Recommendation 8

Too much responsibility for managing online harms is currently placed on children, parents and carers, and schools—groups with limited power to influence platform behaviour. Schools are bearing a growing safeguarding and behaviour-management burden arising from online activity that takes place beyond the school day. Evidence shows that this burden is having a direct impact on teacher workload and pupil behaviour and learning, with significant staff time diverted from teaching and pastoral support towards managing incidents rooted in children’s social media use. (Conclusion, Paragraph 18)