How can my learners and I stay safe online?
Children and young people are spending more and more time online. The internet offers endless opportunities for learning, being creative, connecting with others and having fun. However there are many potential risks and dangers in online spaces: receiving unpleasant messages, experiencing cyberbullying, having personal information shared, being exposed to distressing content, to name but a few.
In the classroom we can have important conversations with our young learners about online issues, teach them how to stay safe, and talk about what to do if they experience unpleasant situations online.
Digital spaces are constantly evolving, so it's important to discuss the topic of online safety regularly. There are many excellent websites which offer up-to-date help, advice and resources for teachers and other professionals working with young people. Sites such as https://www.childnet.com, https://www.saferinternetday.org and https://www.nspcc.org.uk/ offer information and guidance around digital wellbeing, reliability online, cyberbullying and many other topics.
The importance of talking to a trusted adult
The most important thing for young learners to know is that if they see or experience anything online that makes them feel uncomfortable, worried or scared, they should tell a parent, teacher or another adult who they trust.
It isn't always easy for young people to reach out for help. Having seen content of an explicit nature, for example, can lead to feelings of anxiety or embarrassment. They may fear punishment if they feel that they may have done something 'wrong'. Having regular conversations with your learners will help reassure them that they can always come to you if something upsets them online.
If a child comes to you needing help, it's important to remain calm, reassuring and non-judgemental. Save any evidence you have, as it may help you to report the issue to the appropriate online service.
Cyberbullying
Cyberbullying, or online bullying, is when someone upsets, hurts, frightens, embarrasses or threatens someone else online. Some examples of cyberbullying are: sending unkind messages or writing mean comments, excluding people (for example deliberately leaving them out of an online group, or not letting them play a game), posting an image of someone without their consent, or pretending to be someone in order to embarrass them.
Having conversations in the classroom about cyberbullying will help your learners know what to do if they see or experience it. Firstly, remind them that cyberbullying can happen to anyone, and it's not the fault of the person being bullied. Stress the importance of not replying to mean messages and instead talking to a trusted adult as soon as possible. They should save any evidence, for example by taking a screenshot or keeping a copy of the messages they've received.
You could also discuss what it means to be an 'upstander'. An upstander supports the person who is being bullied and encourages them to talk to a parent or teacher. An upstander may feel confident and safe enough to speak up to the person who is bullying by telling them calmly and directly that their behaviour is not OK, or if they don't, they may decide to report the bullying to a trusted adult. There are lots of excellent videos online, for varying age groups, that you could use as a starting point for discussing this topic.
Keeping personal information safe
Are your learners aware of what is appropriate or inappropriate to share online? Encourage them to think about what's safe and what's not safe to share. Giving personal information like their full name, address, phone number, email address or password is definitely not OK. Posting pictures which show school uniforms, names written on personal items, street signs, distinctive buildings etc. in photos means that children can be located.
In their series of SMART videos, Childnet suggests an action game for young learners called 'Keep it safe or give it away'. The teacher gives learners example situations and they react by either holding their hands close to their body to show that it's something to keep safe or stretching their hands out in front of them to show they can give it away. For example, 'A picture of you in your school uniform' would be 'keep it safe' whereas 'Telling people about your favourite pizza' would be 'give it away'.
As teachers we should also make sure that our own personal information is safe. Regularly check your privacy settings and ensure that you don't risk sharing personal information about yourself, your family or colleagues.
Passwords
There's an easy-to-remember quote (by Clifford Stoll) that says 'Treat your password like your toothbrush. Don't let anybody else use it and get a new one every six months.' Learners could create posters to help them remember this rule, and include other tips, such as how to create strong and memorable passwords (use something that you will remember, but others won't be able to guess; don't use obvious numbers or names, like your date of birth.)
Reliability of information online
The internet is an infinite source of information for teachers, as well as for learners, but choosing the most useful and accurate information can often be a challenge. All sorts of unreliable information can be found online, such as fake news, clickbait, edited images, advertising or scams.
Developing critical thinking skills in the classroom can help learners question what they see online and decide what to trust. We should think about the source of the information, compare with other websites, use knowledge we already have, remember that someone's opinion is not a fact, ask questions, and use our judgement to assess whether online content is reliable or not.
People you don't know in real life
Sometimes it can be difficult for children to remember the difference between their digital lives and their real lives. It's important for them to be aware that people they meet online may not be who they say they are. They shouldn't accept friend requests from people they don't know in real life and never agree to meet someone they only know online. If someone they only know online asks to meet up in real life, they should say no politely, but if that person insists, they should tell a trusted adult.
Learners should also be reminded not to open messages from people they don't know. If a message doesn't look real, they shouldn't open it as it could contain a virus. They should be careful with the emails, links, files and pictures they open and if they aren't sure, ask a parent, teacher or another adult.
Digital wellbeing
There are so many positive things that children and young people can do online, but spending too much time in front of a screen can have a negative effect on their mental wellbeing. Technology addiction can lead to anxiety and depression. Talking to learners about how to manage their screen time and screen habits and balance their screen time with other activities can have a positive impact on their wellbeing.
Communication is key
When having conversations with your learners about life online, don't forget to talk about the positives as well as the negatives. Taking an interest and asking them what they enjoy doing online can be a good starting point for discussions.
Giving your learners the chance to talk about their online experiences is the best way to help them stay safe online. The most important thing for them to know is, that if something makes them feel uncomfortable in any way, you or another adult they trust will be there to support them.
Further reading
https://www.internetmatters.org/issues/
https://www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/online-safety/talking-child-online-safety/
https://www.childnet.com/teachers-and-professionals/
https://www.nspcc.org.uk/what-is-child-abuse/types-of-abuse/bullying-and-cyberbullying/
Jo Blackmore began her career in children's book publishing before training as a teacher of English. Since then, she has spent more than twenty years teaching English in the UK and France with a particular focus on primary learners. Jo also works for the British Council's LearnEnglish websites, creating and editing content for a wide range of learners, and has contributed numerous primary lesson plans to TeachingEnglish. Jo has a love of children’s literature, and enjoys languages and travel.