For many young people, internet, mobile and other new technologies are simply a fact of life. And, because these technologies have developed so quickly, they have come up with their own strategies for managing their digital spaces - often with little or no input from parents, teachers or other adults.
"...the use of digital technology has been completely normalised by this generation and it is now fully integrated into their daily lives." (Source: p10, Demos, 'Their Space: Education for a digital generation', by Hannah Green and Celia Hannon, January 2007)
Research reveals that computers and the internet are not just popular leisure activities for young people - more than a third of secondary school students use a computer at home every day for studying.
At times, it might even seem that your students know more about new technologies than you do, as they switch seamlessly between their PSP, Twitter, iPhone, Skype, YouTube and Facebook.
But you still have an important role to play in encouraging their positive, responsible and safe use.
For, as the Byron Review (an independent review of children and the digital world commissioned by the Prime Minister in 2007), acknowledges: "While children are confident with the technology, they are still developing critical evaluation skills and need our help to make wise decisions.” (Source: The Byron Review, March 2008).
Following the Byron Review and the work carried out by the UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS), the Government announced that, from September 2011, online safety will be a compulsory part of the curriculum from age 5. In support of this, it launched the 'Click Clever, Click Safe' campaign in February 2010.
Teachers TV ‘Online Safety’ (KS3/4)
This 30 minute programme outlines simple classroom activities on the topic of e-safety.
Many young people fail to recognise that the internet is a public place and that they are not anonymous when they go online. They might behave differently, say things that they wouldn’t say in the real world, and take risks they might not otherwise take.
Did you know?
Despite 13 being the minimum age limit for Bebo, Facebook and MySpace, a quarter of 8-12 year olds in the UK have a profile on at least one of these websites, of which one in ten have set their profile to be visible to anyone (Source: Ofcom Children's Media Literacy Report, March 2010)
And, when it comes to mobile devices, they often follow a very different set of rules to the ones adults use.
It's therefore crucial that all young people are encouraged to enjoy new technologies but, at the same time, that they understand the potential risks they could face online and on their mobiles.