Definition: Digital Safety
Digital safety refers to the act of staying safe online. It encompasses all technological devices which have access to the internet from laptops to smartphones and tablets. Being safe online means people are protecting themselves and others from online harms and risks which may jeopardise their personal information, lead to unsafe communications or even affect their mental health and wellbeing.126The National College: What is online safety?
It is important that people have the opportunity to become digitally included as it could improve different parts of their overall wellbeing and life. When empowering someone to overcome digital exclusion we have to be aware of digital safety. Hosting open conversations about:
How to set up user preferences and settings
Being aware of how organisations use and protect personal data
Differences between secure and insecure Wi-Fi and websites
How to report online abuse
Potential scams and fraud that can happen through media outlets
Digital safety also encompasses conversations surrounding behavioral harms that can manifest online such as gambling, shopping, pornography or the internet.
It is important to empower and support people to make balanced and informed decisions that will allow them to recognise and respond to new risks as they develop, rather than simply installing banning apps and firewalls on people's devices as this will support them to make informed choices for themselves, and manage any new risks effectively.
