Professor Aslan
CYSE425W
Susan Brown-Clukey
In today’s society, school-age children face many challenges. However, safe access to the internet, technology, and educational material should not be one of them. As policies and laws are being drafted and implemented, it is crucial to consider the children’s well-being and the ethical implications that might be involved. Ethical implications, such as invasion of privacy, informed consent from parents, digital divide issues, cyberbullying awareness, and age-appropriate content. Failure to do so could lead to students experiencing anxiety about online threats, emphasizing the urgency to address the above issues with sensitivity and with age-appropriate/grade level information.
Ethical considerations:
- Privacy concerns: Teaching about cybersecurity might raise concerns about monitoring students’ online activity too much and possibly infringe on the student’s privacy. “The collection and storage of student data in digital learning environments raises concerns regarding data security and confidentiality.” (Kumar, 2024)
- Parental Consent: Getting informed consent from parents may be necessary regarding the information that is shared/taught with the students and how the student’s online activity would be monitored. (PowerSchool, 2023)
- Digital divide: When school systems implement a comprehensive cybersecurity plan, a digital divide could occur if students do not have access to internet connectivity and technology equally available.
- Cyberbullying awareness: Teaching students about cyberbullying is very crucial but requires careful guidelines and guidance on what constitutes cyberbullying so that confusion about online interactions could lead to over-reporting.
- Age-appropriate content: Providing information to students that may be above their level of understanding could cause unnecessary fear and anxiety when educating students about online threats, which is why the information delivered tailored to the students’ grade level as well as their level of understanding.
Implementing cybersecurity into the standards of learning comes at a cost, but not implementing it can come at a more significant cost to students and school systems. School systems attacks could include phishing, ransomware, distrusted denial-of-service attacks, and video conferencing disruptions. According to GAO the U.S. Government Accountability Office WatchBlog: Following the Federal Dollar, officials reported monetary losses ranging from $50,000 to $1 million in 2022 from expenses that cyber incidents had caused. It was also reported that more than 500,000 students and staff members in Chicago Public School in December 2021 had their personal information leaked due to a ransomware attack. (Office, 2022)
In conclusion, developing an age-appropriate/grade level curriculum, clearly communicating to students and parents that data collection and storage are only for educational purposes, encouraging positive online behaviors, and engaging with not only students but also parents about online safety are more beneficial regarding ethical cybersecurity education.
Evanick, J. (2023, November 24). elearning industry. Retrieved from elearningindustry.com: https://elearningindustry.com/ethical-dilemmas-in-student-data-privacy-navigating-edtech-safeguards#:~:text=Student%20data%20privacy%20is%20not,companies%20utilize%20the%20data%20collected?
Kumar, D. S. (2024, July 1). research gate. Retrieved from researchgate.com: https://elearningindustry.com/ethical-dilemmas-in-student-data-privacy-navigating-edtech-safeguards#:~:text=Student%20data%20privacy%20is%20not,companies%20utilize%20the%20data%20collected?
Office, U. G. (2022, December 1). GAO. Retrieved from gao.gov: https://www.gao.gov/blog/cyberattacks-increase-k-12-schools-here-whats-being-done
PowerSchool. (2023, January 30). PowerSchool. Retrieved from PowerSchool: https://www.powerschool.com/blog/your-guide-to-understanding-and-reducing-k-12-cybersecurity-costs/