Photo: UnSplash/ Taylor Flowe
Primary age students have been able to view pornography, sexualised animal content, and information about self-harm on school devices - shocking school leaders and leading to calls for far better online blocking technology.
Over the last three months, children's safety advocates conducted experiments at four Auckland primary schools, while staff at two other schools carried out the same test.
The results show that despite blocking technology, pupils were able to access serious disturbing content on school issued ipads and laptops.
The Ministry of Education contracts the company Network for Learning, N4L, to provide web filters to schools.
N4L says the technology cannot filter specific content within an unblocked website, such as images or videos and that it is the responsibility of platforms like YouTube and Google to monitor, flag and remove content within their sites they classify as inappropriate.
Kathryn speaks with Holly Brooker, parenting educator and former High School teacher and principal of Newmarket School Wendy Kofoed.
