Smoothwall skapade redan 2002 ett innehållswebbfilter, redan 2004 gick det att ansluta Smoothwall till Microsoft AD för att sedan snabbt komma med flera autentiserings möjligheter, 2012 var det dags för Google autentisering. 2009 Införde Smoothwall HTTPS filtrering och 2019 var det dags för Två faktor autentisering (2FA) för administratörs inloggningen.  Smoothwall har idag partners i mer än 60 länder runt om i världen.

Varför behöver vi ett webbfilter?

Läs mera om hur ni kan använda webbfilter för olika åldrar

Webbfiltrering och säkerhet för skolor

En praktisk lösning för skolor

Ni kan låta läraren hantera elevdatorerna under sina lektioner och även där stänga av Internet med hjälp av Smoothwall Classroom Manager 

Enligt Skolverket: 69 procent av alla gymnasielärare tycker att arbetet i klassrummet störs varje dag av elevers användning av sms, chatt, spel eller sociala medier.

Smoothwall är en väldigt skalbar lösning, vi har produkter som är lämpliga för alla storlekar av nätverket. Från en enda skola, till en hel kommun eller andra stora skolaktörer. Smoothwall har utvecklats med återkoppling från skolor och lärare i hela världen. 

Hör av er idag för att ta reda på hur vi kan hjälpa er.

Internetfilter för skolor - Webbfilter i skolan

Internet blir allt mer tillgängligt och samtidigt,  utsätts användarna också för en rad olika slags risker. 

Minderåriga blir allt mer aktiva användare, men är samtidigt väldigt utsatta. 

Det är ett ansvar att skydda elever från webbaserade hot och att främja en säker Internetanvändning.

Vi erbjuder undervisande organisationer, lättanvända verktyg som uppmuntrar till kreativ och produktiv Internetanvändning i en säker miljö.

Smoothwall är ett ledande webbfilter med över 12 250 skolor och mer än 7 miljoner elever, som använder Smoothwall för att skapa en säker webbmiljö för sina elever.

Kanske vill ni undervisa era elever istället för att bara blockera sidor? 

Smoothwall kan hantera olika blockeringssidor som kan innehålla länkar till bra material som är godkänt av er.

T.ex. om ung elev råkar komma in på en otillåten sida, så kanske det räcker med en blocksida som berättar att de kom fel medan de äldre barnen kan få tips om att de kan kontakta skolsköterskan om de har frågor om samlevnad. Ni kan också lägga ut bra länkar till t.ex. RFSU m.m. om ni vill att era elever skall få veta mera om samlevnad.

Valet är ert och verktyget är Smoothwall!

Ni väljer själv: Låt era elever se vad andra postar på Facebook eller andra sociala medier, men era elever kan inte posta något under skoltid. 

Välj att ställa in t.ex. max en timme per dag på sociala medier, med en varning låt oss säga var tionde minut.

Smoothwall är ett webbfilter för skolor att lita på var än era användare befinner sig!

Hur Smoothwall fungerar

Nödvändigt skydd

Flexibla åtkomstkontroller tillåter administratörer att sätta detaljerade regler och ger kontroll till lärare för att åsidosätta filtrering, åtkomstrapporter och hantera status för blockerade användare. 

Smoothwall är mästerligt på att blockera proxies och onlinespel, förebygga malware, filtrera säker trafik, kontroll av strömmande media och IM (snabb meddelanden), filtrering och övervakning av söksträngar/bilder och logga webbuppladdningar.

Intuitiv rapportering ger detaljerade uppgifter som behövs för att förstå all aktivitet med realtidsloggar som visar enskilda användares surftrender och platsspecifika trender.

Smoothwall Web Filtering for Education - Smoothwall Web filter för skolor på Engelska

The use of web content and applications is now a mainstay in many subjects

The ability to provide dynamic information — and allow students to research topics — has changed the methods of teaching and learning.

Our education solutions are built on three core features: Protection, Control and Flexibility

Real-Time Content Analysis can identify and classify content no matter how recently it has been created, and at the same time can identify the tell-tale signatures of the proxy sites used to try and circumvent filters.

Once content is identified and classified, a decision can be taken about whether or not a user can access it.

Our "who, what, when, where" controls allow you to create access policies by user, type of content, timeframe, and location.

Delivering this level of control shouldn't be based on the device a student is using. 

Our solutions will work across wireless devices provided to students — even when off site — and the students' own devices (BYOD) when connected to your Wi-Fi.

