May-Jun: Educating Teenagers on the Good & Bad sides of Web Technologies.

The school year ended on a very busy note for my colleagues and myself at the Insight Research Ireland Centre for Data Analytics in the University of Galway as we continued to introduce teenagers to our pioneering research and in upskilling them on the positive benefits of web technologies through workshops on creative coding and hands-on smart tools such as Virtual Reality, environmental sensors and citizen apps.

But once again I devoted a lot of time in making our young people aware and prepared, through Internet Safety sessions, of the dangers that exist in social media and gaming by educating them on cyberbullying, online misogyny, porn, hate, violence, racism, fake news and addiction.

In May, I spent multiple days giving Internet Safety sessions to the first and second year students of the BISH in Galway city and to those in both the junior and senior cycles of Coláiste Cholmcille in Connemara. These presentations always include insights into using social media/gaming positively, and Wellbeing elements such as on the importance of a good night’s sleep, spending time in the real world with friends, getting out into a natural environment or undertaking outdoor sports.

As always these presentations are two-way, for I also learn a lot from the young people themselves as they make me aware of problems or sites that they encounter which I personally may not have yet come across. So I always come away better informed allowing me to constantly update my content.

In a time of AI which brings huge benefits but also dangers, regulation of the Web is now needed more than ever before. Governments have to stand up to the mega tech giants and protect their citizenry. People come first.

Helping parents to become aware of Cyberbullying and what to include in Internet Safety guidelines for themselves and their children.

In my role as Education and Public Engagement Manager at the Insight SFI Research Centre for Data Analytics, I am spending up to three nights a week since last month talking to parents in schools on Internet Safety and what needs to be done to increase their children's awareness and their protection against the dangers of cyberbullying, racism, misogyny, fake news, and related issues.

On Monday I was with the parents of Gort Community College (photo), last night it was at Scoil Shéamais Naofa, Bunscoil Bhearna, and tonight it is in Galway Educate Together Secondary School.

During the daytimes I am working with the children of these same schools.

With both groups I always start with highlighting the benefits of web technologies, provide a factual but quirky insight into the history of communications technologies since the early 1900s, and the inspiring prominent role of young people in their development before going into the 'dark side'.

It is most rewarding work and something that I have been doing since 2005.

Internet Safety mentoring: From Bebo to TikTok.

In these early months of the current school year I have already provided, as part of my work at the Insight SFI Research Centre for Data Analytics of the University of Galway, Internet Safety sessions to parents, teachers and the young people of both primary and secondary schools in counties Galway, Clare and Dublin.

I have been undertaking Cyberbullying Awareness presentations since 2005 and was probably one of the first people in Ireland to do so.
(photo is of a leaflet from 2008 prepared by the primary school in Newport co. Mayo for a talk to parents on my birthday! The content reflects the era).

Since my student college days, I have been a strong advocate of the benefits that digital technologies can bring to people from all walks of life, having spent much of my working life teaching coding and upskilling people in the use of digital technologies. I started doing so in late 1981 soon after leaving university thanks to great inspirational visionary people such as Dr Jimmy Browne.

Immersing myself in web technologies really took off for me in mid 2004 when I became employed as the Outreach Officer of the Digital Enterprise Research Institute (DERI) at what was then NUI Galway. It was when the World Wide Web was for the first time becoming populated with user-generated content. It was exciting to be part of this!

In the early 2000s ‘blogging’ (personal websites) was the new craze; ‘online social media’ in the form of Bebo(2005), MySpace(2003) and Orkut(2004) was starting to appear for the first time; YouTube had just been invented (April 2005); online messaging and video telephony in the form of Skype (2003-4) was capturing people’s imagination; broadband was only being rolled out nationwide; the big bulky desktop computer was the main technology device in business, school and at home; and the smart touch phone in the form of the iPhone had yet to be invented(2007). ‘Email’ was king with many people of all ages acquiring their very first email addresses around this time.

