online safety presentation for schools

Log In or register to download NetSmartz materials.

Forgot Password?

Please enter your e-mail address and your password will be sent to you.

Your password has been sent to the email address provided., register to download netsmartz materials..

I have read the reproduction and privacy policies .

You already have an account with us. Please register with different email address or Log In.

Are you sure you want to delete your account.

Unsubscribe from NetSmartz e-mails.

Sorry to see you go. Your account has been deleted

Resources for parents, educators & communities.

NetSmartz: Online Safety for Middle School

Advanced Online Safety for High School

Internet Safety: Parents, Guardians & Community

Our resources for educators offer multiple ways to engage students, parents and communities in important lessons in digital citizenship and online safety. 

Empower your students to be safer online with our   free collection of teaching materials for families and students in grades K-12.  NetSmartz can help you create a dynamic and engaging Internet safety curriculum.

PowerPoint Presentations

NetSmartz offers free, multimedia internet safety presentations tailored for specific audiences — parents and communities, teens, tweens, and younger children. Our innovative presentations make use of online resources, videos, and expert tips to educate, engage, and empower children and adults to be safer on and offline.​

The presentations below are categorized by age of the intended target audience. However, we strongly encourage presenters to review the PowerPoint presentations before deciding which one to use and to consult with the hosts of your presentation (e.g. administration and/or support staff if presenting at a school) to select the most appropriate presentation for your audience. Depending on your audience’s previous exposure to internet safety and related topics, you may need to deviate from the age guidelines given below to find the most relevant information and format. Contact us at [email protected] with questions or for assistance.

For useful tips and recommended strategies for planning and delivering child safety presentations, be sure to check out the free trainings available on NCMEC Connect!

K-12 Google Slides by Topic

Teaching Modern Safety with "Into the Cloud" Season 1 Grades K-2

Teaching Modern Safety with "Into the Cloud" Season 1 Grades 3-5

Teaching Modern Safety with "Into the Cloud" Season 2 Grades 3-5

Be Safer Online with NetSmartz: Grades K-2 (PC/Mac)

Being a Good Digital Citizen: Grades 3-5 (PC/Mac)

Written for tweens, teens, parents, educators, and law enforcement, these tip sheets offer guidance on navigating digital safety.​

Being a Trusted Adult

Gaming Safely

Internet Safety at Home

Sextortion: What Parents Should Know

So You Need Some Help...

Who is a "Trusted Adult"?

"Your Photo Fate" Video Discussion Guide

Cyberbullying Unplugged

How Do You Use Your NetSmartz? Tips for Teens

Parents' Guide to Smartphone Safety

Protecting Your Kids Online 2.0

Social Media Safety for Teens

Talking to Teens About Sexting

Think Before You Send

Your NetSmartz: Tips for Tweens

You Sent a Sext, Now What?

Classroom activities.

Additional material for the classroom, tailored for project-based learning and children with special needs.

Film Discussion Guide: What is Sextortion?

Film Discussion Guide: The Story of S.M.

Film Discussion Guide: The Story of H.M.

Peer Education & Mentoring Kit

Safety Pledges Using SymbolStix

Safety Stories

E-book: Delivery for Webster

E-book: The Princess's Password

E-book: Webster's Gecko Goof

Free online, on-demand trainings related to prevention education are available via NCMEC's online training portal, NCMEC Connect. View webinars, recorded live sessions, resources and best practices covering online exploitation, tips for teaching online safety, parent/guardian specific topics, and more! 

Subscription Errors

Confirmation.

• News stories
• Blog articles
• NSPCC Learning podcast
• Why language matters
• Sign up to newsletters
• Safeguarding in Education Update
• CASPAR email alert
• Key topics home
• Safeguarding and child protection
• Child abuse and neglect
• Child health and development
• Safer recruitment
• Case reviews
• Online safety
• Research and resources home
• NSPCC research
• Safeguarding resources
• How Safe conference
• Self-assessment tool
• Schools and colleges
• Training home
• Basic safeguarding courses
• Advanced training
• Elearning courses
• Designated person training
• Schools and education courses
• Services home
• Direct work: children and families
• Talk Relationships
• Consultancy
• Library and Information Service
• Support for local communities
• NSPCC Helpline
• Speak out Stay safe schools service
• My learning
• Self-assessment
• /g,'').replace(/ /g,'')" v-html="suggestion">

Online safety and schools

What is e-safety for schools.

Online safety should form a fundamental part of schools’ and colleges’ safeguarding and child protection measures. By taking a whole school approach to online safety, you can help make sure all staff, governors, volunteers and parents know how they can help keep children safe online.

Government guidance for schools across the UK highlights the importance of safeguarding children and young people online.

> Read the key safeguarding legislation and guidance for schools in the UK

What you should do

Schools have a dual responsibility when it comes to online safety: to ensure the school's online procedures keep children and young people safe, and to teach them about online safety, in and outside of school.

Your school should foster an open environment in which children and young people are encouraged to ask any questions and participate in an ongoing conversation about the benefits and risks of the online world.

Our information and resources will help you to:

• create e-safety policies and procedures that will help you mitigate risk and respond to concerns
• ensure teachers have the knowledge to teach students about e-safety
• provide advice on using social media 
• support and include parents and carers by sharing helpful advice and resources
• review and update your e-safety provision on an ongoing basis.

E-safety training

Take our elearning course on online safety and learn about how children and young people use existing technology, the risks involved and how to protect them from harmful content online in your context.

Includes modules on cyberbullying, radicalisation and extremism, grooming and more.

Find out more about what you'll learn

Policies and procedures

All schools and colleges should have robust e-safety policies and procedures that set out how to safeguard against and respond to online safety incidents. These must be understood and followed by all staff, volunteers, children and visitors.

Writing e-safety policies and procedures

Your online safety policies and procedures must follow the legislation and guidance for child protection in schools across the UK and for online safety .

They should apply to all devices with the capacity to connect to the internet and transfer data. This includes internet-connected toys, tablets, smart TVs and watches, phones, laptops and computers.

The Prevent duty

Schools in England, Wales and Scotland should also follow the  Prevent duty’s statutory guidance  regarding online safety and radicalisation (Home Office, 2023).

> Read more about radicalisation and the Prevent duty

Templates for an online safety policy statement and acceptable use policy

Our online safety policy statement template will help you create an e-safety policy that staff, students and parents and carers should follow. This applies to all online platforms, including social media and online games.

The online safety agreement template can be used to set rules for how children should appropriately use the internet.

> Download the templates

Responding to e-safety concerns

Follow your online safety policies and procedures and your organisational child protection procedures. Organisations that work with children and families must have safeguarding policies and procedures in place.

> Follow our guidance on how to respond to online abuse

> Read our guidance on safeguarding roles and responsibilities in schools

> Find out more about responding to sexting and sharing nudes

> Learn how you can support young people to use Report Remove to report nude images shared online

Ongoing review

Technology and the online environment are constantly changing. Online safety policies and procedures should be regularly reviewed and updated as part of your overarching safeguarding measures.

A whole school approach to reviewing these arrangements, including students, staff, volunteers and parents is good practice. Updated policies should be shared with and understood by all staff, children, and parents and carers, highlighting what has changed.

Resources you can use to help

Safeguarding self-assessment tool.

Our free  self-assessment tool  helps schools develop and update their safeguarding policies and procedures and meet statutory and recommended safeguarding practices.

Online safety training

Our  online safety elearning course , developed in association with the child protection unit of the National Crime Agency, CEOP, provides information and resources to help you assess and improve your school’s approach to online safety.

Learning from case reviews briefing on online harm and abuse

You can also read our  learning from case reviews briefing on online harm and abuse  to find out how you can improve online safety.

IT safety and data protection

Schools must have strong IT infrastructure and data protection practices. Make sure your school:

• uses a firewall and robust antivirus software
• uses a recognised internet service provider
• uses an encrypted and password protected WiFi network
• actively monitors and filters any inappropriate websites or content
• manages data in compliance with the  Data Protection Act 2018.

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) provides  advice on data protection  for organisations across the UK (ICO, n.d.), whilst the Department for Education (DfE) provides further, specific guidance for schools  in England (DfE, 2023a).

Filtering and monitoring

Putting in place effective filtering and monitoring systems are a way schools can help safeguard children from harmful online material and provide a safe environment for learning. Filtering restricts access to online content, while monitoring allows user activity to be reviewed.

The UK Safer Internet Centre provides guidance for education settings across the UK about online filtering and monitoring (UK Safer Internet Centre, 2023).

In England, the Department for Education’s (DfE’s)  filtering and monitoring standards  for schools and colleges provides further detail about the systems schools should have in place, including:

• a filtering system that blocks internet access to inappropriate and harmful content. The system should not excessively restrict the day-to-day needs of the school or stop students learning how to recognise risk themselves
• an effective monitoring strategy that allows incidents to be quickly recognised and recorded
• clearly identified roles and responsibilities for staff and third parties. This should include assigning a member of the senior leadership team and a governor to be responsible for ensuring the standards are met
• regular reviews (at least annually) of the filtering and monitoring provision to check that systems are working as expected

(DfE, 2023b).

