British Government to order schools to impose tougher internet guidelines to prevent online radicalisation

By Staff Writer | Dec 28, 2015 07:23 PM EST

The British government has announced that schools will be ordered to tighten their guidelines for internet use to prevent online radicalisation among their students.

Sky News reported that British Education Secretary Nicky Morgan says that youngsters are at risk of online radicalisation as self-proclaimed ISIS members target them. She said that, recently, there are school children who have travelled or attempted to go to Syria after accessing materials from the terrorist organization through school computers.

According to The Guardian, the Department for Education (DfE) will order head teachers to set up filters and monitoring systems to manage students' internet access. Schools are already under statutory guidance for internet use, but the government is planning to strengthen this to address radicalisation.

Besides online radicalisation, the plan will also protect the students from pornography and cyber bullying. Morgan said, "As a parent, I've seen just what an important role the internet can play in children's education. But it can also bring risks, which is why we must do everything we can to help children stay safe online - at school and at home."

Mail Online wrote that this order would make sure that youngsters will be more responsible in using the internet. It would also make sure that parents and teachers can keep the children safe from exploitation.

These measures come a week after ministers carried out a crackdown on schools that are not yet registered. Ofsted chief Sir Michael Wilshaw revealed that there are three schools in Birmingham that were shut down for having an Islamic-based curriculum that uses anti-Semitic, misogynistic, and homophobic materials.

Government officials are also planning to review home schooling to determine how children through this type of education are learning, and to ensure their safety. In the recent months, there has been an increasing concern on young people being radicalized.

Just earlier this year, three school girls at Bethnal Green Academy, London travelled to Istanbul. Shamima Begum, Kadiza Sultana and Amira Abase may have continued to Syria to become brides of Islamic State militants.

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