Keywords Your School’s Content Filter Should Block and Why

A content filter is a software or hardware solution that bans any websites or pages the admin deems inappropriate. These areas could be hazardous, offensive, annoying, undesirable, or even dangerous. Most content filters allow banning particular websites or using keywords to restrict content that is related to them. Let’s say one wishes to prevent access to pornographic content. To prevent all search results relating to phrases like sex or porn, keyword filtering with those words could be used.

It comes in especially handy in sensitive environments such as schools. Content filters are one of the keys to defending students from the negative effects of internet usage. On one side, they protect them from irrelevant or even dangerous content, such as violence, cyberbullying, and online threats, and at the same time, make the relevant content available to students. Seeing the endless potential using technology in schools brings to perfecting the classroom experience, we must tackle its negative impacts.

The problem is that schools are frequently underfunded and overcrowded. Teachers often lack training in many of these issues and lack the means to defend against any online dangers. Additionally, the ever-changing technology and persistent predators, con artists, and fraudsters are working against them. That is why teachers need to be equipped with the means of protecting their students.

And This Is Where a Content Filter Comes Into Play

Websites and individual information are blocked using hardware or software known as web content filtering. This technique establishes guidelines for the device regarding the kind of content it can provide to the user. Although they often block pages using keywords, content filters can also ban particular websites or content by category.

Schools employ content filters to safeguard students and keep them away from distracting websites. This can entail preventing access to social media, forums, games, or offensive sexual content. Additionally, it might shield youngsters from scammers, hackers, and online bullying. Due to the enormous databases of personal information and the potential for identity theft, schools are a frequent target for cybercriminals.

So, Why Is Blocking Inappropriate Content in Schools Crucial?

One of the most significant responsibilities in children’s lives is played by their schools. They not only educate students but also raise and protect them. And the modern digital world also brings many modern threats that demand modern solutions. One of them is a modern, sophisticated software content filter, such as Blocksi.

Back in the day, schools had to invest in hardware and software for web filtering, but today, an affordable and simple solution appeared – cloud web filtering. Content filtering solutions can act as a tool to identify warning signals of problems and additionally support school counseling programs. Administrators can create reports on kids’ internet behavior, and content screening software can send alerts when certain keywords turn up in student searches to detect the danger early.

Research shows that almost everyone (94%) who committed school shootings told someone about it beforehand. Considering nearly half of them documented their ideas in writing or online, and many searched for related content beforehand, protection in the form of a content filter seems like an effective solution.

Exception lists, categories, and keyword filters are the three layers of web filtering that all work together but at distinct levels to prevent staff and student access to the internet. These filters stop students from getting around security measures by using VPNs or similar tricks.

How to Make Sure Useful Content Doesn’t Get Blocked

It is true students may be researching subjects like school shootings for educational purposes, which is why advanced AI-powered content filtering for schools also recognizes patterns and other red flags in students’ searches, making it easier to recognize actual harmful activity from basic research.

Which Keywords to Block?

When looking to use content filtering for schools, it is important to understand what should be blocked. Some keywords that need to be blocked include:

• Sex-related keywords
• Swear words 
• Nasty language
• Violence-inciting language, including weapon search
• Bullying
• Racial, religious, or nationalistic slurs 
• Gambling
• Drug-related promotion and sale of drugs, including drug slang 
• Encouragement for self-harm, suicide, or eating disorders

Some of the keywords surely apply to all students in all grades, but age- and curricula-wise, some restrictions may be additionally applied or removed. Using up-to-date, sophisticated content filter software is a way of effectively reacting to ever-evolving web threats and making sure the students remain safe. Filters must be able to quickly react and identify any new threats, and additionally, adding new threatening keywords can be done by admins and teachers.

Besides filtering by keywords, the best content filter software, like Blocksi, offers multi-layered filtering. Thus, besides manually choosing between more than 80 filtering categories, the filtering continually updates databases and machine learning algorithms to stay ahead of emerging threats. This ensures schools remain protected against evolving online risks without constant manual intervention.

Additionally, the filtering is cloud-based and keeps filtering content even when the protected devices are used outside of the school’s network. When considering student safety, no mistakes can be allowed, all with the mission to protect the nation’s greatest treasure – our children.

SOURCES

[1] Report: Plotters of school shootings nearly always communicate plans to others