The DfE statutory safeguarding and child protection guidance for schools in England,  Keeping children safe in education  (KCSIE) (DfE, 2023c) makes it clear that:

• all staff should receive training on the expectations, applicable roles and responsibilities in relation to filtering and monitoring
• the designated safeguarding lead should take lead responsibility for understanding the filtering and monitoring systems and processes in place
• information on school child protection policies should include information on appropriate filtering and monitoring on school devices and school networks.

> Read our CASPAR briefing on the KCSIE guidance

In Northern Ireland, the  online safety strategy and action plan  (Department of Health, 2021) states that the Education Authority (EA), via C2K, provide the infrastructure to support the use of ICT in schools, including a tiered filtering system.

In Scotland, the Scottish Government’s national  action plan for internet safety  for children and young people states that schools are expected to use filtering as a means of restricting access to harmful content (Scottish Government, 2017).

In Wales, the Welsh Government’s  web filtering standards provide advice on the types of websites that should, and should not, be available to pupils (Welsh Government, 2021a).

Online consent forms

If you decide to use online consent forms to record consent for children to take part in activities, these should be stored in accordance with the  Data Protection Act 2018.  Parents and carers should be informed of how this information will be stored and used.

Things to consider include:

• how you will verify that forms have been signed by the right person
• how you will keep the forms secure
• how authorised staff will access and check the forms as necessary
• whether all parents and carers will have access to an online system.

> See an example of a consent form

Teaching online safety

Alongside ensuring your e-safety arrangements are robust, it's essential that schools and colleges teach children and young people about staying safe online – both in and outside of school.

Teachers should have ongoing conversations with children about the benefits and dangers of the internet and create an open environment for children and young people to ask questions and raise any concerns.

Teaching online safety should not be restricted to IT and computing lessons. Embedding key messages about staying safe online throughout the curriculum helps ensure that children of all ages are taught online safety skills.

Teaching resources

We've developed a range of engaging and age appropriate teaching resources to help teachers deliver e-safety lessons and create an ongoing conversation with children and young people about online safety.

Online bullying

We developed  a school pack about online bullying  for 11-16-year-olds with the Anti-Bullying Alliance and Diana Award. The resources can be adapted for use in lessons, assemblies or in school councils and focus on what children and young people can do if they witness cyberbullying.

It's Not OK

A set of lesson plans, films and activities are available through  It's Not OK  for children and young people aged 11 and over. These reinforce the importance of building and maintaining positive relationships and how to recognise and respond to inappropriate behaviour. They cover topics including online safety, grooming and sexting.

Talk relationships

Our Talk Relationships service supports secondary schools to deliver inclusive sex and relationships education. Alongside elearning courses and a dedicated helpline, it includes age-appropriate lesson plans on a range of relevant topics, including: safer online friendships and relationships, sharing of nudes and pornography

Teaching children and young people with special educational needs, additional needs and disabilities

Children and young people with special educational needs, additional needs and disabilities may require different teaching methods to learn about online safety, such as:

• tailored teaching materials, including visual, verbal and multi-media resources
• more detailed explanation of complex issues
• continuous reminders and reinforcement of e-safety messages
• a slower, smaller-step approach to building online resilience

(Assiter, Avery and The Education People, 2018a).

> Use our Love Life resources to talk to young people with learning disabilities about online safety and other topics

External speakers

You may want to make use of external expertise to supplement and reinforce your school's online safety education.

Visitors with the right expertise can provide online safety information to children and young people, staff, volunteers and parents and carers.

When used as part of a well-planned, broad and balanced curriculum, this can make a significant contribution towards children's, staff and parents' online safety awareness.

Use visitors to enhance your approach to online safety, rather than deliver it in full. External expertise can help revisit and build on learning as part of a whole school approach to online safety. Visits should be part of longer term planning rather than  only used for 'one-off' sessions in response to online safety incidents.

(UK Council for Child Internet Safety, 2022).

> Read the UK Council for Child Internet Safety guidance on using external expertise to enhance online safety education

> Find out what safeguarding measures you need to take when you have school visitors

Talking to children and young people about online abuse

We’ve created resources that will help you talk to children about online safety topics. They can help you respond to disclosures, difficult conversations that may arise and any online safety incidents, discoveries, allegations and concerns.

Let children know you're listening

Our  poster and animation  provide tips to help you ensure children always feel listened to. Both are available in English and Welsh.

How to have difficult conversations with children

Find out how to prepare and have a conversation with children and young people you work or volunteer with about  difficult, upsetting or sensitive topics .

Responding to sexting and sharing nudes

Get advice on what to do if you need to help a young person who has  received or sent an explicit image, video or message . 

Our  elearning course on online safety  will help you ensure that staff and volunteers are aware of the risks that children and young people can be exposed to online and know how to respond appropriately.

Sharing nudes and semi-nudes training

Our  elearning course  will help professionals to respond to incidents of nude image sharing or sexting.

In England, the Department for Education (DfE) has published  non-statutory guidance on teaching online safety in school (DfE, 2023d).

The DfE has also published non-statutory guidance for schools and colleges on  harmful online challenges and online hoaxes  (DfE, 2021).

The Scottish Government has produced  Guidance on developing policies to promote the safe and responsible use of mobile technology in schools  and on  Enhancing learning and teaching through the use of digital technology  (Scottish Government, 2013; Scottish Government, 2016). 

The Welsh Government has  online safety resources for schools  (Welsh Government, 2021b).

The  UK Council for Internet Safety (UKCIS) provides a range of guidance and resources about online safety, including guidance for education settings on sharing nudes and semi nudes (UKCIS, 2020).

If a child or young person needs confidential help and advice, direct them to Childline.

Calls to 0800 1111 are free and children can also  contact Childline online  or  read about online and mobile safety on the Childline website .

You can also download or order  Childline posters and wallet cards .

Social media and social networking plays an important role in many young people’s lives – it’s how they keep in touch and communicate with friends, family and schoolmates.

Personal mobile devices mean that children and young people can be active on social media anywhere and at any time. This can provide new opportunities for children and young people to learn and express themselves. But it can also present risks, including:

• cyberbullying
• online grooming
• emotional abuse
• online abuse
• harmful content .

These issues should be tackled in the classroom and as part of an open, ongoing conversation about online safety, so children can learn about how to stay safe on social media.

> For advice on how to keep children safe online, including on social media – take our online safety elearning course

Social media in schools

Some schools use social media to engage children in in the classroom, celebrate student's work, or circulate news, activities and events to parents and carers.

Schools should always consider the safety implications when using social media with children and young people.

• Schools should receive the consent of parents or carers and the child before posting any identifiable information or images of children and young people on social media.
• Social media accounts used for educational purposes should be authorised and supervised by the school, filtered for suitable content and use appropriate privacy and security controls.
• Concerns about social media content involving pupils, such as  cyberbullying , self-harm,  abuse or exploitation , should be raised in accordance with your school’s child protection procedures.

> Read more about responding to online abuse

> See more about social media and online communities

> Find out more about photography and image sharing guidance

Can teachers follow students on social media?

Teachers shouldn’t use their personal accounts to communicate with or follow pupils and students on social media. This should be included in your online behaviour policy and staff code of conduct. 

Including social media in your staff code of conduct

Your code of conduct for staff and volunteers should include clear statements that staff should:

• not engage or communicate with children or children’s families via personal or non-school-authorised accounts
• be aware of their digital footprint - the information about a person that exists on the internet as a result of their online activity
• only use authorised school accounts to send school communications
• use staff accounts for professional purposes only, including email, website and social media accounts
• take steps to avoid being found by children on social media, by selecting strict privacy settings, using a different display name and choosing an appropriate display picture
• not use social media in a way that would breach other school policies.

Useful resources

Enhancing online safety for children.

Our podcast episode on  enhancing online safety for children  includes advice on digital footprints and personal and professional boundaries.

Behaviour management and codes of conduct

Download our  template behaviour code for adults working with children  to help create a policy that includes rules on using social media.

Protecting children from cyberbullying

See more guidance for schools on  how to prevent cyberbullying  and teach children about it in lessons.

Read about what to do if a young person tells you they've been involved in sharing nudes, how to write policies and procedures around this and where to report or share your concerns. 

Social media, online communities and safeguarding 

Find out more about keeping children safe on social media and in online communities, including how to assess and mitigate risk on online platforms, writing policies and procedures and how to recognise and respond to concerns

Photography and filming children

Read about the steps you need to take when taking, sharing or storing images or films of children. Includes information on livestreaming and using video conferencing software.

The Government also has guidance on how you can  recognise and respond to online radicalisation via social media  (Department for Education (DfE) and Home Office, 2015).

Supporting parents and carers

Online safety can be daunting for parents and carers, as they may have concerns about their understanding of the topic and their knowledge of latest developments. Schools should remind parents that e-safety is more about their parenting and communication skills than technology.

Parents and carers should understand that it isn’t enough to protect children from online harms by simply banning sites or installing firewalls and filters.

Encourage parents and carers to maintain an open and ongoing discussion about online safety at home/as a family/with their children.

(Assiter, Avery and The Education People, 2018b).

You can involve parents and carers by:

• sharing resources, news activities and events via social media, newsletters, handouts and email
• circulating new and updated e-safety policies and procedures
• organising and inviting parents to online safety sessions, potentially using external visitors
• showing parents the learning resources you use in the classroom.

More advice about online safety and how to keep children safe online can be found on the NSPCC website. This includes information on social media, online gaming, parental controls, sharing nudes, livestreaming, harmful content and online reporting.