A Practical Solution for Schools

We make it as easy as possible to benefit from our web filtering in your school, regardless of the environment. If you need firewall and security, then our Smoothwall Firewall will support you and, if you have an existing firewall, our Smoothwall Filter or Smoothwall Cloud Filter integrates easily.

Smoothwall Filter Enabling a safer, digital learning environment with real-time, content-aware and granular control web filtering.

Now available in 3 deployment options: Cloud | On-Premise | Hybrid

As a truly scalable solution, we have products appropriate for all sizes of network. Whether a single school, local authority, or large school district.

Smoothwall Classroom Manager, one of the easiest to use, cross-platform solutions of its kind.

Smoothwall Classroom Manager empowers teachers to take control and improve learning outcomes in today’s dynamic, digital classroom.

Smoothwall have been developed with feedback from schools and educators worldwide. 

Get in touch today to find out how we can help you.

In light of current international events, young people may come into contact with distressing online content. 

This article has been written to help schools, parents and carers protect and support children.

Guidance for schools and local authorities

Ensure filters are up to date

Ensure that all of your content filters are up-to-date and activated, and that any of the devices your students are using at school [and taking home] are fully protected. You can use this checklist to help you cover the basics:

• Create a custom blocked word list

• Create search reports

• Check video reports

• Use these tools to get alerts on students searching for blocked words on your list

Brief designated safeguarding staff members

If you utilise any form of monitoring technology to detect online risks for the purpose of safeguarding your students, ensure that your designated safeguarding staff are especially alert at this time and prepared to respond should any risks slip through the filtering cracks. If any of your students have already consumed harmful content or are searching for it online out of curiosity, this may be how you’ll find out.

Social media

If you allow your students to access social media platforms on their school issued devices for their learning, make sure that your teaching staff are aware of the current threat of violent and inappropriate content suddenly spreading online, and encourage them to do some research around the particularly ‘vulnerable’ platforms. Recently, X (formerly Twitter) has been identified as being most prone to the spread of dis/misinformation and violent content.

Internal communication

Feel free to inform your staff of this online threat, but be sure to discourage them from seeking out the content themselves to check if it is available. This will potentially cause them emotional distress, which is enough of a negative effect in itself, but it will also contribute to the virality of any of the search terms related to this content. In addition, avoid describing the content in any detail in your communication; use adjectives like ‘disturbing’, ‘distressing,’ or ‘upsetting’ to describe it in more general terms.

Exercise discretion with students

Please exercise discretion in any communication with your students regarding this online threat, and encourage others within your community to do the same. In particular, avoid raising the issue with students who may not be aware of the potential existence of this type of content, so as to avoid them actively seeking it out. This type of content will be particularly disturbing to your youngest students, so be especially mindful of their exposure to it. Your older students are likely to already be aware of what is going on, and a great way to initiate a conversation and invite them to share is by asking them what they already know or have seen/heard, and let them know your staff are available should they need to speak with someone. For talking points, please refer to the parent-focused section of this guide.

Monitor at-risk and/or sensitive students

Given the extremely distressing nature of these current events, we advise that at-risk, vulnerable and sensitive students be monitored closely, especially those in younger grades. Without referencing the current risk specifically, check in with them about their most recent interactions on and offline. If you notice a young person presenting with signs of distress, we encourage you to follow your procedures for supporting at-risk students.

Parent communication

We encourage you to follow your existing policies and procedures for contacting parents about any problematic school or council-wide events; below you will find a dedicated section with parent-focused guidelines that we suggest you share with your parent community to help them stay calm and equip them to handle this risk to their children’s safety and wellbeing online.

Support resources

Please encourage anyone who may be at risk or experiencing emotional distress, including worried families, students or colleagues, to seek support. The following educational and support services are available:

Childline: https://www.childline.org.uk/
Samaritans: https://www.samaritans.org/
Papyrus UK: https://www.papyrus-uk.org/

Guidance for parents

Please keep in mind that even though we make references to age and age-ranges here, children can mature and develop at a different pace and you know your child best. Our general recommendation is that if a child is not independent or mature enough yet to 1. Care for their own [basic] safety, 2. Navigate social relationships, and 3. Manage their daily responsibilities in age-appropriate ways, they are not yet ready for independent ownership of a personal smart device or an unsupervised social media account.

The basics of online safety: Parental controls and privacy settings

Ensure that the parental controls on your child’s devices are activated, and that any platforms they have access to have child safety measures in place; on YouTube that means turning on YouTube Restricted Mode, on Google setting up Google Safe Search as well as Google Family Link, and on TikTok setting up Family Pairing. Both Instagram and Snapchat have taken steps to improve their parental control options over the past few years. As a general rule, it is not recommend that children younger than 13 have independent access to social media platforms (with the exception of YouTube, and that’s only if parental controls and privacy settings are activated). For children 13+, ensure that they always enter their true age when creating a new social media profile, as that sends them to a ‘safer’ and more age-appropriate version of the platform.

