WeeklySA_AdminInteract: Children should be cautious about the people they interact with online as this could be harmful
By Isaac Moledi
With the school year’s fourth and final term underway, protecting children and teens from online risk requires more than just cybersecurity solutions. It demands careful monitoring and ongoing education to help children navigate the online minefield safely.
Digital wellbeing experts believe kids with digital resilience understand, recover and learn from negative online experiences faster. They are also less likely to make the same mistakes and less likely to have mental health issues over the long term.
While building resilience in kids is about helping them develop the knowledge, confidence and strength to resist adversity, manage uncertainty and recover from upsetting or traumatic events, digital resilience was also important, says the UK-based Council for Child Internet Safety.
The institution deals with having the ability to understand when you are at risk online, knowing what to do if anything goes wrong, learning from your experiences of being online, and being able to recover from any difficulties or upsets.
Doros Hadjizenonos, regional director for Southern Africa at Fortinet, believes that screen time is an unavoidable reality, with children as young as two or three years old seeking entertainment online.
“The risks facing children online extend beyond cybercrime – kids face a lot of pressures in the online environment, and there are risks to their emotional and physical wellbeing.Teachers and guardians need to know what the risks are and how they can teach children to stay and become more resilient when they go online.’’
Hadjizenonos emphasises the need for all schools, parents, grandparents and caregivers to take additional steps in educating themselves and their children about the various online risks and how to prevent them. “From our point of view, education is the big thing. It takes just one click on the wrong link for a child to encounter a risk. Even with the best security in place, they can still get into trouble.”
According to a report from the EU CORE project, online risks to children can be categorised into four main types: content, contact, conduct and contract risks. This means that online risks can occur when a child interacts with or is exposed to, potentially harmful content, harmful individuals, witnesses or experiences harmful behaviour or becomes involved in exploitative agreements.
“Children need to be aware that anything they share online, such as in a chat, can easily become public and visible to the entire world. They should be comfortable with the idea that anyone can see what they post. The information they share can have consequences and may come back to harm them. Children should also be cautious about the people they interact with online,” says Hadjizenonos arguing that the advancement of deep fake technology further increases the potential for threat actors to target children.
According to Hadjizenonos, schools are increasingly targeted by hackers motivated by financial gain or looking for personal information about students and teachers. While tracking cyber incidents at schools in South Africa is not done comprehensively, the interactive map, provided by the K12 Security Information eXchange (K12 SIX), highlights over 1,600 cybersecurity incidents in the US in the past six years.
“The Clever Digital Learning platform reports that one in four schools in the US has also experienced cyber-attacks in the last year. This puts the personal information of students at risk,” says Hadjizenonos. He argues that ransomware actors have targeted and stolen confidential student data, including grades, bullying reports and social security numbers. These incidents leave students vulnerable to emotional, physical and financial harm, as highlighted by the US Government Accountability Office. Hadjizenonos says schools have a crucial responsibility to safeguard the well-being of learners and to protect their personal information. “Unfortunately, a significant number of schools in South Africa lack the necessary resources and proper cybersecurity measures to ensure the security of their networks and student data.”
Hadjizenonos says there are ways for schools to reduce the risk of cyber-attacks on their infrastructure, even if they do not have additional IT skills or resources. One effective approach is to use a broad, integrated and automated Security Fabric that consolidates various security solutions. This approach ensures that all users, devices and applications are protected, covering all network edges.
Beyond securing school networks, parents and caregivers need to make sure kids are securely connected at home as well. One way to achieve this is by using endpoint protection and a solution like FortiClint, which directs internet traffic through a cloud service and applies security measures at that level.
Studies have shown that children who receive digital literacy education and learn coping strategies are more likely to develop “digital resilience” following negative online experiences. Schools can help foster this resilience by providing digital literacy training and teaching effective coping mechanisms.
According to him, it is important for teachers and caregivers to familiarise themselves with the online landscape, identify potential risks and learn how to effectively mitigate them.
STUDENTS EXCEL IN INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNISED WINE COURSE
DEVELOPMENT: It is hoped that, when the current intake graduate next month, they will achieve equal or even greater success in securing meaningful and exciting careers…
By WSAM Correspondent
Fifty students from the Stellenbosch-based Pinotage Youth Development Academy (PYDA) have scored the best-ever results in the internationally recognised Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) Level 2 Award exams.
The PYDA’s year-long programme develops talented young people from under-resourced areas, helping them gain employment and meaningful economic opportunities mainly within the wine industry and hospitality sectors.
Founded in 2012, the PYDA programme combines personal development, work practical and technical skills, including studying and completing the WSET Level 2 Award course.
The UK-based WSET is the world’s largest wine and spirit education authority and its qualifications are accepted as the industry-standard in more than 70 countries. The WSET Level 2 Award in Wines has been an integral part of the PYDA’s curriculum for nearly 10 years and is funded by the International Wine Challenge (IWC), the world’s most rigorous and influential wine competition.
Taught by highly-qualified local wine educators, the WSET course includes tastings of more than 30 international wines, giving the PYDA students a wide-ranging overview of all the world’s major wine-producing regions and styles.
This 2023 class of 50 students has achieved the best results ever with 47 out of 50 of them passing the exam, 7 of them with Distinction (a mark of 85%+) and 23 of them with Merit (a mark of 70%+). Given the global recognition of WSET qualifications, the qualification will boost the students’ employment prospects both locally and internationally.
As PYDA Programme Lead, Emmalene Ravell says: ““I am truly excited about the opportunity our students have to pursue the WSET Level 2 course, as it distinguishes them right from the start of their careers when applying in the wine industry. Witnessing their dedication and commitment to seizing this opportunity fills me with immense pride. The outstanding results achieved this year have set a new benchmark, reflecting both the exceptional abilities of our students and the quality of our programme. I am confident that these achievements will propel them towards great success in their future endeavours.”
Cathy Marston, owner of the International Wine Education Centre which facilitated the WSET training, agrees: “It’s clear that there is no lack of intelligence, determination and drive amongst this group of young people. All they needed was a chance to show what they could do and we’re incredibly grateful to the IWC and the WSET for giving them this life-changing opportunity.”
Andrew Reed, Managing Director of the IWC, says: “We are delighted with the success of the PYDA students this year. It is a brilliant scheme, which is targeted at supporting those in need to develop a career in the wine trade, by assisting them to gain internationally recognised WSET qualifications.”
A total of 80% of 2022 students are now in full-time permanent employment and it is hoped that, when the current intake graduates next month, they will achieve equal or even greater success in securing meaningful and exciting careers. Previous PYDA graduates are now working in a range of different roles including touring the world whilst working on cruise ships, being sommeliers in Dubai and welcoming visitors to tasting rooms across South Africa in their roles as wine advisors. Over the years, several graduates have risen to tasting room management level and continue to develop their careers to even greater heights.