> See our online safety advice for parents and carers on the NSPCC website

The UK Safer Internet Centre has guidance for parents and carers on online safety over the summer holidays (UK Safer Internet Centre, 2018).

Assiter, A., Avery, R. and The Education People (2018a), Online safety for learners with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) (PDF) . Kent: Kent County Council.

Assiter, A., Avery, R. and The Education People (2018b), Engaging families in online safety: guidance for educational settings (PDF) . Kent: Kent County Council.

Department for Education (DfE) and Home Office (2015) The use of social media for online radicalisation . [Accessed 15/07/2021].

Department for Education (2021) Harmful online challenges and online hoaxes . [Accessed 15/07/2021].

Department for Education (DfE) (2023a) Data protection in schools. [Accessed 12/07/2023].

Department for Education (DfE) (2023b) Meeting digital and technology standards in schools and colleges: filtering and monitoring standards for schools. [Accessed 19/06/2023].

Department for Education (DfE) (2023c) Keeping children safe in education: statutory guidance for schools and colleges. [Accessed 29/08/2023].

Department for Education (DfE) (2023d) Teaching online safety in school. [Accessed 18/04/2023].

Department of Health (2021) Online safety strategy and action plan. [Accessed 12/07/2023].

Home Office (2023) Revised Prevent duty guidance . [Accessed 02/01/2024].

Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) (n.d.) UK GDPR guidance and resources. [Accessed 12/07/2023].

Scottish Government (2013) Safe and responsible use of mobile technology in schools: guidance . Edinburgh: Scottish Government.

Scottish Government (2016) Enhancing learning and teaching through the use of digital technology . Edinburgh: Scottish Government.

Scottish Government (2017) Internet safety for children and young people: national action plan. [Accessed 12/07/2023].

UK Council for Child Internet Safety (2018) Using external visitors to support online safety (PDF) . [London]: UK Council for Child Internet safety].

UK Council for Internet Safety (UKCIS) (2020) Sharing nudes and semi-nudes: advice for education settings working with children and young people . [London].

UK Safer Internet Centre (2018), Guidance for parents and carers on online safety over the summer holidays . [Accessed 15/07/2021].

UK Safer Internet Centre (2023) Appropriate filtering and monitoring: guide for education settings and filtering providers. [Accessed 12/07/2023].

Welsh Government (2021a) Education digital standards: web filtering. [Accessed 12/07/2023].

Welsh Government (2021b) Keeping safe online . [Accessed 25/07/2023].

Training courses for schools

We have a range of training courses to help your school keep children safe. 

Responding to online abuse

If a child or young person has disclosed that they've experienced abuse online, or you've noticed something worrying, find out how to respond appropriately.

Social media and online communities

Learn about setting up an online community or new social media platform. Includes assessing and addressing risk and ensuring you have appropriate moderation and hosting in place.

Safeguarding legislation for schools

Guidance setting out the safeguarding responsibilities of schools in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

Need help dealing with violent or distressing online content?  Learn more

Classroom resources

Use the filters below to select content for the education level and topic most relevant to your students.

Filter results

Privacy and security, ask for help, investigating the truth, role-play respect online, questions we have about the internet, under lock and key, mighty heroes, online safety classroom posters.

Online boundaries and consent

Swoosh, Glide and Rule Number 5

How our class stays safe online.

Play it safe and fair online

Online safety classroom agreement, quick links.

Online friends and strangers

Digital signage for schools

Be deadly online.

Hector's World

The YeS Project

Young and eSafe

Making good choices online

What’s your brand?

Young Mentors

Being safe online - easy read.

Keep it sweet online

Rewrite Your Story

Respect Matters

The Internet and the Law

Cybersmart Challenge

Online safety posters and conversation starters

eSafety acknowledges all First Nations people for their continuing care of everything Country encompasses — land, waters and community. We pay our respects to First Nations people, and to Elders past, present and future. 

First Nations people should be aware that this website may contain images and voices of people who have died.

Find information and resources for First Nations people.

Read our Reconciliation Action Plan .

Get the latest info to your inbox

What's on

Find the latest webinars, events and campaigns

Ask a general question about our work

Keep up to date across all our platforms

• Disclaimer and copyright
• Accessibility
• Privacy policy
• Freedom of information

• International
• Education Jobs
• Schools directory
• Resources Education Jobs Schools directory News Search

Online Safety PowerPoint

Subject: Computing

Age range: 7-11

Resource type: Lesson (complete)

Last updated

16 August 2022

• Share through email
• Share through twitter
• Share through linkedin
• Share through facebook
• Share through pinterest

Struggling to come up with how to teach your children how to be safe online? This resource comes with instructions of how to embed e-safety into your general day to day teaching of Computing.

Included in the files are:

-Instructions of how to use it in your lessons

• Traffic light system to support the rating of e-safety

Check out our Instagram page @martingouldendigitalresources of more ways to teach the children about online safety.

Creative Commons "NoDerivatives"

Your rating is required to reflect your happiness.

It's good to leave some feedback.

Something went wrong, please try again later.

This resource hasn't been reviewed yet

To ensure quality for our reviews, only customers who have downloaded this resource can review it

Report this resource to let us know if it violates our terms and conditions. Our customer service team will review your report and will be in touch.

Not quite what you were looking for? Search by keyword to find the right resource:

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

Here's how you know

Official websites use .gov A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS A lock ( Lock A locked padlock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Internet Safety

Online safety for youth.

This page contains topical federal and federally-supported materials and websites.

Featured Resource

Safety Pledge Developed with funding support from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) Safety Pledge website provides free resources to help parents, educators, and caregivers learn more about the risks that children face online and how to respond safely. NCMEC partnered with the White House and Department of Justice on this new campaign to combat online child exploitation.

Publications

Keeping Children Safe Online U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team, January 2023

Profiles of Youth In-Person and Online Sexual Harassment Victimization National Institute of Justice-Sponsored, July 2021

Adolescents' Exposure to Online Risks: Gender Disparities and Vulnerabilities Related to Online Behaviors National Institute of Justice-Sponsored, May 2021

Staying Safe on Social Network Sites U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team, February 2021

Related Resources

Crimes Against Children Research Center Funded in part by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the Crimes Against Children Research Center serves to combat crimes against children by providing research and statistics to the public, policy makers, law enforcement, and other child welfare personnel.

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) The FBI works to prevent criminals, sexual predators, and others intent on malicious destruction from using the internet and online services to steal from, defraud, and otherwise victimize citizens, businesses, and communities. See the following FBI webpages to learn more:

• Cyber Crime
• Safe Online Surfing
• Violent Crimes Against Children/Online Predators

Federal Trade Commission (FTC): Protecting Kids Online This section of the FTC site provides online privacy guidelines and resources for kids, parents, and educators.

Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force Program Funded by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the ICAC Task Force Program was created to help law enforcement agencies enhance their investigative response to individuals who use the internet, online communication systems, or other computer technology to sexually exploit children.

Keeping Children Safe Online Due to COVID-19, kids and adults are online more than ever, often unsupervised in the same space. This Department of Justice webpage provides information, tips, videos, and more to help kids stay safe.

National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) The NCMEC mission is to help prevent child abduction and sexual exploitation; help find missing children; and assist victims of child abduction and sexual exploitation, their families, and the professionals who serve them.

NetSmartz Developed in part through funding from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, NetSmartz offers free, multimedia internet safety presentations tailored for specific audiences – parents and communities, tweens, teens, and younger children.

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) OJJDP provides national leadership, coordination, and resources to prevent and respond to juvenile delinquency and victimization. See OJJDP's  Sexual Exploitation of Children  page for topical information.

Project iGuardian Project iGuardian is a national cyber safety campaign spearheaded by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations in partnership with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. As part of Project iGuardian, schools and youth groups can request presentations on how to avoid falling victim to online sexual predators.

Project Safe Childhood (PSC) This U.S. Department of Justice initiative combats the use of computers for the purposes of sexual exploitation crimes against children. It aims to investigate and prosecute offenders, as well as protect and assist victimized children.

U.S. Department of Justice Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) The mission of the CEOS is to protect the welfare of America's children and communities by enforcing federal criminal statutes relating to the exploitation of children and obscenity.

Meet your statutory requirements in online safety

All of our training and resources have been designed in line with the latest DfE, Ofsted and wider government guidance around online safety

Achieve National Online Safety Certified Status

Showcase your commitment to safeguarding children online by achieving our online safety certification. Designed in line with statutory and curriculum requirements, our certification programme drives a whole-school approach to online safety which engages leaders, staff and parents and carers, and evidences your compliance with DfE guidance, Ofsted expectations and recommended best practice.

Access everything you need to keep children safe, healthy and resilient to life beyond the school gates, directly from your mobile device - the perfect tool to keep up to date and engage parents and carers.

• All courses and webinars available to stream anytime, anywhere
• Vote for topics you want us to cover next
• Receive notifications each time new guides are released
• Add content to your favourites so you can refer back to it at any time quickly

Multi-award winning | Free to download | Easy to use

• Coerced online child sexual abuse
• Cyberflashing
• Livestreaming
• Misinformation
• Online Bullying
• Online Challenges
• Parental controls
• Pornography
• Screen Time
• Social Media

Appropriate Filtering and Monitoring

• Parents and Carers

Teachers and school staff

• Children and young people
• Grandparents
• Governors and trustees
• Social workers
• Foster carers and adoptive parents
• Residential care settings
• Healthcare Professionals
• Social media guides
• Safe remote learning hub
• Trusted Flagger Guidance
• Training and events

Guides and resources

Educators, social workers and other professionals working with children and young people play a key role in supporting children to learn about how to stay safe online.

