Pupils from Year 1 to Year 6 at St. Joseph’s Catholic Primary School celebrated Parliament Week with their own school debate. The question being debated was, ‘should children be allowed to use the internet without an adult present?’
The school council led the debate. A wide range of reasons were given for and against.
Some of the reasons given for children being allowed were “Because their parents should be able to trust them as they have been taught how to stay safe online,” and “You can put parental controls on to make it safe for children.”
Some of the reasons given for against children being allowed were “Children could give out personal details to people they don’t know,” and “They may search for things that are inappropriate for their age.”
After hearing both sides of the argument, it was time for the children to decide which side they were on and complete a ballot paper.
The results were in! 76% of the pupils agreed that children should be allowed to use the internet without an adult present.