ESSAY - 2° Prova
4. Schools should help create greater awareness in young people and in their families of
the opportunities and the risks of the internet. How can student bodies in schools take an
active role in promoting “internet savviness”? Present your ideas and suggestions in a
composition of about 300 words.
There is no doubt that the internet has become an essential part of our life. However,
it needs to be used wisely. In fact, the internet is a great source of information and
communication, but it is full of dangers as well.
The possible risks are related to age-inappropriate content, misconduct (for example
posing as an older person, exchanging personal information…) and a possible
contact with people met online. If not educated about these risks, young people may
put themselves in difficult, even dangerous, situations.This is why schools could
potentially play a significant role in educating young people and their families about
the risks of the internet.
First, teachers should talk to their students about internet safety regularly, and if they
assign homework that requires using the internet, they should prepare a list of
websites that are safe to use. This would help students avoid the numerous dangers
that characterize the internet.
Furthermore, I think a good idea to promote “internet savviness” would be doing a
research on the pros and cons of the internet, underlining the most hidden risks and
explaining how to avoid making mistakes. That way, the students would understand
better what happens if they make the wrong choices while surfing the internet.
Another issue is that adults are often unaware of the dangers of the internet, so they
don’t educate their children and, more importantly, they don’t check what their
children are doing online. To solve this problem, schools could organize conferences
for both the students and their families, to inform everyone about the topic.
In conclusion, I firmly believe that schools are crucial in the battle for internet safety,
because they have the power to educate children and their families. Simple acts like
informing the students of what websites they should or shouldn’t visit, or by making
them reflect on what could happen if they visit the wrong websites, are extremely
important.