It is our experience that this is best achieved by embedding online safety across the curriculum or the work of the organisation, through a framework of effective policies and routes for reporting concerns such as cyberbullying. As well as supporting young people to stay safe online, staff also need to protect their own online reputation, particularly when using social networking sites.

Teaching resources

Lesson plans, resources, guidance, all the information you need to teach online safety in the classroom.

Curriculum planning

Developing a progressive online safety curriculum in your school using some of our resources and tools.

Online safety training sessions

The UK Safer Internet Centre offers a range of online safety training sessions for school staff, the children’s workforce, children…

Professional reputation

Advice about protecting your reputation while using social media and technology both personally and professionally.

Online safety policy

Tools and guidance to help you develop and evaluate your online safety policies.

Guide for education settings and filtering providers about establishing ‘appropriate levels’ of filtering and monitoring.

Online Safety Podcast by SWGfL

Online Safety Index 2023 – How Well Do Schools In England Protect Children Online

Helpful articles.

2024 Appropriate filtering and monitoring definitions published

The UK Safer Internet Centre (UKSIC) has published its ‘appropriate’ filtering and monitoring definitions for 2024

New online issue page released to support with responding to sextortion incidents

We have prepared a brand new online issue page to guide professionals, parents, carers, and young people through sextortion.

Revenge Porn Helpline reveals women have 28 times more intimate images shared than men

The Revenge Porn Helpline has released the latest annual report data looking at the trends and insights seen across 2023.

IWF declares most extreme year on record at #BehindTheScreens Annual Report launch

The Internet Watch Foundation, found more child sexual abuse imagery in 2023 than any previous year.

Ofcom Data Reveals 1 in 3 Children Aged 5 -7 Use Social Media Unsupervised

The latest research from Ofcom has revealed the current online landscape of children and young people using technology.

New interactive learning resource from Childnet looking at reliability online

We are delighted to announce the launch of a brand new, interactive and gamified resource helping young people to decide…

National Crime Agency Issues Financially Motivated Sexual Extortion Alert to UK Schools

The National Crime Agency has issued an alert to educational establishments across the UK about the rise in financially motivated…

Meta Announces Tools to Help Protect Against Sextortion and Intimate Image Abuse

Meta has announced new tools being tested to protect young people and adults from intimate image abuse.

Be in the know

You’ll get knowledge, skills and tools to make the internet safer for young people at your care. Each sent once per month.

Share your feedback:

We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website.

We need your consent to continue

Necessary cookies.

Cookies for the basic functionality of the UKSIC website.

Functional cookies

Cookies for additional functionality and increased website security.

Targeting cookies

Advertising and analytics service cookies that create day-to-day statistics and show ads on their site and on the advertiser’s partners websites.

Privacy Policy

• Expert Advisory Panel
• Our partners
• Become a partner
• Advice for parents and carers
• Advice for professionals
• Connecting Safely Online
• Fostering Digital Skills
• UKCIS Vulnerable Users Working Group
• Online hate
• Online grooming
• Fake news and misinformation
• Screen time
• Inappropriate content
• Cyberbullying
• Online reputation
• Online Pornography
• Radicalisation
• Privacy and identity theft
• Report issue
• Pre-school (0-5)
• Young Children (6-10)
• Pre-teen (11-13)
• Teens ( 14+)
• Social media privacy guides
• Gaming platforms and devices
• Smartphones and other devices
• Broadband & mobile networks
• Entertainment & search engines
• Get smart about smartphones
• My Family’s Digital Toolkit
• Navigating teens’ online relationships
• Online gaming advice hub
• Social media advice hub
• Press Start for PlayStation Safety

Guide to apps

• Digital resilience toolkit
• Online money management guide
• The dangers of digital piracy
• Guide to buying tech
• UKCIS Digital Passport
• Online safety leaflets & resources
• Digital wellbeing research programme
• Parent Stories
• Expert opinion
• Press releases
• Our expert panel
• Free digital stories and lessons
• Early years
• Primary school
• Secondary school
• Connect school to home
• Professional guidance
• Online safety teaching resources
• Secondary schools online safety resources

Secondary school resources

Free online safety teaching materials While 44% of primary school children have their own mobile phones, the same is true for 97% of children in secondary school. However, not all children understand the dangers of the online space or believe they are mature enough to handle them. That’s why it’s important to give them the skills they need to make safe choices with quality secondary school resources.

From managing their screen time to navigating cyberbullying or inappropriate content, we have a variety of secondary school resources to help teach teens about safe online use.

Common online safety issues in secondary school

The digital world offers a variety of benefits to children and young people, but not all teens understand the harmful risks that may affect them online. Below are common online safety issues that children aged 11-16 may experience. See what they are and how teachers can support them.

According to Ofcom’s 2022 report , 71% of parents of children aged 12-15 were worried about online bullying. 12-15s were most likely to be bullied via text/messaging apps. Compared to other age groups, children aged 12-15 were less likely to be bullied face-to-face than online.

Some research suggests that children might stop reporting bullying because they feel like it’s not dealt with appropriately. As educators, it’s important to teach children the best routes for reporting online bullying while also sharing resources for them to use. Abusive behaviour should never go unchecked.

Additional reading

• Cyberbullying advice hub
• How to encourage children to report cyberbullying among friends

Secondary school resource to support children

The online together project.

• Childline.org.uk : 0800 1111
• Stop, Speak, Support code
• Anti-Bullying Alliance

91% of children aged 12-15 use social media. According to Ofcom’s 2022 News Consumption report, Instagram, TikTok and Youtube are the most common sources of news among teens. With so much false information spread through social media, it’s important to teach teens how to think critically about what they see online.

False information is often called ‘fake news’, but it’s more than that. The two main types of false information are misinformation and disinformation. Misinformation is false information that people share because they think it’s true while disinformation is false information that is known to be false and purposely shared. In many cases, disinformation can become misinformation.

If someone purposely shares false information, they usually have a motive for it. This could be to make sales, influence beliefs or get views/page engagement. When others believe the information, they are likely to share and spread it to others who may also believe it. If users don’t fact-check what they see, they may continue to spread it unknowingly.

• Fake news and misinformation advice hub
• Types of fake news
• Find the Fake  quiz
• Trust Me lesson resource  from Childnet
• BBC Reality Check

Inappropriate content can include anything not suitable for a child’s age such as:

• pornographic videos or images
• nasty language
• hate speech
• content promoting eating disorders and self-harm
• images or videos showing violent or cruel acts
• sexism or misogynistic content

Conversations and lessons with children about inappropriate content can help them understand what is and isn’t okay for them to see and why.

• Inappropriate content advice hub
• Age restrictions explained
• Protecting children from online pornography

Secondary school resources to support children

• Report to CEOP
• Social media age requirements

In their 2022 Children’s Media Use and Attitudes report, Ofcom found that children use a range of privacy and security measure to keep safe online. These include browsing in incognito mode (21%) and using a proxy server (5%). While these measure promote privacy, they may actually leave teens open to more online harms like inappropriate or extremist content.

Additionally, 6% of children report bypassing parental controls that keep them from visiting some apps and sites. Therefore, it’s important to teach teens why privacy settings and parental controls benefit them. They may not yet fully understand the importance of their online safety.

94% of children aged 12-17 use social media and while these platforms often allow users to limit who can interact with them, only 30% report using these controls. Helping teens to understand the importance of privacy online can help them take greater ownership of their security online. Having these features in place will ensure their online reputation remains positive for the future.

• Privacy and identity theft content advice hub
• What is doxxing?
• Privacy settings guides
• Action Fraud : 0300 123 2040

97% of children aged 12-15 have their own mobile phones, going up to 100% for 16-17s. They use a variety of devices and platforms including video games, video-sharing platforms and social media apps. On average: boys play around 4 hours of video games per day while girls play around 2 hours; children aged 7-16 spend just under 3 ½ hours per day online; children aged 4-15 spend just under six hours per week watching video content. Additionally, 62% of 7-16s have access to their mobile phones at all times, which means they may spend more time than is recorded.

In the same report from Ofcom as the above, 40% of parents say they struggle to manage their child’s screen time. Support from schools is vital in helping children understand how to balance screen use.

Balanced screen use means using devices for different purposes. This may be playing video games or browsing social media but could also include completing homework, doing school work, learning new skills, practising wellbeing and more. It also means taking breaks from digital to focus on offline activities like school, spending time with family and friends, staying active and more.

In our report created with TikTok , we found that most teens are aware of their need to manage their screen time. They do so through a variety of methods including screen time apps. While they recognise they may need some support, they want the ability for flexibility. Teaching teens how to find balance is an important skill they can take with them beyond school.