The basics of content consumption: Sources and dosage

The coexistence of the Internet and the 24h news cycle means that information about tragic events from around the globe is never more than a tap away. Consider reducing the amount of news you currently consume and tap into less ‘charged’ sources like newspapers and magazines. If you have tweens and teens it’s likely that they have already become accustomed to relying on social media and influencers for news and information – talk to them about the importance of controlling news consumption during times of serious global conflict, and being highly selective of your sources. Help your children internalise the fact that the digital content we consume affects us just like the food we consume – both require us to be intentional.

Should I talk to my child?

You may wish to be more present than usual in your child’s online life for a period of time. This doesn’t mean heavy monitoring (unless your child is young and not ready yet to manage their own tech use), but instead, keep a line of communication open with them about any upsetting content they may encounter, and observe any emotional or behavioural signs that suggest they may have seen it already (more on that below).

How should I decide if deleting social media apps from my child’s device is the right thing to do at this time?

There are various things to consider in making this decision. First, you know your child better than anyone – their age may be a factor in this decision, but so is their maturity. Important signs are also their ability to discern between real vs fake online content, credible vs dubious news sources, and reliable vs unreliable individuals and organisations to follow online. For younger children, you may want to consider removing social media apps so that they don’t accidentally see something distressing, but if you have an older elementary schooler – and especially a middle or high schooler – we recommend you have a conversation with them before you come to this decision. For older children, some alternative approaches are limiting their news consumption to only one news source and/or checking on news only once a day (or less frequently), not engaging with friends and followers online in discussions around politics at this time, and under no circumstances clicking on dubious-looking links.

How are the different social media platforms responding?

Most social media companies are reiterating their platforms’ Policies and Terms of Use, and assuring the public that they are doing everything they can to remove inappropriate content as soon as it goes up. Conversely, X (formerly Twitter), has stated that: “In these situations, X believes that, while distressing, it is in the public’s interest to understand what is happening in real-time.” It is also important to note that X has had several fake videos go viral on their platform already. If you or your child frequent this platform, we recommend you remain vigilant. You may wish to consider suspending use for a period of time. 

How can I talk to my child about staying safe online? 

The best approach is part-telling and part-modelling. To prevent children from becoming overwhelmed by fear and the threat of online danger, it’s important to strike a balance between caution and the enjoyment of positive online content. Some of the following suggestions may help no matter your child’s age.

College students: If you have older children you may wish to talk to them about your own fears and sadness around what is going on. Yes, children need to know that we will keep them safe, but that doesn’t mean we can’t show them our emotions and vulnerabilities too. Encourage them to ask questions and seek out more information (or not, whatever they prefer), and emphasise the importance of using their media literacy skills when choosing news sources. Discuss the potential for very disturbing content making its way online and how important it is to talk about that experience, should it happen. Practices like taking intentional social media breaks or watching favourite movies together as a family can be incredibly helpful. If you have a creative child, encourage them to use their art as a self-care tool, and if you are a religious or spiritual family, engaging with those practices can bring you much-needed balance as well.

High school students: Your high school student has likely been on social media already even if they don’t have their own account yet, and so they may have had some exposure to a news story already. Don’t be afraid to bring the topic up proactively and, without getting into too much graphic detail. Ask them what they’ve seen and heard already, where they came across that information, and how they feel about it. Use that as a conversation starter on trusted news sources online and the importance of keeping those to only one or two in times like these. Share that you want to take steps as a family to use your devices very mindfully over the next week or so, and let them know what you’d like that to look like. One recommendation is to also minimise the time they spend alone on their device(s) behind closed doors in solitary use.

Primary school pupils: Since your primary school child is less likely to have come across content on this topic online, but may have still heard about it from friends, their family members, or classmates, feel them out by asking some general questions around how their day went or any interesting, unusual, or worrying information they may have come across recently. If you think they can emotionally handle it, explain the conflict in very simple terms and say that they might notice other grown ups or children talking about it over the next few weeks – it’s big news right now, and lots of people are talking about it. Because it’s quite a serious and scary topic, ask them to come to you first with any questions they might have or in case they see anything online that really upsets or scares them. Make sure they know they will not get in trouble for that, but that you do want to know about it because not all news and information we see online can be trusted, and some of it can be extremely upsetting for young children. Make sure they feel safe with you, with their friends, and at school.

