s computer
most of the visitors will return. Most visitors also browse at least use in check (e.g. how long the sessions can be and how
5 pages. 10% of the visitors can be considered regulars with at to control the activity), keeping their computers clean from
malware and solving possible incidents. They wonder about
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5. From the field
the overall passivity and sometimes say that such a training be aware of cyber bullying and know how to react as well as
has no point as no one actually cares (e.g. when someone learn how to teach students about these matters.
misbehaves online or engages in license infringement).
The statistics shows that largest numbers of participants have
According to the trainers, the most useful materials to consider
been from Tallinn (28), Harjumaa (9), Lääne-Virumaa (15), Tar-
for future training events are safety-related games, online tests,
tumaa (6) and Võrumaa(6) and the islands of Saaremaa and
short videos (up to 5 min), crosswords and tests on paper, short
Hiiumaa (both 3). We can see on the map (Picture 1) that the
animations and movies (up to 20 min). They found handbooks,
biggest gap is in the heartland, as other counties have only 1-2
presentations and flyers to be less effective. Of the topics, they
teachers participated. By the specialisation, the most interested
found digital reputation, cyber bullying and using digital gadgets
in the topic have been class teachers (17), ICT (11), math and
as of top importance, while policy (e.g. ACTA), meeting stran-
science (8) and Estonian language teachers (5).
gers online or technical setup of computers are thought to be
less important. The explanation for such a choice is that most In evaluating the usefulness of the e-course, we may outline
Estonian people are unable to grasp too many technical details, three aspects: technical, personal and awareness. In technical
so the e-safety training should be more behaviour-based. On aspect, the course contributed to better understanding of tools
the other hand, the more technically literate minority needs and methods of e-safety (e.g. antiviruses and system updates),
also more technically inclined training. a result was also the map of antivirus software in use. In the
personal level, overall understanding of privacy, password pro-
The trainers have also pointed out that both the initial inter-
tection, searching for information and preventing cyber bullying
est-sparking and follow-up should be stronger, not to make the
went up. In overall awareness, the course contributed towards
training an isolated event. Actual work should go on between
seeing the ‘big picture’ by introducing various materials and
teachers and students in every subsequent lesson. Some teach-
studies for teachers, students and parents.
ers tend to take an overtly active role during the training (at-
tempting to teach others), some are passive (doing their own Some recommendations issued by the participants were: the
work or leaving altogether). Teachers tend to be afraid of e- teacher should try to play games and use other ICT solutions
safety issues (fearing their inability to answer their students’ that are used by students, the same tools that are used to teach
questions) and hope that they will not have to really faces such students should be used by teachers themselves as well. Native
situations. The main problem is that a great deal of the fears language training videos were asked for to also include technical
is actually justified – the teachers tend to know less than their aspects – the problem being that if the teacher feels awkward
students. with some task, he/she will not take risks with activities actively
involving students. At the same time, those activities that teach-
Concerning the problems that arose from the trainers them-
ers felt confident with (e.g. watching videos, discussing or do-
selves, the main one is lack of time. As their number was limited
ing simpler practical tasks) did not have problems with inclu-
and they hold their real job elsewhere, finding a suitable time
sion. While teachers favoured surveys as a way to learn what
for training was a serious issue.
students think, implementing them was considered a problem
(both methodological and technical). The participants confessed
4.3. The e-course on e-safety that if not for the course, they would not think about e-safety
at all (and realising this, were happy that they took part in it),
In total, the e-learning course has had 85 teachers participating
learning about the national hotline and helpline was appreci-
and 57 of them graduating. The course duration is 6 weeks (20
ated as well. Still, the format of the course (six weeks) proved
hours) and it has been run four times by 2011. The course was
to be too short, not allowing the graduates to start independent
created by the Tiger Leap Foundation’s ICT trainers with the aim
work (e.g. creating e-safety games, writing related reports or
of giving a broader overview of the topic to common teachers.
doing online surveys) – only some people with more extensive
There were 7 main objectives: learn to protect one’s computer
previous knowledge felt ready to do it.
