3 Ways Lightspeed Systems Honors Safer Internet Day, Every Day

Safer internet for students and your network

Today marks Safer Internet Day 2018, a global event recognizing the importance of keeping the internet safe, especially for young users. According to the Pew Research Center, 92 percent of teens use the internet on a daily basis. CommonSense Media reports that children under 9 spend more than two hours every day in front of device screens.

It’s essential, now and for our future generations, to instill safe internet use habits among students and leverage the latest technology to keep them safe.

As we unite with stakeholders around the world exploring the topic and developing solutions to keep the internet safe and accessible, the Lightspeed Systems team is reflecting on nearly 20 years of specializing in digital technology access for K-12.
Read on to learn how we’re demonstrating our commitment to safer internet access for K-12 around the world with the latest in filtering technology.

Safer internet for students at school

At school, the Lightspeed Systems filtering database uses machine-learning AI to categorize the web for K-12, ensuring your students get the appropriate access they need to excel.
Our proprietary database processes 2 million new websites every day, ensuring no new, harmful websites fall through the cracks.

Students don’t get over-blocked and schools can set customizable policies for unique and appropriate browsing experiences for different groups.

As students surf the web, getting accurate and insightful reports on their behavior is key. Full SSL decryption of YouTube and Google activity allows schools to get the full picture of what students are viewing on their devices. Robust reports empower schools with the data they need to analyze how students use their devices.

Cyberbullying, self-harm and depression issues can be evident in a student’s device use. Flagged Terms in Relay aid schools in identifying suspicious or dangerous searches and page content.

Flagged Terms detect and notify proper personnel of suspicious and dangerous behaviors, giving them time to intervene and potentially save lives.

YouTube is a challenge for schools: Giving students too much access can expose them to disturbing, inappropriate or simply distracting videos; restricting their access limits educational opportunities. Lightspeed’s Smart Play, available in Relay and Web Filter, opens over 41 million educational YouTube videos to students, blocking the rest — and it takes just a few clicks for school IT personnel to set up. Students get an organic browsing experience on YouTube.com without all of the problematic videos. Smart Play also works with embedded YouTube content, so schools can trust that students get appropriate access across the web.

These are just a few of the ways Lightspeed keeps students safe online. Customers can subscribe to Release Notes to get the latest information on how our solutions keep the internet safe for K-12.

Safer internet for students at home

As take-home device programs gain popularity, schools IT departments must consider what internet use policies make the most sense for devices that go home.

Lightspeed Systems solutions don’t stop working when students go home; in fact, schools can trust our database to provide accurate filtering and reporting no matter where students take their devices. Lightspeed Systems solutions filter devices on- and off-campus with continuous identity management for seamless policies.

Want to open up access to social media, video or gaming sites during non-school hours? After-School Rules in Relay helps schools easily customize internet access policies for devices that go home while ensuring all illicit and inappropriate content is still blocked.

Safer internet for your network

Students are savvier than ever with technology. Students can use tools like Psiphon and UltraSurf to get around your filter, exposing them to dangerous content and your network to viruses.

Last year, weleased Bypass Barrier in Web Filter to help schools block access to filter bypass tools. In just a click, schools can enable this feature to keep their network and students protected.

The proprietary technology behind Bypass Barrier evolves over time (just like those bypass technologies do), constantly updating to protect your networks. Maximize your protection by blocking unknown sites, controlling file downloads, enabling QUIC protection, blocking P2P traffic and much more.

Lightspeed solutions don’t just protect student devices; by setting up BYOD Filter, schools can easily apply filtering rules to guest devices on the school network. This way, even student-owned mobile devices receive policies to ensure appropriate use.

Do you have a story of how you were able to establish safer internet at your school with Lightspeed Systems solutions? Let us know!