*By Lucas Pereira
Technology has played a key role in education, allowing students to access a wide range of information and resources through tablets and computers. According to the TIC Kids Online Brasil survey carried out with 2,600 children across the country, 44% access the Internet in the school environment. This trend reflects the growing importance of the digital universe as an educational tool, providing opportunities for learning and improving knowledge.
However, Internet access in schools also presents significant challenges. Students are exposed to a multitude of content, some of which may be inappropriate or harmful. There is a risk of cyber threats such as phishing attacks, theft of personal information and exposure to malicious content. In this context, it is essential that schools adopt effective security measures to protect their students and to provide a safe educational environment, including when young people are outside their establishments.
A technology that already exists and should be increasingly adopted in schools is DNS Filter, which works as a type of virtual filter, controlling and restricting access to certain Internet sites. These solutions are capable of blocking undue, dangerous or inappropriate access from lists of portals and categories pre-determined by schools as harmful to children. This way, students are protected against inappropriate content depending on their age group.
By adopting DNS Filter solutions, schools have the ability to customize security settings to meet their specific needs, blocking broad categories of content such as pornography, violence or drugs, as well as restricting specific sites that are not recommended by educators. These solutions can offer advanced features such as keyword detection, monitoring online activity, and generating detailed reports on student usage. This information helps with monitoring, identifying potentially problematic behavior patterns and appropriate action by teachers whenever necessary.
However, security in schools should not be limited to just blocking inappropriate content. It is equally important to protect students against increasingly common cyber threats. Security solutions need to be able to identify and block attack risks. This can be done by implementing firewalls, up-to-date antivirus software, and robust cybersecurity programs.
In this challenging scenario, digital literacy also becomes another important activity, as teaching students to be conscious users of technology from an early age is crucial for them to develop online protection skills that can accompany them throughout their adult lives. Educators should instruct students about the dangers of the Internet, how to identify trustworthy sites, how to create secure passwords, and how to protect themselves from cyber threats by not sharing personal information on the Internet. This awareness will help students and educators behave responsibly online, creating a safer digital future.
Security depends on everyone and schools that use electronic equipment in the classroom must additionally assume responsibility for digital security, as well as create mechanisms for data protection. By adopting protection technologies such as DNS Filter and taking precautions, schools will be better able to provide a safer educational environment, focused on student learning and everyone's well-being. The use of digital innovations depends on this prior preparation, as a safe teaching space is the basis for a calm educational environment. If we really want to revolutionize the Brazilian educational environment we need to start at the base, protecting systems, devices, students, teachers and schools. The digital life of the future depends on the training, care and protection tools we adopt today.
*Lucas Pereira, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at Blockbit
Notice: The opinion presented in this article is the responsibility of its author and not of ABES - Brazilian Association of Software Companies
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