What are the risks to self and others in the digital environment, and what are schools doing about it?

Description

Technology is a double-edged sword. As mentioned in a TED Talk from this unit, the current rate of technological development isn’t slowing down - it’s speeding up (Widman, 2019). With information becoming widely accessible and infinitely storable, there is now a constant global exchange of ideas - both the best and worst of humanity. How we choose and interpret these ideas from the digital environment becomes an ever important part of schools today. In education, the Department of Education takes national measures to ensure ‘safe, responsible, and respectful use of digital devices’ through data security improvements, changes in staff procedures, and banning mobile phones in some schools altogether (NSW Department of Education, 2025).

Feelings

From this, I reflect on how the more developed our technology becomes, the less control and understanding general society has around it. This fear of the unknown possibilities and risks is a new one, as previous generations did not have to worry about their cybersecurity. In most cases, there is no way to hold technology accountable for its mistakes - it is usually blamed on the person behind it. 

Evaluation

From a positive angle, technology has helped improve critical thinking skills as it allows people to easily gain access to vastly different perspectives and reconsider their own standpoint. On the negative side, advances in technology come with risks where people can hide their identity and act maliciously. This can create legal, ethical, and social issues in the digital environment, including but not limited to privacy, copyright and hacking.

Analysis

With increased access and possibilities, every new digital tool can be used not only to do significant good, but also significant harm. Although the Department of Education’s elimination of mobile phone use could reduce issues during school, it may be less effective outside of the school’s digital environment. I realise at school may be counterintuitive for protecting children. Just like how PDHPE classes teach about how to keep your body healthy, I believe online security classes should be equally as important. Research also shows that older Australians in particular are much more vulnerable to sophisticated financial scams (COTA Australia, 2025). This proves the Digital Literacy paradox - that simply providing digital access does not immediately grant the benefits of technology, but can also create more risks (AITSL, 2023). Without sharing knowledge about how to use these digital tools, technology will only become more unfamiliar to the general public. Thus, I believe education about all types of digital risks should be a very high priority.

Conclusion

I believe technology is beneficial as a whole for humanity, however it is important to use them not as a solution to our problems, but think of it as a tool to make better decisions. Ensuring all members of the school environment are aware about these digital risks would enhance digital literacy and offer safer online interactions outside of school. 

Action Steps

For schools, it would be ideal to mandate lessons about how to stay safe online, as well as regulation of digital activity. These should be just as important as how we have health classes and monitor schooltime breaks in schools. As a society, I believe the more transparency and collaboration we have in the digital landscape, the less we can minimize risks to ourselves and others.

References

Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL). (2023). Evaluating the evidence for educational technology - part 1 - the technologies. AITSL. https://www.aitsl.edu.au/research/spotlights/evaluating-the-evidence-for-educational-technology-part-1-the-technologies 

COTA Australia. (2025). Scam action working, but more needs to be done to protect older Australians. https://cota.org.au/news/scam-action-working-but-more-needs-to-be-done-to-protect-older-australians/ 

NSW Department of Education. (2025). Digital devices in NSW schools – policy and procedures. https://www.nsw.gov.au/education-and-training/digital-citizenship/teaching-and-learning/digital-devices-nsw-schools

Widman, S. (2019). Technology, the best or worst thing for education. TEDxYouth@BSPR. https://www.ted.com/talks/scott_widman_technology_the_best_or_worst_thing_for_education