from viruses, become familiar with various Internet sites that
reflect e-safety, be smarter on the net, be familiar with various During the course, the participants were able to compile a col-
social networking sites, and learn to choose secure passwords, lection of web links and create some simpler materials for stu-
dents or parents. Due to constant overloading, teachers possess
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6. From the field
little spare time to read or study. This led often to loss of motiva- (both online and on paper). Filming and disseminating talks
tion due to not understanding tasks or goals). The language bar- of good trainers might be preferred to producing printed
rier still exists and should be addressed (e.g. with subtitles on handbooks and flyers;
foreign-language videos). On the other hand, some participants • main topic to be addressed could be new technologies (mo-
bile phones, tablets), identity and privacy management,
would have preferred more technical knowledge to be included.
choosing good passwords and fighting cyber bullying;
While the course attempted to implement community feedback
• ordinary users do need (non-complicated) technical materi-
(e.g. commenting on others’ work), this was only marginally
als. A preferred way would be simulations and games (al-
used (as a number of participants actively disliked it). lowing hands-on experience with suitable guidance on e.g.
how to remove malware from a computer).
5. Discussion Second, about training delivery:
When analysing recent processes in e-safety in Estonia, we • the best covered regions are Tallinn with surrounding Har-
could draw a line at the EE SIC program. Before 2010, e-safety jumaa County. While Tallinn is important, Internet covers all
activities were unsystematic and mostly led by volunteers. The the country, thus there exists a strong need for training out-
workgroup at the Ministry of Social Affairs united a number of side large cities, especially in the Estonian heartland. During
the final stages of the projects, trainings were held in public
people but there was no central coordination – rather, the ac-
libraries – the practice is worth continuing;
tivists shared information about their activities without fitting
• e-safety training for ordinary users should be kept delivered
them into the ‘big picture’. both in face-to-face and e-course form. Different counties
should be addressed with local educational authorities
After the beginning of the program in 2010, the same people
coordinating the participation (e.g. 5 persons from every
were included in the project council or engaged as supporters, school);
but this time, the Children’s Welfare Union was elected as the • as the number of trainers is still low and most of them hold
governing organisation. In addition, other organisations (ISP-s, their primary jobs elsewhere, every county should have at
Parents’ Union, and Tiger Leap Foundation) were also brought least 1-2 specialists who are also qualified as e-safety train-
in. Most importantly, a youth panel was assembled in order to ers. The trainer network of the Tiger Leap Foundation could
keep the activities acceptable and understandable for the main be used for this;
target group. • parents tend to be the most neglected group – they are un-
able to help their children and keep asking for support in
The following trends and recommendations can be outlined handling e-safety problems. There is also some resentment,
when analysing the EE SIC project activities from the last 1.5 seeing no point in reporting the problem as there is no vis-
ible mechanism for dealing with incidents. The knowledge
years.
and practical e-safety skills vary greatly among parents, but
First, about creating the necessary materials: are very weak on average;
• follow-up is especially needed when training teachers, as
• the initially proposed target group (age 10-16) does not re-
they are unable to grasp the matter in just one training pro-
flect the reality anymore, a more suitable age group to tar-
gram. Even if the national curriculum prescribes e-safety
get should be from 4 to 14. E-safety issues will be faced by
measures, ordinary teachers are unqualified to carry them
children already in their early years. While Estonian parents
out;
consider computers good companions, they are sometimes
misused as babysitters; • the e-courses have been successful, allowing participation
also for teachers from the regions where the program has
• more supportive rather than warning/prohibiting materials
not reached to yet. But the graduation requirements should
are needed as the actual skill level of people facing e-dan-
be brought more in line with the skills taught, as currently
gers is lower than expected. Especially needed is guidance
some graduation tasks are in fact not covered by the pro-
on appropriate behaviour (netiquette) as well as pointers
gram;
where to turn in case of a safety incident;
• while the core of the materials should be kept not too tech-
• while most initial materials had a double approach (enter-
nical, a small group of ‘elites’ willing to learn ‘the deeper
tainment and practical guidelines for children, more theory
secrets’ has emerged. Their need should be addressed by
for adults), the entertainment should be more prominent in
an advanced-level e-course carried out by e-safety profes-
the materials meant for adults as well. Trainers have called
sionals;
for relevant computer games, short films and various tests
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• due to lack of trainers, it is also advised to include second- ten. There is serious lack of new teachers who are aware of the
ary school students as auxiliary trainers and tutors. issue – but neither the training programmes at universities nor
Based on the above said, we have formulated some recommen- complementary training activities seem to take notice. Nearly
dations to the Ministry of Education: the only initiative is the joint training programme for education-
al technologists by Tallinn University and BCS Training – of the
• school principals should receive more ICT training to al-
total of 80 hours, e-safety is given 1,5. It is better than nothing
low them to comply with the new National Curriculum. A
big problem is that they are often facing hard choices like though.