Preschool children: With this age group, the chances are lowest that they have encountered content of this nature, and you can also control their access the easiest. They are also the most likely group to exhibit signs of having seen or heard something disturbing – it will show up as a sudden change in behaviour or you will see traces of it in their play. If you do notice this, resist the urge to stop or interrupt them; observe them for a little while and notice the themes and patterns that emerge. Engage them by saying something like “I’ve noticed you doing x, y, z …” or “I’ve noticed you playing x, y, z …” Don’t hesitate to play along – children process complicated information by role-playing when they’re too young to understand it mentally. Do what you can to help your child feel safe, and be sure to maintain their routines and the quality time you spend together. If they notice you behaving in a different way and ask questions like, are you or why are you sad, don’t negate their observation but answer it in very simple terms, like I read/saw something today that made me sad.

What if my child doesn’t want to talk about what they have seen?

This can certainly happen, and it is a normal reaction. There are various reasons that a child may not want to talk about something like this: it may be too disturbing or cause too much distress, they may not be ready to discuss it, they may fear getting into trouble, or they may simply not have the words to express how they feel. Regardless, you can always support them by trying to create a safe space for them to open up and offer them unconditional support. Spend time with your child, without the pressure for them to do or say anything; often, other activities, like a board game or a walk, can open the door for a spontaneous conversation around a difficult topic. 

Talking to other parents

Feel free to share your personal experiences around these events with other parents and, if needed, help them find out if their child may have encountered any distressing information about these events already; however, if that does turn out to be the case, be aware that seeking out information raises its viewership and popularity. Sharing links or descriptions in online groups or messaging apps like WhatsApp will do the same. Also remember to always double-check if any children are around when you’re discussing these topics with other adults.

How can online images and/or videos cause distress to my child?

At the very least, one-off or otherwise brief interactions with this type of content can shock your child and leave them with thoughts and emotions they simply can’t understand. Research has shown that these brief moments of intense stress don’t necessarily lead to long-lasting effects, and they can usually be worked through if the individual is able to talk about them as soon as possible after exposure. When it comes to more long-term effects, research after the events of 9/11 found that the consumption of hours of continuous broadcasting of distressing videos caused a significant increase in individuals across the United States reporting symptoms of stress and/or trauma. This is called Vicarious Trauma or Secondary Trauma, and it can go as far as contributing to PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) symptoms in some individuals.

What are some things that I should pay attention to in my child?

Look for signs of behaviour change. You know your child best – if there are changes in behaviour or mood, pay attention to those signs and use them as a conversation starter.

What are some signs of distress?

Signs of emotional distress can vary with age, and different children may also exhibit these signs in different ways depending on their personality and levels of maturity. This list is by no means exhaustive, and please note that it is also not an attempt to diagnose or offer medical advice.

• Clinging to caregivers more than usual

• Regressing to the behaviour of a younger child, for example, a primary school child acting like a toddler

• Increased signs of separation anxiety, or withdrawal

• Changes in emotional displays – could be increased crying, anger, or other displays of emotion

• Increased irritability

• Increased hyperactivity or decrease in energy

• More demanding

• Nightmares or interruptions in sleep

• Too much or too little sleep

• Changes in food consumption or trouble digesting food

• Physical complaints like head or tummy aches

• Increase in generalised fear

• For older children, consumption of substances like alcohol or drugs

Moving forward

To guide what content your child consumes online, consider setting a Family Digital Agreement. By outlining rules for what your children can watch on television and online and which platforms they can access, you can help manage their technology use and content consumption, and ensure they are fully aware of your expectations around their online behaviour. Because inappropriate content often slips through the cracks, remind them on a regular basis that they will not be in trouble if they come to you and tell you that they’ve seen something they shouldn’t have. Observe your child during times when dangerous viral trends or news about traumatic world events overpopulate the online world, and ensure that they know you are always a resource for comfort and information.

How do I know when to seek additional support?

Making the decision to seek additional support is not always easy or clear cut. If changes in mood or behaviour persist without getting better, it may be time to seek outside help. Other signs may include your child coming to you with a problem you’re not sure how to handle. Your child may also ask to speak with a counselor or therapist themselves.

Support resources

The following free educational and support services are available to you and your family:

Childline: https://www.childline.org.uk/
Samaritans: https://www.samaritans.org/
Papyrus UK: https://www.papyrus-uk.org/
NSPCC Helpline: https://www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/reporting-abuse/nspcc-helpline/