• Screen time advice hub
• Balancing screen time in KS3
• Balancing screen time in KS4
• Creating a balanced digital diet
• Skill-building apps
• Wellbeing apps
• Active apps

While online self-harm appears different from offline self-harm, they are both damaging to a young person. Online, it may include:

• young people encouraging others to roast them
• consuming content that promotes eating disorders or self-harm
• getting validation of suicidal or harmful feelings on online forums
• trolling or saying things online to receive abusive reactions

Digital self-harm often validates someone’s feelings of depression or worthlessness and should not be brushed off. Teaching young people about healthy outlets for low moods can help them learn how to regulate themselves and recognise when it’s time to seek help.

• Self-harm hub
• Expert insight to digital self-harm
• Tips to promote positive body image
• Supporting children’s body image in the online world
• Young Minds
• The Mix : 0808 808 4994
• Samaritans : 116 123

Sexting is the sharing of sexually explicit messages and images online, often over messaging and texting apps.

Young people engage in sexting for a variety of reasons. 17% of children aged 15+ report having shared nude images of themselves in a 2020 report . Among this number, children with vulnerabilities are more likely to sext. For instance, care-experienced children (26%), those with eating disorders (23%) and those with long-standing physical illnesses (20%) were more likely than those without vulnerabilities (6%) to engage in sexting.

Among those who have shared nudes, 18% report they were blackmailed or pressured into doing it. However, regardless of their reason for sharing these images, it is a form of child-on-child abuse and victims need to be aware of the ways they can get help.

• Sexting facts and advice hub
• Online child-on-child abuse
• Understanding the impact of sexting on a child’s mind
• So, you got naked online? (SEND)
• What is child-on-child abuse?

Tools for the Year 6 transition

Popular platforms for children in secondary school.

Learn about the more popular games and platforms that your students might use, including their benefits and the issues to watch out for.

Featured secondary school resources to use in the classroom

Our free online safety resources help make teaching online safety easy. From detailed lessons to unique tools, these resources for secondary school cover some of the most important online safety topics for children in secondary school.

Use this tool to start a discussion about stereotypes found online. Create a lesson around online hate, using a quiz as an assessment, activity or starter, to begin challenging biases online.

SEE RESOURCE

Find the Fake

Help children learn how to recognise unreliable or false information online using this quiz created with Google. Use it within your lesson as a starter, main activity or assessment to help minimise risk online.

Cyberbullying conversations

Use our conversation starter guides to help students feel comfortable about being honest about cyberbullying. Create a homework task to get parents involved in their child’s online safety.

Digital Resilience Toolkit

Teach children to be resilient online by using this secondary school resource as a guide to your lesson. Or send this resource home to help parents support children’s digital resilience at home and at school.

Help secondary school children balance their screen time by using their devices purposefully. These apps and games help children stay active, manage their wellbeing and learn a range of new skills.

Digital agreement

Help children think about how much time their families spend on devices with this family agreement template. Have children create one to share with their families or send the template home to parents.

Other resources

Download Workbook

• To receive personalised online safety guidance in the future, we’d like to ask for your name and email. Simply fill your details below. You can choose to skip, if you prefer.
• First name *
• Last name *
• Email Address *
• I am a * Parent/Carer Teacher Professional
• Organisation name
• Skip and download
• Phone This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

• Get started with computers
• Learn Microsoft Office
• Apply for a job
• Improve my work skills
• Design nice-looking docs
• Getting Started
• Smartphones & Tablets
• Typing Tutorial
• Online Learning
• Basic Internet Skills
• Online Safety
• Social Media
• Zoom Basics
• Google Docs
• Google Sheets
• Career Planning
• Resume Writing
• Cover Letters
• Job Search and Networking
• Business Communication
• Entrepreneurship 101
• Careers without College
• Job Hunt for Today
• 3D Printing
• Freelancing 101
• Personal Finance
• Sharing Economy
• Decision-Making
• Graphic Design
• Photography
• Image Editing
• Learning WordPress
• Language Learning
• Critical Thinking
• For Educators
• Translations
• Staff Picks
• English expand_more expand_less

Internet Safety for Kids  - Teaching Kids About Internet Safety

Internet safety for kids  -, teaching kids about internet safety, internet safety for kids teaching kids about internet safety.

Internet Safety for Kids: Teaching Kids About Internet Safety

Lesson 1: teaching kids about internet safety,  teaching kids about internet safety.

The Internet can be a wonderful place to learn, shop, play games, and talk to your friends. Unfortunately, there are also predators, identity thieves, and others online who may try to harm you. In order to be safe online, it's important for you and your kids to be aware of the dangers.

Many kids are confident that they know how to be safe online. However, there are a few reasons kids are often more at risk. They may not always think about the consequences of their actions, which can cause them to share too much information about themselves. Kids also are sometimes specifically targeted by cyberbullies or predators.

If you're a parent or guardian, you can help to keep your kids safe by talking to them about their Internet use , teaching them about online dangers , and learning everything you can about the Internet so you can make informed decisions.

About this tutorial

This tutorial is designed for any parent or guardian who wants to learn how to keep their kids safe online. You may want to review our Internet Safety tutorial first so you'll have a basic understanding of online safety. Throughout this tutorial, we'll link to other resources you can use if you want more information. We'll also link to some activities, videos, and other resources that are geared toward kids and teens. You may want to show these resources to your kids or even work through them together.

If you want to learn the basics of using the Internet, you can also check out our Internet Basics , Email 101 , and Beyond Email tutorials.

Understanding online dangers

In order to keep your kids safe, you'll need to know about the different types of online dangers that exist. For example, kids and teens may find inappropriate content on the Internet, such as pornography or obscene language. There is also a possibility of cyberbullying or cyberharassment from others online. This does not mean your child will encounter all of these threats. However, knowing about the dangers can help you and your kids make smart decisions online.

Review the interactive below to learn about some of the dangers kids can encounter online.

Malware is malicious software that is designed to damage your computer or steal your personal information . It includes viruses, spyware, and other types of software.

Malware is often secretly bundled with other software, and it can also infect email attachments.

Cyber-stalking

Cyber-stalking is any kind of harassment or threatening behavior that occurs online. It can happen through instant messaging, text messaging, email, or social networks. If the perpetrator is a child or teen, it is often called cyberbullying .

In the online world, piracy refers to illegally sharing copyrighted materials . This can include music, movies, TV shows, and software. For many kids, sharing files may seem innocent, but it can result in stiff penalties.

Phishing is a type of scam where the scammer tries to trick you into revealing your personal information . Usually, it involves an email, instant message, or website that is designed to look like it's from a legitimate company.

The Internet contains a lot of content you probably don't want your kids to see, including pornography, violent content, and vulgar language .

Cyberbullying

Cyberbullying is bullying that occurs online , often through instant messaging, text messaging, email, and social networks.

Cyberbullies may be the same age as the victims, or they may be older. If the perpetrator is an adult, it is generally called cyber-stalking or cyberharassment .

Revealing too much

Many kids and teens like to post photos and share information about themselves. In some cases, this information can be used by online predators .

It's also possible for an embarrassing photo to damage a kid's or teen's reputation . This can affect their social life, and it may even come back to haunt them years later when they're applying for a job.

Other types of dangers

Whenever someone uses a computer, there is a risk of eye strain , wrist strain , and other injuries . You can help prevent this by limiting the amount of time your kids spend on computers and mobile devices. For tips on avoiding injury, read Creating a Safe Workspace in our Computer Basics tutorial.

There's also another reason to limit your kids' Internet use: Because people are spending more and more time online, Internet addiction is becoming a more significant problem. Internet use can be a good thing, but if it becomes an addiction it can affect a person's offline life.

Places where dangers can occur

It's important for kids to be careful whenever they're connected to the Internet because online dangers are not just limited to bad websites . Chat rooms, computer games, and even social networking sites can be risky. If your kids have mobile phones, they'll also need to be careful when texting or when accessing the Internet on their phones.

Review the slideshow below to learn about some of the places online where kids can be at risk.

Guidelines for keeping your kids safe

It can be difficult to keep your kids completely safe online. Even if you set up parental controls on your home computer, your kids will use many other computers that don't have parental controls. To keep your kids safe, you'll need to teach them to make good decisions online—even when you're not around.

Below are some general tips you can use when teaching your kids about online safety:

• Learn everything you can about the Internet. Being familiar with the Internet will not only help you understand the risks, but it will also help you talk to your kids.
• Set standards for what your kids can and cannot do online. It's important to make rules for your kids so they know what's expected of them. Don't wait until something bad happens to start creating guidelines.
• Teach your kids to keep personal information private . It's usually a bad idea to post personal information online such as phone numbers, addresses, and credit cards. If criminals gain access to this information, they can use it to harm you or your family.
• Teach your kids to use social networking sites safely. Sites like Facebook allow kids—and adults—to share photos and videos of themselves, as well as have conversations with friends and strangers. If your kids share something with friends, it's still possible for it to get into the wrong hands. Generally, they should only post something online if they're comfortable with everyone in the world seeing it.
• Encourage your kids to come to you if they encounter a problem. If your child gets into trouble online, you'll want him or her to come to you instead of hiding it. Keep in mind that your kids could accidentally encounter a bad site, even if they're doing everything right.
• Talk to your kids about Internet use. Talk to your kids regularly about how they use the Internet. If they're in the habit of talking to you about the Internet, they'll be more willing to come to you if there's a problem.

The Federal Trade Commission has videos and other resources you may find helpful. Watch the following video to learn more about talking to your kids about Internet safety.

