Edinburgh Council 'cannot guarantee safety' after adult content viewed on school iPads

Edinburgh City Council has said it “cannot guarantee safety” on school-issued iPads amid an investigation into children viewing inappropriate content.

iPads issued by the council are supposed to have a filtering agent which protects children from explicit content.

However, some search engines on the devices allowed for the “safe search” function to be deactivated.

A video shared online by a parent showed that graphic images could be viewed by turning off the safe search function, according to reports.

It comes after computers in council libraries in Edinburgh were taken offline after an IT fault in October meant filters designed to block inappropriate websites were not activated.

The council’s education, children, and families convener, Joan Griffiths, said measures were being taken to ensure that children can only use one search engine on the devices.

An “urgent review” of the solution will take place to ensure that the issue is resolved, the council said.

Access to Wikipedia has also been temporarily suspended over concerns that the online encyclopaedia could allow children to access unsuitable material.

In an email sent to parents from the City of Edinburgh Council seen by STV News, it confirmed steps had been taken to ensure inappropriate content couldn’t be issued, but “no technical solution can ever guarantee full safety”.

The email said keeping children safe online was “central” to delivering digital learning in the city’s schools.

“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,” the email 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.

“We have been provided with information about particular content which could be accessed on Empowered Learning iPads. We have taken immediate steps to ensure that this content cannot be accessed and will be conducting further investigations into this matter.

“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.

“We will take additional steps as deemed appropriate. Going forward, it is our intention to meet with parents and carers so that we can work collaboratively with them to shape and inform digital solutions within schools.”

Councillor Griffiths said students have filtered internet access whether using the iPad within the school environment, at home, or on a visit to another venue.

“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,” she said.

“To ensure the safety of our learners, we have reduced and limited access to just one search engine, allowing for greater control and enhanced safety.

“To date, Wikipedia has been well utilised as an educational resource. However, the site does offer a wide range of topics, some which may not be appropriate for all age groups. We have suspended access to Wikipedia at present while we undertake a further comprehensive review.”