whether to repair the roof, buy textbooks, train teachers or
invest into ICT – rather frequently, the last option is seen as Recommendations for schools:
of secondary importance compared to others. Sometimes • the principals must familiarise themselves with the new
the direct lack of knowledge of state-of-the-art ICT by prin- National Curriculum requirements on ICT infrastructure,
cipals is seriously hampering its progress at school; environment and methodology, to allow them to properly
• just as ICT solutions should be accessible to all teachers and support teachers;
students, materials and training on e-safety should be, too. • every school should have an educational technologist who
Mere banning of certain technologies at school may initially should support and advise students and teachers as well as
prevent some modern problems, but this will result in an coordinate the development of the local ICT infrastructure;
even greater isolation for students, as parents are unable • principals should also favour teachers taking part in meth-
and teachers not willing or too busy to help them; odological training in ICT, as every teacher should obtain ICT
• both teachers and students need professional ICT support skills on a certifiable level;
by educational technologists. As teachers are often unable • the currently elective courses of Informatics I and Informat-
to keep pace with new technologies, they need support by ics II in the National Curriculum for Basic School should be
not generic ICT specialists but rather by someone who can made compulsory – at the moment, most teachers of other
advise him/her on both technology/e-safety and the cur- subjects are unable to reach the necessary level of ICT skills
riculum being taught; in their subject.
• ensure the dissemination of best practices among schools.
It is a shame that in many cases, good ideas get stuck at Recommendations for parents:
school and cannot move on to others. • keep track on how much is the computer used for educa-
tional purposes at home – sufficient ICT skills are an increas-
Recommendations for tertiary education facilities training
ingly important component in the child’s studies;
teachers:
• the computer is not a babysitter – parents have to discuss e-
• revise the programmes according to the real needs at safety issues with children to avoid misunderstanding and,
school and actual usage of technology. Every graduate go- more importantly, leaving the child alone with an e-safety
ing to the job market as a teacher should be able to pass problem;
at least entry-level ICT certification exams or prove his/her • purely recreational use of computers, smartphones and
skills in some other manner; gaming consoles should be under control – and not just
• steady yearly preparation of a sufficient number of specifi- by keeping time of ‘sitting at the computer’ but striving to
cally education-oriented ICT specialists (ICT managers, edu- reach mutual understanding how to balance studies and
cational technologists, ICT teachers) is necessary; entertainment;
• some problems with the effectiveness of the program in Es- • parents should be familiar with the BETA standard.
tonia seem also to stem from the fact that the problem is
governed by the Ministry of Social Affairs – the Ministry of E-safety is therefore a process where all the involved parties
Education is busy with regulating teachers’ salaries, imple- should contribute. Even if children do not turn to adults at once,
menting the new National Curriculum and carrying out the they eventually will – and at that point, teachers and parents
education reform, making them in fact unable to have a say must know what to do. At the moment, the knowledge of adults
on e-safety. At the same time, a generation is emerging who
is often even less than that of children. Yet their larger expe-
has learned to cope on their own, realising that adults are
just too uneducated to ask help from. rience of life could make them valuable counsellors – but this
means that the e-safety knowledge layer must be built up as
The National Curriculum has set e-safety as an inter-curricular well.
topic, meaning that the responsibility for that is shared – or ac-
tually diluted, as the whole topic is more than often just forgot-
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8. From the field
6. Conclusions and mark the responsibilities of different parties. School princi-
pals, teachers and parents could also contribute more to make
The strong point of the program has been the cooperation be-
the online world safer for students.
tween various educational facilities and research groups. There
is a volume of materials created by ICT teachers and special-
ists, psychologists and students, but larger inclusion of parents,
teachers of other subjects, officials of local governments and References
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