Access to harmful online content is a critical driver in the mental health crisis of young people today. This harmful content includes apps and inappropriate websites. Although CIPA was enacted in 2001 and updated in 2011, the US still ranks 10th globally for online safety efforts. For 2022, a recent COSI report cites that 75% of all students aged 8-18 experienced an online threat of some kind. And Gaggle reports a staggering 454,000 student safety incidents that required district-level attention. This is a 26% jump from the 2020-21 school year, making it evident the pandemic can’t solely take the blame anymore. Web filtering software is essential for schools to use in order to protect their students from online threats.
Web Filtering Software is the Key to Keeping Students Safe Online
While facts highlight the severity of safety and mental health issues, they can also facilitate deeper understanding for schools that want to adopt a proactive approach to safety and wellbeing. Web filtering and monitoring have become vital elements toward keeping students and staff safe from harmful and inappropriate content. Control over websites and apps and search term visibility helps districts know what is happening on devices at any time.
In-depth analytics and reporting are some of the most essential features of EdTech tools that every educational institution should deploy and use. However, it can be challenging to simultaneously monitor, manage, secure and report all online activity throughout an entire district. Many solutions offer integration capabilities for a more simplistic approach to monitoring devices and activity but may lack the benefits centralized management and comprehensive reporting can offer.
Some solutions in the market (but not all) provide intelligent dashboards and in-depth analytics, so make sure you tick all the boxes when spending on technology.
Begin Building Your Web Filtering Plan with a Defense-in-Depth Prevention Strategy
Build your proactive plan with data that provides a comprehensive insight into risks and vulnerabilities. Your solution should offer seamless and accurate reporting across all devices and browsers. The more data you have access to, the more you can keep students, staff and networks safe. The most effective way to do this is through a defense-in-depth strategy where there is:
- Visibility and control of managed and non-managed devices.
- Defense against unwanted apps and protocols.
- In-depth analytics and reporting on student activity, app use and malware.
- Live web traffic visibility.
- Keyword search term detection.
- Chronological reporting for any student.
Benefits of Granular Reporting from Web Filtering Software
When it comes to reporting, seeing activity summaries is just the tip of the iceberg. Districts need a detailed view of student Internet activity and how students learn and engage online. Granular reporting can drill down on individual student device activity, offering a way to understand what’s happening in their lives, their vulnerabilities and risks. More importantly, detailed reporting can help strategize proactively with a more holistic approach. Being able to build a chronology of a student’s mental health and their learning journey could present lifesaving tools. Hamilton Township School District experienced firsthand the student lifesaving value reporting and analytics can offer schools.
Digestible Facts for Deeper Insight on Web Content Filtering
All districts and schools should be empowered with rapid decision-making using analytics that can generate risk and behavioral analysis. Crucially, this should be accessible from easy-to-use dashboards for timely intervention. Therefore, your solution should offer:
- Real-time visibility.
- Forensic reporting for policy compliance.
- Historical data.
- Executive level summary reports.
- Behavioral analysis tools.
- Chronological reporting.
Some of the valuable insights that can be presented with this level of information are:
- Abuse
- Bullying
- Violence
- Self-harm
- Suicide
- Network security threats
- Data breaches
- And more
Impero’s ContentKeeper web filtering solution meets and exceeds current safeguarding demands, offering a comprehensive view of vital information that can be investigated in real time with:
- Visibility and control of managed and non-managed devices
- Defense against unwanted apps and protocols
- Ransomware protection with multi-layered malware protection
- In-depth analytics and reporting on student activity, app use and malware
- Live web traffic visibility
- Keyword search term detection
- Chronological reporting for any student
- CIO dashboard
- User concern
- Student audit
- Historical and scheduled reporting
- Threat activity with alerts in real-time
ContentKeeper can easily be combined with other Impero solutions, such as classroom-level support tools, for a wholly proactive and strategic approach. Impero Classroom, our classroom management solution and Impero Wellbeing’s robust keyword detection and succinct analytics can help schools and teachers identify vulnerable students before it’s too late, keeping them safe, engaged and thriving.
To learn more about our holistic safety and wellbeing suite for schools, book a demo today. Stay up to date on industry trends and product news by following us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.