Developing a triangulated model for effective Digital Safety Education in the early years

As young children increasingly interact with information and communication technologies, they face significant digital safety risks, including exposure to explicit content, online grooming, and the creation of self-generated child sexual abuse material. Despite these growing threats, South Africa lacks a structured digital safety framework within its national early childhood education curriculum, despite the possibility of integration within existing subjects. This study aims to develop a model for effective digital safety education in early childhood. Guided by the digital phallic development framework, which integrates Freud’s psychosexual development theory (specifically the phallic stage) with the CO:RE 3 C’s model of digital safety risks, this study offers a comprehensive lens for understanding sexual digital safety risks in young children. It is further underpinned by the digital safety education collaboration (DSEC) model, highlighting the essential intersectoral partnerships needed for effective digital safety education. Employing a qualitative, constructivist methodology, data were gathered through semi-structured interviews with six stakeholders representing the sectors identified in the DSEC model. Additionally, four authentic South African policy and guidance documents referencing digital safety were analysed. Thematic analysis, supported by Atlas.ti and ChatGPT, revealed a critical need for developmentally appropriate, holistic digital safety education and identified gaps in policy, training, and intersectoral communication. The findings underscore the urgency of coordinated action among the education, community, and legal sectors to empower and protect young children from sexual digital risks in an increasingly digital world. This study contributes to scholarship by creating a theoretical and practical framework for digital safety education in early childhood.