Dr Ismini Vasileiou, an associate professor in Information Systems at DeMontfort University Leicester, gave her views on the matter.
Sputnik: What can parents do to keep their children safe online during the Coronavirus Pandemic?
Dr Ismini Vasileiou: I think the first thing that they can do is get a bit of understanding of the online platforms that schools have been using, and if they are unsure; they can go back to the school and ask for some guidance, schools have been providing a lot of leaflets for parents.
It’s all about understanding, it’s not about creating fear regarding the use of online platforms, it’s about understanding what could go wrong and how they could prevent all of that.
Sputnik: Could learning apps soon be targeted by hackers in the same way that ZOOM and other messaging platforms have been in recent weeks?
Dr Ismini Vasileiou: There is a bit of uncertainty with that, these apps seem quite safe and then suddenly masses of people start using them, and quite often the apps can be exposed to vulnerabilities and risks.
It’s not about stopping people from using apps, it’s about understanding what are hiding behind them, and the risks they may encounter, so that they can prepare themselves a bit better.
YouTube is another platform that parents should be looking at, and how they can prevent their children from seeing unwanted material on it, they could set up some filters if they want to, or just monitor their children, because sometimes it’s about educating, it’s not just about blocking everything, it’s about providing a continuous education so that children can use critical thinking and get an understanding of the dangers out there, and how they can prevent them.
Dr Ismini Vasileiou: I do think that face to face teaching has a far greater effect, especially with young children, they do need this one to one sometimes, with peers of their own age, in a school setting, and moreover; we have got so many parents who are actually working from home at the moment, so the level of home-schooling can really differ.
I do think that the aim for the teaching and education establishments is for every pupil to be able to go back and get that face to face interaction once again.