Irene Ortiz | May 29, 2023

Have you ever been connected to a school’s network or logged into your own district given email and tried to access any websites just to be met with an error or blocked message? When I was in high school, I could not access Youtube when I was logged into my school Gmail account and it was very frustrating when it came time to do research for projects. I did not understand why my schools growing up put so many limitations on the sites we could reach. I always assumed it was so we did not look up anything inappropriate, but a brief article by Nicole Bixler titled “The Benefits of Using a Web Filter for Digital Learning” introduced me to a few ways in which web filters actually support education.

While schools are required to have some sort of web filters to ensure that students are not accessing inappropriate or irrelevant content, it also protects students. Online, everyone is open to things such as data leaks, tracking, identity theft, harassment, and cyberbullying and young children are some of the biggest victims. In today’s age where everyone feels they need to post everything online, we often hear of young children being targeted online by their classmates or even strangers. By limiting their access to certain sites such as social media sites, students are less likely to engage in harmful internet behavior that can hurt themselves or others.

Bixler also discusses how web filtering also provides students with valuable skills such as research, data analysis, collaboration, and focus. With limits on sites that they can access, they are forced to do further research on their topics and look for their answers using sites they may not have thought to use if they had immediate access to sites like Youtube, Reddit, or Wikipedia. Not all schools block these sites or familiar sites, but having them blocked keeps learners from getting distracted from their tasks. When students are unable to find the answers to their questions, they ask questions to their peers or communicate with their teachers and work together to find a solution. Though they may not appreciate it now, web filtering when done correctly can actually teach students essential skills and online safety that they may not otherwise receive with full internet access.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW HER ARTICLE FOR MORE ON THE BENEFITS OF WEB FILTERS

Thank you for reading!

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