Why Digital Citizenship Belongs at the Heart of Education

What does it mean to be a citizen in the digital world? For young people navigating a life shaped by constant connectivity, algorithmic influence, and surveillance technology, this question is far from abstract—it’s urgent, personal, and often confusing.

Recent conversations with students and teachers across a range of schools highlight just how much our learners are grappling with online life. From frustrations about overly restricted content to worries about misinformation and screen addiction, the message is clear: we must do more than tell students how to be safe online—we need to create spaces where they can think critically and act ethically in the digital world.

“Everything you do gets tracked…”

In one school, a Year 8 student described how closely their digital activity is monitored (a common practice in schools today):

“Everything you do gets tracked and if you’re doing something you shouldn’t it gets sent to the head teacher.”

Safeguarding is essential, but this level of surveillance raises a profound tension. It risks teaching students that digital citizenship is about avoiding punishment—not about developing thoughtful, responsible behaviour. A safeguarding lead acknowledged the difficulty of interpreting context:

“If they are studying euthanasia… or suddenly searching ISIS in a politics lesson… then I am going to be less concerned about that. You can contextualise some of those searches.”

This is where education—not just restriction—must step in.

“We’ve never gone into that much detail”

Time pressures in schools today are very real. A lot of important content is delivered through PSHE classes. There are many themes, from relationships to online safety to gambling, that could be important springboards for discussion, but time pressures sometimes lead to quick overviews.

“We’d like to have two sides of it, the good sides of social media, and the sides we should be aware of and cautious about.”

Others reflected on how the school “just overlooks some more important issues” in pastoral education. In contrast, when students were given time to discuss, the impact was immediate:

“I’ve considered my own behaviour… I’ll probably go change some things… I haven’t really [reflected] before.”

Clearly, we need more than prescriptive talks—we need conversation, reflection, and space for young people to make meaning.

“I’d like to be more productive online”

Students often see their own patterns of digital behaviour with surprising clarity. One group of Year 11 pupils reflected:

“I feel quite disappointed when I start scrolling for a long time… I could have done something productive.”

“It’s easier to just continue as it is… being fed videos on the algorithm.”

These comments don’t just express frustration—they’re calls for help. Students want to feel in control. They want to use technology to do better—not just to be endlessly distracted by it. Digital citizenship lessons can give them the tools to make more intentional choices.

“You’re not 100% sure you can trust it”

When discussing AI and digital tools, students raised concerns not just about accuracy, but about the loss of human relationships in learning:

“You have no investment in the AI at all… you’re not 100% sure you can trust it.”

Trust, agency, and connection came up again and again. These are not just technological issues—they are ethical and civic ones.

“We’ve briefly talked about it…”

What’s clear across all the stories is that students are already thinking deeply about digital life. They are questioning, reflecting, and seeking guidance. But they don’t always get it from school.

As one student said:

“When we were younger in the school, it was less of a discussion… ‘This is what social media is, this is how it can be bad for you. Accept these facts.’”

We owe our pupils more than this. We owe them the skills and confidence to navigate complexity.

So, what now?

As educators, we are in a powerful position to support our students in developing not just the technical skills, but the citizenship skills they need to thrive in digital society. That means:

• Creating time and space for discussion, not just delivering content.
• Teaching critical thinking and ethical reflection, not just rules and risks.
• Helping students understand systems—from algorithms to surveillance—so they can question, resist, or reform them.

This isn’t an optional extra. It’s citizenship for the 21st century.

The research comes from ethnographic fieldwork and workshops conducted by PhD researcher Ted Palenski and team of the project Teaching for Digital Citizenship: Digital Ethics in the Classroom and Beyond, part of the ESRC's Education Research Programme. I am a member of the project's Community of Practice.