Online Safety: Protecting Personal Information In The Digital Age.pdf

Equip pupils with strategies to protect their privacy online, understanding the potential consequences of sharing personal information and images.

Learning Outcomes:
- Identify personal details shared online.
- Comprehend the rapid spread of personal information and photographs online.
- Recognize the responsibility not to share others' or their own photos without consent.

Resources:
- Resource Sheet: Mobile phone templates (printed on card)
- Paper and pens
- Toothpaste

Teacher Notes:
- Emphasize a balanced approach, avoiding fear or guilt. Teach pupils to use the internet safely while enjoying its benefits.
- Ensure pupils know their rights and responsibilities online, with a focus on thinking before sharing.
- Be mindful of pupils' varying internet experiences. Remind them of the class agreement regarding confidentiality and reporting concerns.

Lesson Structure:

1. Introduction: Reassure pupils that this lesson is not about fear but safety. Explain the internet's positive aspects and its potential risks, focusing on personal information sharing.

2. Activity 1: Who Uses What?
- Ask pupils about their online gaming and social media preferences.
- Discuss the types of information shared on these platforms (name, location, photos, email, age, videos).

3. Activity 2: What is Shared, is Always Shared
- Divide the class into groups and provide toothpaste.
- Each group shares a type of personal info by squeezing toothpaste onto paper, visually representing it.
- Discuss the spread of information online, using toothpaste to illustrate.
- Show that once shared, photos can be widely disseminated without consent.

4. Activity 3: The Return of the Toothpaste
- Pupils imagine getting toothpaste back into a tube (impossible).
- Explain that personal info shared online cannot be retrieved or controlled.
- Encourage pairs to discuss actions if someone shares their photo without permission, or vice versa.

Key Takeaways:
- Personal information, including photos, can spread quickly and uncontrollably online.
- Every user has a responsibility to respect others' privacy by not sharing personal info or images without consent.
- Thinking carefully before sharing is crucial for online safety.