Minimizing risks at home

If you have a home computer your kids use, there are some extra precautions you can take to make it safer. Remember that your kids will probably use many other computers, and these precautions won't keep them safe when they're not at home. Also, keep in mind that these are merely suggestions; depending on your parenting style and your kids' ages, you may choose not to use all of them.

• Keep the computer in the living room or in another common area. By putting the computer in a common area of the house, you can reduce the chance that they'll talk to strangers or visit inappropriate websites. For teens, you may choose to give them more freedom about where they use the computer (especially if they have their own computers).
• Install antivirus software. Viruses and other malware are a risk for any computer (although Macs are slightly safer). To protect your computer, you can install antivirus software such as BitDefender or Norton .
• Use a kid-friendly search engine. Regular search engines may return results with inappropriate content you don't want your kids to see. However, there are some search engines that are designed to only return kid-friendly results (although there is still the possibility of inappropriate results getting through). Examples include KidTopia and KidRex.org .
• Use parental controls. Windows and Mac OS X allow you to add parental controls to user accounts. These include time limits , website restrictions , and controlling which applications can be opened . You can also buy parental control software like Net Nanny , which has versions for Windows and Mac.

Creating an Internet safety contract

Once you've established Internet guidelines, you may want to put them in writing. You can create an Internet safety contract your kids can sign, and then you can keep a copy of it near the computer.

There are also premade contracts you can download and print. One example is the Family Online Safety Contract , which you can download from the Family Online Safety Institute . In addition to a contract, it includes a contract for parents, which contains guidelines you may find helpful.

/en/internetsafetyforkids/staying-safe-from-online-predators/content/

Got any suggestions?

We want to hear from you! Send us a message and help improve Slidesgo

Top searches

Trending searches

26 templates

6 templates

first day of school

68 templates

72 templates

indigenous canada

8 templates

48 templates

Technology Subject for Middle School: Digital Citizenship and Internet Safety

It seems that you like this template, technology subject for middle school: digital citizenship and internet safety presentation, free google slides theme, powerpoint template, and canva presentation template.

As much as we love the internet we need to take a moment and discuss digital citizenship and internet safety. Being a responsible digital citizen is like being a responsible pet owner: you pick up after yourself and don't let your pet bite other people. Similarly, we need to clean up our online behavior (no trolling or hate speech) and respect other people's digital space (not spreading rumors or sharing private info without permission). And just like how we use a leash to keep our furry friends safe, we need to use passwords and other security measures to protect our personal information and avoid shady websites. Is it clear that we've created this editable and illustrated template for teachers who want to give such an important lesson? Let's promote a safe use of the internet!

Features of this template

• 100% editable and easy to modify
• 35 different slides to impress your audience
• Contains easy-to-edit graphics such as graphs, maps, tables, timelines and mockups
• Includes 500+ icons and Flaticon’s extension for customizing your slides
• Designed to be used in Google Slides, Canva, and Microsoft PowerPoint
• 16:9 widescreen format suitable for all types of screens
• Includes information about fonts, colors, and credits of the resources used

How can I use the template?

Am I free to use the templates?

How to attribute?

Attribution required If you are a free user, you must attribute Slidesgo by keeping the slide where the credits appear. How to attribute?

Related posts on our blog.

How to Add, Duplicate, Move, Delete or Hide Slides in Google Slides

How to Change Layouts in PowerPoint

How to Change the Slide Size in Google Slides

Related presentations.

Premium template

Unlock this template and gain unlimited access

Register for free and start editing online

Cookies on GOV.UK

We use some essential cookies to make this website work.

We’d like to set additional cookies to understand how you use GOV.UK, remember your settings and improve government services.

We also use cookies set by other sites to help us deliver content from their services.

You have accepted additional cookies. You can change your cookie settings at any time.

You have rejected additional cookies. You can change your cookie settings at any time.

Register to vote Register by 18 June to vote in the General Election on 4 July.

• Society and culture
• Online safety

Teaching online safety in schools

• Department for Education

Updated 12 January 2023

Applies to England

© Crown copyright 2023

This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. To view this licence, visit nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3 or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: [email protected] .

Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned.

This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/teaching-online-safety-in-schools/teaching-online-safety-in-schools

This non-statutory guidance outlines how schools can ensure their pupils understand how to stay safe and behave online as part of existing curriculum requirements.

It complements existing subjects including:

• relationships education
• relationships and sex education
• health education
• citizenship

There are no additional teaching requirements.

This guidance is for school leaders, school staff and governing bodies. It applies to all local-authority-maintained schools, academies and free schools.

Independent schools and non-maintained special schools may also find this guidance helpful as they are required to teach relationships education, relationships and sex education, and health education.

Introduction

Today’s pupils are growing up in an increasingly complex world, living their lives seamlessly on and offline. This presents many positive and exciting opportunities, but also challenges and risks.

We want schools to equip their pupils with the knowledge needed to make the best use of the internet and technology in a safe, considered and respectful way, so they are able to reap the benefits of the online world.

This advice brings together information that will help schools deliver online safety content within their curriculum and embed this within their wider whole school approach.

Refer to the education for a connected world framework for age-specific advice about the online knowledge and skills that pupils should have the opportunity to develop at different stages of their lives.

Curriculum context

As part of the statutory relationships and health education in primary schools and relationships, sex and health education in secondary schools, pupils are taught about online safety and harms. This includes being taught:

• what positive, healthy and respectful online relationships look like
• the effects of their online actions on others
• how to recognise and display respectful behaviour online

Throughout these subjects, teachers will address online safety and appropriate behaviour in an age-appropriate way that is relevant to their pupils’ lives.

This complements the computing curriculum , which covers the principles of online safety at all key stages, with progression in the content to reflect the different and escalating risks that pupils face. This includes:

• how to use technology safely, responsibly, respectfully and securely
• where to go for help and support when they have concerns about content or contact on the internet or other online technologies

There are also other curriculum subjects which include content relevant to teaching pupils how to use the internet safely. For example, citizenship education explores:

• freedom of speech
• the role and responsibility of the media in informing and shaping public opinion
• the concept of democracy, freedom, rights, and responsibilities

Educate Against Hate has a full teaching pack dedicated to fundamental British values that includes class tasks, a class presentation, films and teaching guidance.

You should consider what you are already delivering through the curriculum, and build in additional teaching as required to make sure pupils know how to stay safe and how to behave online.

Underpinning knowledge and behaviours

The online world develops and changes at a great speed. New opportunities, challenges and risks are appearing all the time. This can make it difficult for schools to stay up to date with the latest devices, platforms, apps, trends and related threats.

It is important to focus on the underpinning knowledge and behaviours that can help pupils to navigate the online world safely and confidently regardless of the device, platform or app. This teaching could be:

• built into existing lessons across the curriculum
• covered within specific online safety lessons
• covered using school-wide approaches

Teaching must always be age and developmentally appropriate.

How to evaluate what they see online

Covering this content will enable pupils to make judgements about what they see online and not automatically assume that what they see is true, valid or acceptable.

You can help pupils to consider:

• whether a website, URL or email is fake
• what cookies do and what information they are sharing
• if a person or organisation is who they say they are
• why a person wants them to see, send or believe something
• why a person wants their personal information
• the reason why something has been posted
• whether something they see online is fact or opinion

How to recognise techniques used for persuasion

Covering this content will enable pupils to recognise the techniques that are often used to persuade or manipulate others.

You can help pupils to recognise:

• online content which tries to make people believe something false is true or mislead (misinformation and disinformation)
• techniques that companies use to persuade people to buy something
• ways in which criminals may try to defraud people online
• ways in which games and social media companies try to keep users online longer (persuasive or sticky design)
• grooming and manipulation techniques used by criminals
• ways to protect themselves from a range of cyber crimes

Online behaviour

Covering this content will enable pupils to understand what acceptable and unacceptable online behaviour look like. You should teach pupils:

• that the same standard of behaviour and honesty apply on and offline, including the importance of respect for others
• to recognise unacceptable behaviour in others

You can help pupils to recognise acceptable and unacceptable behaviour by:

• looking at why people behave differently online, for example how anonymity (you do not know me) and invisibility (you cannot see me) affect what people do
• looking at how online emotions can be intensified resulting in mob mentality [footnote 1]
• looking at the key principles behind a constructive discussion, including a willingness to listen to other opinions and a readiness to be educated on a topic
• considering how to demonstrate empathy towards others (on and offline)
• teaching techniques (relevant on and offline) to defuse or calm arguments, for example, a disagreement with friends, and disengage from unwanted contact or content online
• considering unacceptable online behaviours often passed off as so-called social norms or just banter, for example, negative language being used as part of online gaming but would never be tolerated offline

How to identify online risks

Covering this content will enable pupils to identify possible online risks and make informed decisions about how to act. This should not be about providing a list of what not to do online. The focus should be to help pupils assess a situation, think through the consequences of acting in different ways and decide on the best course of action.

You can help pupils to identify and manage risk by discussing:

• the ways in which someone may put themselves at risk online
• risks posed by another person’s online behaviour
• when risk taking can be positive and negative
• online reputation and the positive and negative aspects of an online digital footprint
• sharing information online and how to make a judgement about when and how to share and who to share with
• the risks of cyber crime, online fraud and identity theft

How and when to seek support

Covering this content will enable pupils to understand safe ways in which to seek support if they are concerned or upset by something they have seen online.

