Why digital wellbeing must now sit at the heart of school culture

Digital technology is now embedded in how children learn, play, and connect with the world. As schools adopt artificial intelligence tools, online collaboration platforms, and mobile devices, the risks young people face have become increasingly complex and deeply personal.

In a recent Capita Entrust webinar, Digital wellbeing: Building safer online spaces for teachers and students, educator and consultant Vicki Woodfield explored the fast-evolving challenges shaping children’s online experiences. She also shared practical steps schools can take to build confidence, resilience, and safer digital habits across their communities.

The message was clear. Digital wellbeing is no longer a safeguarding sidenote. It is a whole school priority.

AI in schools: Opportunity meets vulnerability

Artificial intelligence is reshaping the classroom. It supports personalised learning, provides rapid feedback, and enables independent exploration. However, these benefits sit alongside new risks that schools cannot afford to ignore.

Children are increasingly treating AI as an advisor, friend, or even a confidant. Research shared in the webinar shows:

• 23% of children use AI chatbots for everyday dilemmas—from what outfit to wear to navigating peer issues.
• 15% would rather talk to AI than a real person, rising sharply among vulnerable young people.
• 35% say chatting to AI feels like talking to a friend, increasing to 50% among vulnerable groups. 

This growing reliance is concerning. AI cannot provide human judgement or emotional understanding. It may offer harmful or biased advice, and it can be misused for non-consensual deepfakes, cyberbullying, misinformation, algorithmically generated hate, or the manipulation of indecent images.

With many students struggling to distinguish AI generated content from verified information, schools need to prioritise AI literacy for both staff and students.

Cybersecurity: Children are often the unintentional weak point

Cybersecurity threats in schools are no longer only external. The Information Commissioner’s Office reports that a significant proportion of cyber incidents originate from pupil activity. Many incidents stem from curiosity, pressure from peers, or a lack of awareness rather than deliberate harm.

Young people may:

• fall for phishing scams, fake links, or WhatsApp frauds
• attempt “experiments” with hacking tools or DDoS sites
• try to bypass school filtering systems out of curiosity

Although these actions may seem harmless to a student, they can cross legal thresholds. The Cyber Choices Programme highlights cases involving children as young as seven.

The priority for schools is to create a no blame culture. Open conversations, accessible reporting routes, and clear expectations help prevent risks from escalating.

The Four Cs. A framework that continues to evolve

The Four Cs, Content, Contact, Conduct, and Commerce, remain a core framework for digital safeguarding. However, each category is evolving quickly as misinformation, social pressures, and AI generated content become more common.

• Content risks
  Children may encounter or actively seek harmful material, which can cause emotional and psychological harm.
• Contact risks
  Coercion is increasing. Some young people share images of others when pressured for nudes, believing it protects them, yet this creates new safeguarding issues.
• Conduct risks
  Peer pressure often drives online behaviour. Students may repost humiliating content or encourage risky challenges without understanding the long-term impact.
• Commerce risks
  Scams are becoming more sophisticated, combining social engineering with AI generated materials.

Schools must ensure their RSHE curriculum adapts to these emerging harms.

Screen time and digital overload: Beyond “how much is too much?”

There is no universal safe limit for screen time. Quality matters as much as quantity. Repetitive or emotionally negative use, such as doomscrolling or compulsive gaming, can be particularly damaging.

Government research into early years screen use highlights that:

• 98% of children aged two use screens daily
• Only 34% meet WHO guidelines of <1 hour daily for ages 2–4
• More than 86 minutes a day is linked to delays in language development
• 5+ hours daily double the likelihood of emotional/behavioural challenges 

As more schools' welcome younger children into early years settings, understanding these habits is essential.

Strategies discussed in the webinar included the 20-20-20 rule for eye health, tech free routines, modelling positive behaviours, and encouraging reflective use of technology.

A whole school approach. Five priorities for action

To strengthen digital resilience, schools should focus on five core pillars.

1. Communication over confiscation: Open dialogue supports safer choices. Restrictions alone do not.
2. AI literacy for all: Students and staff need to understand how AI works, where its limitations lie, and how to use it safely.
3. Clear policies and governance: AI use, cyberbullying, and content creation should be embedded within safeguarding, behaviour, and IT policies.
4. Stronger filtering and monitoring: Systems need to adapt to the rapid growth of AI generated content.
5. Parent empowerment: Parents need consistent, accessible guidance, particularly as future government measures on mobile phones or social media age limits continue to evolve.

Conclusion

Building confidence, not control

Not every online risk can be removed. However, with the right culture and support, children do not have to face those risks alone.

Digital wellbeing is built on communication, confidence, and connection. When schools create environments where children feel able to share their online experiences, and where staff feel supported and informed, pupils are better equipped to thrive.

A safer digital world is not built on fear or punishment. It is built in partnership with the children we aim to protect.

To discuss digital wellbeing for your school or Trust please get in touch