Should universities be concerned by high levels of online abuse in schools and colleges?
Authors: Phippen, A., Bovill, H.
Publication Date: 01/01/2026
Pages: 89-115
DOI: 10.1016/B978-0-443-34057-4.00005-5
Abstract:This chapter examines the widespread and persistent issue of online abuse in UK schools and colleges and its implications for higher education institutions. Challenging the pervasive ‘digital native’ narrative, the authors argue that many students arrive at university without adequate digital literacy or safeguarding education due to compliance-driven, superficial online safety practices in schools. Drawing on extensive policy analysis, empirical research, and national datasets - including ProjectEVOLVE and 360 Degree Safe - the chapter highlights systemic weaknesses in school-based digital education, such as limited staff training, lack of student voice, and the avoidance of complex online harm topics. The chapter critiques the assumption that digital competence equates to digital resilience and calls for universities to take a proactive, care-based approach to digital safeguarding. It recommends that higher education institutions engage with schools, reframe their digital literacy strategies, and embed trauma-informed, student-centred responses to online harm as part of a broader institutional culture of digital responsibility.
Source: Scopus