You can help pupils by explaining how to:

• identify who trusted adults are
• access support from the school, police, the National Crime Agency’s Click CEOP reporting service for children and 3rd sector organisations such as Childline and Internet Watch Foundation
• report cyber crime, fraud and suspicious online activity, through organisations such as Action Fraud and the Advertising Standards Authority
• report inappropriate contact or content for various platforms and apps

You should link this to wider school policies and processes around reporting of safeguarding and child protection incidents and concerns to school staff. Refer to keeping children safe in education for more information.

Online media literacy strategy

The online media literacy strategy sets out that the government will give internet users the knowledge and skills they need to make informed and safe choices online.

It sets out 5 principles to underpin delivery of media literacy education. These include understanding:

• the risks of sharing personal data and how to protect their privacy
• how the online environment operates
• how online content is generated and to critically analyse the content they consume
• that online actions can have offline consequences, and use this understanding in their online interactions
• how to participate positively in online engagement, while understanding the risks of engaging with others

A list of media literacy resources for teachers and parents is available.

Teaching about harms and risks

Understanding and applying knowledge and behaviours will provide pupils with a solid foundation to navigate the online world in an effective and safe way. By understanding the risks that exist online, you can tailor your teaching and support to the specific needs of your pupils.

This section will help you understand some of the issues your pupils may be facing and where these could be covered within the curriculum. You should consider when it might be appropriate to cover these individual harms and risks.

Any activity that does look at individual harms and risks should be considered in the broader context of providing the underpinning knowledge and behaviours.

How to navigate the internet and manage information

This section covers various technical aspects of the internet that could leave pupils vulnerable if not understood.

Age-specific advice on these potential harms and risks can be found in the following sections of the education for a connected world framework:

• managing online information
• copyright and ownership
• privacy and security

Age restrictions

Some online activities have age restrictions because they include content which is not appropriate for children under a specific age.

Teaching could include:

• explaining that age verification exists and why some sites require a user to verify their age, for example, online gambling and purchasing of certain age restricted materials such as alcohol
• explaining why age restrictions exist, for example, they provide a warning that the site may contain disturbing material that is unsuitable for younger viewers
• helping pupils understand how this content can be damaging to under-age consumers
• explaining what the age of digital consent means - the minimum age (13) at which young people can agree to share information and sign up to social media without parental consent under General Data Protection Regulations

You could cover this content in the following curriculum areas:

• health education (all stages) - internet safety and harms topic
• computing (all key stages) – you may want to discuss age restrictions as part of e-safety
• citizenship (key stages 2, 3, 4)

How content can be used and shared

Knowing what happens to information, comments or images that are put online.

• what a digital footprint is, how it develops and how it can affect future prospects such as university and job applications
• how cookies work
• how content can be shared, tagged and traced
• how difficult it is to remove something a user wishes they had not shared
• the risk of identity theft or targeted approach from fraudsters using information shared online
• youth-produced sexual imagery (sexting)
• sharing illegal content such as extreme pornography or terrorist content
• the illegality of possession, creating or sharing any explicit images of a child even if created by a child
• relationships education core content (all stages) – online relationships topic
• relationships and sex education core content (secondary) – online and media topic
• health education core content (all stages) – internet safety and harms topic
• computing (all key stages)
• citizenship – (key stage 2, 3 and 4)

Disinformation, misinformation, malinformation and hoaxes

Some information shared online is accidentally or intentionally wrong, misleading, or exaggerated.

• disinformation and why individuals or groups choose to share false information in order to deliberately deceive
• misinformation and being aware that false and misleading information can be shared inadvertently
• malinformation and understanding that some genuine information can be published with the deliberate intent to harm, for example releasing private information or photographs (including revenge porn)
• online hoaxes, which can be deliberately and inadvertently spread for a variety of reasons
• explaining that the viral nature of this sort of content can often appear to be a stamp of authenticity and therefore why it is important to evaluate what is seen online
• how to measure and check authenticity online
• the potential consequences of sharing information that may not be true
• relationships education (all stages)
• relationships and sex education (secondary)
• health education (all stages)
• computing (key stages 2 and above)
• citizenship (key stages 3 and 4)

Fake websites and scam emails

Fake websites and scam emails are used to extort data, money, images and other things that can either be used by the scammer to harm the person targeted or sold on for financial, or another gain.

• how to look out for fake URLs and websites
• ensuring pupils understand what secure markings on websites are and how to assess the sources of emails
• explaining the risks of entering information to a website which isn’t secure
• what to do if harmed, targeted or groomed as a result of interacting with a fake website or scam email
• who to go to and the range of support that is available
• explaining the risk of ‘too good to be true’ online offers, advertising and fake product sales designed to persuade people to part with money for products and services that do not exist
• citizenship – media and information literacy (key stages 2, 3 and 4)

Fraud (online)

Fraud can take place online and can have serious consequences for individuals and organisations.

• what identity fraud, scams and phishing are
• explaining that online fraud can be highly sophisticated and that anyone can be a victim
• how to protect yourself and others against different types of online fraud
• how to identify ‘money mule’ schemes and recruiters
• the risk of online social engineering to facilitate authorised push payment fraud, where a victim is tricked into sending a payment to the criminal
• the risk of sharing personal information that could be used by fraudsters
• explaining that children are sometimes targeted to access adults’ data, for example, passing on their parent or carer’s bank details, date of birth or national insurance number
• what good companies will and won’t do when it comes to personal details, for example, a bank will never ask you to share a password or move money into a new account
• how to report fraud, phishing attempts, suspicious websites and adverts
• relationships education core content – online relationships topic
• citizenship – law on fraud, crime, finance and the economy (key stage 2, 3 and 4)

Password phishing

Password phishing is the process by which people try to find out your passwords so they can access protected content.

• why passwords are important, how to keep them safe and that others may try to trick you to reveal them
• explaining how to recognise phishing scams, for example, those that try to get login credentials and passwords
• the importance of online security to protect against viruses (such as keylogging) that are designed to access, steal or copy passwords
• what to do when a password is compromised or thought to be compromised
• relationships education core content (all stages) - online relationships topic

Personal data

Online platforms and search engines gather personal data. This is often referred to as ‘harvesting’ or ‘farming’.

• how data is farmed from sources which look neutral, for example, websites that look like games or surveys that can gather lots of data about individuals
• how, and why, personal data is shared by online companies, for example, data being resold for targeted marketing by email and text (spam)
• how pupils can protect themselves, including what to do if something goes wrong (for example data being hacked) and that acting quickly is essential
• the rights children have with regard to their data, including particular protections for children under the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR)
• how to limit the data companies can gather, including paying particular attention to boxes they tick when playing a game or accessing an app for the first time
• relationships and sex education core content (secondary) – online relationships topic
• citizenship – rights and the law (key stage 2, 3 and 4)

Persuasive design

Many devices, apps and games are designed to keep users online for longer than they might have planned or desired.

• explaining that the majority of games and platforms are businesses designed to make money - their primary driver is to encourage users to be online for as long as possible to encourage them to spend money (sometimes by offering incentives and offers) or generate advertising revenue
• how designers use notifications to pull users back online

Privacy settings

Almost all devices, websites, apps and other online services come with privacy setting that can be used to control what is shared.

• how to find information about privacy setting on various sites, apps, devices and platforms
• explaining that privacy settings have limitations, for example, they will not prevent someone posting something inappropriate

Targeting of online content (including on social media and search engines)

Much of the information seen online is a result of some form of targeting.

• how adverts seen at the top of online searches and social media feeds have often come from companies paying to be on there and different people will see different adverts
• how the targeting is done, for example, software which monitors online behaviour (sites they have visited in the past, people who they are friends with) to target adverts thought to be relevant to the individual user
• the concept of clickbait and how companies can use it to draw people onto their sites and services
• health education core content (all stages) - internet safety and harms topic

How to stay safe online

This section covers elements of online activity that could adversely affect a pupil’s personal safety or the personal safety of others online.

Age-specific advice on these potential harms and risks can be found in the following sections of the education for a connected world framework :

• online relationships
• online reputation
• online bullying

Abuse (online)

Some online behaviours are abusive. They are negative in nature, potentially harmful and in some cases can be illegal.

• explaining about the types of online abuse including sexual, harassment, bullying, trolling and intimidation
• explaining when online abuse can cross a line and become illegal, such as forms of hate crime and blackmail
• how to respond to online abuse including how to access help and support
• how to respond when the abuse is anonymous
• discussing the potential implications of online abuse, including the implications for victims
• being clear about what good online behaviours do and don’t look like
• citizenship (key stages 2, 3 and 4)

Online radicalisation

Children, young people and adult learners are at risk of accessing inappropriate and harmful extremist content online. This could include downloading or sharing terrorist material, which could be a criminal act.

The internet and social media make spreading divisive and hateful narratives easier. Extremist and terrorist groups and organisations use social media (for example, apps, forums, blogs, chat rooms) to identify and target vulnerable individuals.

• how to recognise extremist behaviour and content online
• understanding actions which could be identified as criminal activity
• exploring techniques used for persuasion
• knowing how to access support from trusted individuals and organisations

All education settings have a responsibility under the Prevent duty. This includes building your students’ resilience to extremism and ensuring staff are adequately trained to spot the signs of radicalisation.

