If you’ve seen the recent Netflix drama Adolescence, you’ll know how powerful, and frankly unsettling it is. The series holds a mirror up to the online world young people are navigating every day: the unfiltered content, the algorithms, the echo chambers, and the very real risks to their mental health and e-safety.

For school leaders, it’s a stark reminder that digital safeguarding isn’t optional. It’s a core part of your responsibility and it can’t be left to chance.

The Online World Has Changed. So Must Our Response.

Gone are the days when “e-safety” simply meant putting a firewall in place. Today’s pupils are growing up online, they are learning, chatting, gaming and sharing, often across multiple platforms and devices. That means schools need a more sophisticated approach to managing online risks.

The Department for Education’s Keeping Children Safe in Education guidance makes it clear: appropriate filtering and monitoring must be in place. But effective digital safeguarding goes beyond compliance. It’s about being proactive, creating a culture of awareness, and using the right tools to spot concerns early.

Tools That Do More Than Block Websites

Digital safeguarding tools have come a long way. Systems like Smoothwall Filter and Smoothwall Monitor are designed specifically for schools, balancing protection with flexibility:

• Smoothwall Filter is a powerful web filtering solution that works on-site and off-site, helping you block harmful content without restricting access to essential learning materials.
• Smoothwall Monitor uses AI to detect signs of risk such as worrying searches, harmful language, or potentially dangerous behaviour on school devices. It then passes anonymised alerts to a trained moderation team, with serious concerns escalated straight to your safeguarding lead.

These systems also allow for contextual sensitivity. For instance, what’s flagged in a primary setting might differ from a secondary one and the software can account for that, understanding slang, emojis, and even school-specific language.

Start Conversations That Go Beyond the Tech

E-safety isn’t just about systems, it’s about culture. Adolescence highlights a few uncomfortable truths that schools can use to start meaningful conversations:

• Understanding algorithms and biases: Help students think critically about the content they’re shown online. Why do they see what they see? Who’s shaping their worldview?
• Recognising online harms: The series shows how quickly bullying, grooming, and exposure to harmful content can escalate. Schools need clear, effective policies in place backed by staff training and pupil support.
• Supporting digital wellbeing: Adolescence raises important questions about how we support teenagers’ mental health in a digital world. Schools can lead the way by working with parents, offering resources, and embedding digital wellbeing into PSHE.

Leading the Way on Digital Safeguarding

For school leaders, this is about more than ticking a safeguarding box. It’s about making sure your school is a safe place to learn online, as well as offline. That means asking the right questions:

• Are our filtering and monitoring systems fit for purpose?
• Do our staff feel confident using them?
• Can we spot signs of online distress early?
• Are we involving parents in the conversation?
• Are we using current events and media, like Adolescence, to keep e-safety education relevant?

How Ask4Support Can Help

At Ask4Support, we work with schools across the region to help make digital safeguarding simpler, smarter, and more effective. We support school leaders and IT teams by:

• Recommending and installing solutions like Smoothwall
• Ensuring the right configuration for filtering and monitoring
• Helping with compliance and reporting
• Offering practical, jargon-free advice and support

If you’d like to review your current setup or talk through any concerns, we’re always here to help.

Call us on 01491 712344 or drop us an email info@ask4support.co.uk 

Written by: Emilie Heaney 18.06.2025