Yet as a parent of both pre-teen and young teenage boys, I could see the dangers that computer gaming and web-based social interaction sites could and were bringing into our young people’s lives. Violence-based gaming, online aggressive pornography, misogyny, racism, cyberbullying, online stalking, and subsequent addiction and mental health issues for many users were a feature of the web even in those early days. People of all ages were suffering and yet there were few rules or guidelines available and nobody was talking about these new but growing problems.

So as a concerned parent and as someone working in a university web scientific institute (DERI), I decided, after securing the very supportive permission of my manager/directors, to put together my own content for delivering pioneering Internet Safety sessions to schools, universities, communities (neighbourhoods, asylum seekers, disability groups). But I always included in these talks (and still do) the benefits of new web technologies, giving a series of examples of exciting new developments especially those invented by young people, the need for stronger government legislation to protect those online including in punishing the very wealthy service providers, and highlighting the importance of good old fashioned benign parenting with the proviso that they make the effort to become aware and knowledgeable of their children’s activities on the web.

Eighteen years later, I am still providing such talks and workshops across Ireland. But sadly I have lost one important resource along the way. Over the years after having ‘the big chat’ with my sons when they were in their pre-teens or early teens and keeping lines of communications open, I learnt more from them that they ever did from me on the strengths, weaknesses, stories, pitfalls and issues associated with the latest social media and gaming sites popular for young people. I used the knowledge gained from them to make my own Internet Safety sessions more powerful, more meaningful, more current. Now that my sons are in their 20s and 30s I no longer have that family resource to call upon. 

So I have to make extra effort to see the Web through the eyes of a child. For in the world of technology, change is constant and one has to keep one’s finger on what is popular today as it becomes history tomorrow.

Cyberbullying, Internet Safety & Female Objectification.

Over the last few weeks I have spent considerable time visiting primary, post primary and special needs schools talking to children, youth, teachers and parents in counties Clare and Galway on Cyberbullying and Internet Safety.
My work coincided with the lead-up to Mental Health Week.
Thankfully I have so far got very good feedback from the schools that I have visited (see comments below).

Due to a growing disconnect with Nature, too much time spent indoors, an over-reliance on smart devices, peer pressure to conform, body image, exam pressures, stress, lack of job security, isolation, easy access to drugs and cheap alcohol, 20% of our young people in Ireland are suffering from mental health issues. in 2013, circa 7,000 young people harmed themselves.
I always promote the importance of fostering a sense of community, of place, of self-esteem and of belonging; and that we have to look out for each other. In an increasingly disconnected urban sprawl environment, we need to bring the interdependence 'Meitheal' spirit of old rural Ireland into the 21st century city.
Most crucial is that we should always talk to some one we trust if we are experiencing pain including that of being bullied. Never keep a problem to oneself. We should come to each other's aid rather than ignore the humiliation of some one else out of fear of being picked on.

Whilst all ages and sexes are suffering, it is teenagers and particularly teenage girls that are increasingly becoming victims of abuse and harassment. In Iraq and elsewhere, ISIS and similar extremists are forcing captive women into sex slavery. In the West, young women are being disproportionately targetted on the Internet and forced to endure crass sexual comments and threats. Much more so than men, it is women that have been the prime victims of the World Wide Web since its early years. Teenage girls are the biggest prisoners of online porn.

In the 1990s the first well-known victim of the Web was Monica Lewinsky, who had an affair with President Bill Clinton. Whilst he was lauded by many as a 'boyo', Monica was publicly lambasted as a slut, a slag, a bitch, a whore...

Little has changed if we view the 'laddish' behaviour of American presidential candidate Donald Trump.
But it is up to all of us to tackle misogyny in all its forms, racism, sectarianism and give comfort to those that are humiliated. Stand up for each other.


