Edinburgh Council Investigates Inappropriate Content Access on School iPads

Parents in Edinburgh have been informed by the council that it is unable to fully safeguard their children from detrimental online material, following revelations that students accessed unsuitable content on iPads provided by the school. The City of Edinburgh Council issued a letter yesterday evening, stating that despite the implementation of internet filters, students were still able to reach explicit material within school settings. A video circulated online, reportedly by a parent, illustrated how deactivating a safe search feature enabled children to view content including pornography and executions. The council affirmed that preventing access to inappropriate content was a primary concern and that measures had been implemented to restrict its availability. Joan Griffiths, the convener for education, children and families, stated that the “empowered learning iPads” distributed by the local council included an installed filter designed to shield children from unsuitable content. She added, “This means that students have filtered internet access whether using the iPad within the school environment, at home, or on a visit to another venue.” She further explained, “Our filtering restrictions make use of Safe Search as a function. However, we were made aware that some search engines were permitting Safe Search to be turned on and off.” The council is currently implementing protocols to restrict children to using a single search engine on the devices. Furthermore, access to Wikipedia has been temporarily halted for review, prompted by worries that the online encyclopedia might enable children to encounter inappropriate material. During October, iPads provided by the school were collected from students at a specific school for examination, to determine if they also exhibited the vulnerability. Additionally, desktop computers in council libraries were disconnected from the internet due to an IT malfunction that rendered filters, intended to block inappropriate websites, inactive. The council communicated via email that these devices have since been given back to pupils, as “no evidence of inappropriate material” was discovered. CGI, a Canadian company and the council’s IT partner, distributed 44,000 iPads to students and educational staff during an 18-month deployment that concluded in May 2023. These devices are intended to feature software that filters content according to age, thereby preventing access to unsuitable material. In an email addressed to parents, Jackie Reid, the council’s head of education, emphasized the critical importance of online child safety, while also noting the necessity of finding a solution that acknowledges the educational capabilities of electronic devices. She stated, “Filtering and blocking inappropriate content is always a priority but it needs to be balanced with the need to enable teaching and learning to take place and also the rights of children to access information.” She continued, “It can be a difficult balance to achieve, no technical solution can ever guarantee full safety, and as such, we also have to educate our learners in the appropriate behaviours required to allow for safe internet use.” Ms. Reid acknowledged awareness of specific content accessible on the iPads. She affirmed, “We have taken immediate steps to ensure that this content cannot be accessed and will be conducting further investigations into this matter.” She concluded by stating, “An urgent review of the solution will take place to ensure that this is resolved. We are continually monitoring the situation to ensure the online safety of our children and young people.”