SAILing safe – collaborative strategies for school leaders, teachers and parents for mitigating online risks

Abstract

As a result of recent school closures, nearly all school children had used digital technology, e.g. for learning, for keeping contact with their friends, for playing and other free time activities. This has also resulted in lasting changes also as per the wish of children, parents, and teachers. The SAILS consortium has produced evidence-based resources for school leaders, teaching professionals and parents with a unique risk mitigation approach, rooted in child rights legislation and research. This paper explains the approach and its consequences for education and introduces the research-base for it. It also describes inspiring practices in the field. The article does not only contain evidence in the field of pedagogy, psychology, and similar disciplines, but also offers a related legal research base – a rare occurrence in the education research field. The work done is explaining and pursuing a risk mitigation instead of the more wide-spread risk prevention one, primarily based on General Comment No. 25 (March 2021) to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child that emphasises the importance of balancing ALL rights, gives parents a key role related to evolving capacities of the child.