Feedback from schools:

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Silvia Griffin Lakeview School

"I really want to thank you for an excellent presentation yesterday evening to the parents association, they found it very informative. As I said I enjoyed your style, a mixture of technology  and humanistic  approach to your professional life.... Parents have already expressed huge  interest, in attending your  workshop...".

Glenamaddy Community College, 3rd year students

--> "I found this talk really interesting and I'm now aware of it (cyber bullying) in my life."

"I thought the talk was good in that everything was included to know about cyber bullying. It was sad near the end but it was valuable information that we can use for life."

"It was very helpful and I learned a lot from it. It was very interesting."

"I found the talk very interesting. I learned a lot from this talk and not to ever bully anyone."  

Senior cycle student, county Galway

"I really enjoyed your presentation today as it was the first time I had seen an adult discuss with teens the (sometimes violent) sexualization of teenage girls on the internet and in the porn industry. You were non-judgmental, and made sure to highlight the long term effects on the victims, without any victim-blaming. I think that it is a very important subject to talk about with young people and you handled it brilliantly..."

Internet Safety for Children - A Parent's Guide

For a more comprehensive overview of the dangers and challenges of the Web and how to put in safeguards particularly in relation to protecting children online, I would recommend you to check out the excellent article written by Peter McBryde entitled Internet Safety for Kids - A Parent;s Guide 

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Working with An Garda Síochána on Internet Safety

Over the last few years, I have spent a lot of time co-presenting workshops/talks with An Garda Síochána on Cyberbullying & Internet Safety to pupils, students, parents and teachers in primary and post-primary schools.
Having the Garda present at these events has reinforced the importance of this issue to the participants. Their understandable knowledge of the relevant legislation, their status as officers of the law and their first-hand experience of both victims and perpetrators of cyberbullying has proved invaluable in highlighting this growing problem within modern society particularly amongst young people. 

Over the last few weeks, I have visited second level schools such as Galway Community College and Colaiste Bháile Chláir with Garda Marcus and Alan who are two of the most conscientious public servants that I have ever meet. They personify all of the positive societal attitudes that police enforcement agencies are meant to represent, namely to protect the vulnerable and to promote the common good.

The Web: New Front Line in War against Teens

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Internet Safety has taken over much of my working life over the last year. Ever since the tragic deaths last year of Erin Gallagher and Ciara Pugsley, I have been increasingly providing talks and workshops in schools and with youth support groups on Cyberbullying and related issues throughout the West of Ireland from northern Sligo to southern Clare- daytime with students/teachers and evenings with parents. I love the Internet and firmly believe that it is the greatest man-made benefit to human society and to the planet for millennia.

But there is a dark side to the Web facilitated by light touch regulation, government inaction and adult ignorance that is placing our young people at increased risk not only as a result of cyberbullying and public humiliation on popular social media sites but also with areas such as online stalking, grooming by predators and an upsurge in online child pornography.

One of the most worrying trends is the increasing sexual objectivity of teenage females who are the prime victims of online porn.

I will publish a full media article on this subject next month.

Cyberbullying- A Growing Problem in Modern Society

For the last few months, I seem to be providing workshops at least once, twice even three times a week to parents and teachers of Galway schools on the growing problem of Cyberbullying.
No longer is intimidation of children by their peers and others confined to the school playground or the street. The mobile phone & the Internet has brought this danger into the home and into the bedroom, areas once regarded as places of sanctuary. 
Online Social Networks such as Facebook have been highly beneficial technologies to humankind. But their use particularly by children has oftentimes degenerated into these sites becoming sources of fear and harassment.
This phenomena began in the 1990s with mobile phone texting. 

As Outreach Officer at DERI, I provide parents with guidelines on how to identify and to tackle cyberbullying. I actually recommend them to join Facebook and similar OSN's which in a small way acts as a positive deterrent to their own sons and daughters abusing these facilities. I also educate adults on protecting their children from Internet porn. But at the end of the day, I tell them what is needed first and foremost is good old-fashioned active parenting. There is no substitute for the latter.