Guidance, teaching resources and tools to help you teach young people about extremism, radicalisation and staying safe online are available on Educate Against Hate .

Online challenges acquire mass followings and encourage others to take part in what they suggest.

• explaining what an online challenge is and that while some will be fun and harmless, others may be dangerous and or even illegal
• how to assess if the challenge is safe or potentially harmful, including considering who has generated the challenge and why
• explaining to pupils that it is ok to say no and not take part
• how and where to go for help if worried about a challenge
• understanding the importance of telling an adult about challenges which include threat or secrecy (‘chain letter’ style challenges)
• health education core content (all stages)

Content which incites

Knowing that violence can be incited online and escalate very quickly into offline violence.

• ensuring pupils know that online content (sometimes gang related) can glamorise the possession of weapons and drugs
• explaining that to intentionally encourage or assist an offence is also a criminal offence
• ensuring pupils know how and where to get help if worried about involvement in violence
• citizenship – the law and crime (key stage 2, 3 and 4)

Fake profiles

Not everyone online is who they say they are.

• explaining that in some cases profiles may be people posing as someone they are not (such as an adult posing as a child) or may be bots (which are automated software programs designed to create and control fake social media accounts)
• profile pictures that don’t like right, for example, of a celebrity or object
• accounts with no followers or thousands of followers
• a public figure who doesn’t have a verified account

Knowing about the different types of grooming and motivations for it, for example:

• radicalisation
• child sexual abuse and exploitation
• gangs (county lines)
• financial exploitation (money mules)
• boundaries in friendships with peers, families and with others
• the key indicators of grooming behaviour
• explaining the importance of disengaging from contact with suspected grooming and telling a trusted adult
• how and where to report it both in school, for safeguarding and personal support, and to the police

See the National Crime Agency’s think u know website for further information on keeping children safe from sexual abuse and exploitation.

At all stages it will be important to balance teaching children about making sensible decisions to stay safe whilst being clear it is never the fault of a child who is abused and why victim blaming is always wrong.

• citizenship – rules, law, the role of the police, victims and crime (key stage 2, 3 and 4)

Live streaming

Live streaming (showing a video of yourself in real-time online either privately or to a public audience) can be popular with children but it carries risk when carrying it out and watching it.

• explaining the risks of carrying out live streaming such as the potential for people to record live streams without the user knowing and content being shared without the user’s knowledge or consent
• that online behaviours should mirror offline behaviours and considering any live stream in that context - pupils shouldn’t feel pressured to do something online that they wouldn’t do offline
• explaining the risk of watching videos that are being live streamed, for example, there is no way of knowing what will come next and so this poses a risk that a user could see something that has not been deemed age appropriate in advance
• explaining the risk of grooming
• health education core content (secondary) – internet safety and harms topic

Pornography

Knowing that sexually explicit material presents a distorted picture of sexual behaviours.

• that pornography is not an accurate portrayal of adult sexual relationships
• viewing pornography can lead to skewed beliefs about sex and in some circumstances can normalise violent sexual behaviour
• that not all people featured in pornographic material are doing so willingly, such as revenge porn or people trafficked into sex work

You could cover this content as part of the relationships and sex education core content (secondary), online and media topic.

Unsafe communication

Knowing different strategies for staying safe when communicating with others, especially people they do not know or have never met.

• explaining that communicating safely online and protecting your privacy and data is important regardless of who you are communicating with
• identifying indicators or risk and unsafe communications
• identifying risks associated with giving out addresses, phone numbers or email addresses to people you do not know or arranging to meet someone you have not met before
• explaining about consent online and supporting pupils to develop strategies to confidently say “no” to both friends and strangers online
• relationships education core content (all stages) – respectful relationships topic
• relationships and sex education core content (secondary)
• citizenship – the law and consent (key stage 2, 3 and 4)

This section covers the elements of online activity that can adversely affect a pupil’s wellbeing.

• self-image and identity
• health, wellbeing and lifestyle

Impact on confidence (including body confidence)

Knowing about the impact of comparisons to ‘unrealistic’ online images.

• exploring the use of image filters and digital enhancement
• exploring the role of social media influencers, including that they are paid to influence the behaviour (particularly shopping habits) of their followers
• understanding that ‘easy money’ lifestyles and offers may be too good to be true
• looking at photo manipulation including discussions about why people do it and how to look out for it

You could cover this content as part of the health education core content (secondary), internet safety and harms topic.

Impact on quality of life, physical and mental health and relationships

Knowing how to identify when online behaviours stop being fun and begin to create anxiety, including that there needs to be a balance between time spent on and offline.

• helping pupils to evaluate critically what they are doing online, why they are doing it, and for how long (screen time)
• helping pupils to consider quality versus quantity of online activity
• explaining that pupils need to consider if they are actually enjoying being online or just doing it out of habit, due to peer pressure or the fear of missing out
• helping pupils to understand that time spent online gives users less time to do other activities - this can lead to some users becoming physically inactive
• exploring the impact that excessive social media usage can have on levels of anxiety, depression and other mental health issues
• explaining that isolation and loneliness can affect pupils and that it is very important for pupils to discuss their feeling with an adult and seek support
• where to get help

Online versus offline behaviours

People can often behave differently online to how they would act face to face.

• how and why people can often portray an exaggerated picture of their lives (especially online) and how that can lead to pressure
• discussing how and why people are unkind or hurtful online, when they would not necessarily be unkind to someone face to face

You could cover this content as part of the relationships education core content (all stages), online relationships topic.

Reputational damage

What users post can affect future career opportunities and relationships – both positively and negatively.

• looking at strategies for positive use
• how to build a professional online profile

Suicide, self-harm and eating disorders

Pupils may raise topics including eating disorders, self-harm and suicide. Teachers must be aware of the risks of encouraging or making these seem a more viable option for pupils and should take care to avoid giving instructions or methods and avoid using emotive language, videos or images.

Guidance on teaching about mental health and emotional wellbeing provides useful support for teachers in handling this material.

Vulnerable pupils

Any pupil can be vulnerable online, and their vulnerability can fluctuate depending on their age, developmental stage and personal circumstance.

However, there are some pupils, for example, looked after children and those with special educational needs, who may be more susceptible to online harm or have less support from family or friends in staying safe online. You should consider how you tailor your offer to make sure these pupils receive the information and support they need.

The following resources can help schools consider how best to support their most vulnerable pupils stay safe online:

• vulnerable children in a digital world - a report from Internet Matters
• children’s online activities, risks and safety - a literature review by the UK Council for Internet Safety’s evidence group

Use of external resources

Schools are best placed to make their own decisions about which resources are educationally appropriate for their pupils. This includes reviewing resources, even when from a trusted source, as some will be more appropriate to their cohort of pupils than others.

Before using any resource, you should check:

• where the organisation gets their information from
• what their evidence base is
• if they have been externally quality assured
• the background of the organisation
• if the resources are age appropriate for pupils
• if the resources are appropriate for the developmental stage of pupils

Use of external visitors

Online safety can be a difficult and complex topic which changes very quickly. Therefore, schools may want to seek external support who have expertise, up to date knowledge and information.

The right external visitors can provide a useful and engaging approach to deliver online safety messages, but this should enhance a school’s offer rather than be delivered in isolation.

Guidance for schools on using external visitors to support online safety education is available.

Safeguarding

As with any safeguarding lessons or activities, it is important that schools consider the topic they are covering and the potential that a child (or more than one child) in the class may be suffering from online abuse or harm in this way.

It is important to create a safe environment in which pupils feel comfortable to say what they feel. If a pupil thinks they will get into trouble or be judged for talking about something which happened to them online they may be put off reporting it and getting help.

Where schools are already aware of a child who is being abused or harmed online they should carefully plan any lesson to consider this, including not drawing attention to that child in a way that would highlight or publicise the abuse. It is good practice to include the designated safeguarding lead (or a deputy) when planning any safeguarding related lessons or activities (including online). They will be best placed to reflect and advise on any known safeguarding cases, and how to support any pupils who may be especially impacted by a lesson.

In some cases, a pupil will want to make a disclosure following a lesson or activity. The lesson may have provided the knowledge that enabled the pupils to realise they are being abused or harmed or give them the confidence to say something. This is why it is essential all pupils are clear what the school’s reporting mechanisms are.

As per keeping children safe in education your reporting mechanisms should be child friendly and operate with the best interests of the pupil at their heart.

Whole school approach

Whole school approaches are likely to make teaching more effective than lessons alone. A whole school approach is one that goes beyond teaching to include all aspects of school life, including:

• environment
• partnerships with families and the community

We recommend that schools embed teaching about online safety and harms within a whole school approach.

Incorporating the principles of online safety across all elements of school life

You should reflect the principles of online safety in the school’s policies and practice where appropriate, and communicate this with staff, pupils and parents. This could include, for example:

• having clear processes for reporting incidents or concerns in the child protection policy
• reflecting online behaviours in the school’s behaviour and bullying policies

Keeping children safe in education provides advice for schools on embedding online safety into their broader safeguarding and child protection approach.

Pupils should be just as clear about what is expected of them online as offline.

Engaging staff, pupils, parents and carers

Proactively engage staff, pupils, parents and carers in school activities that promote the agreed principles of online safety. This could include, for example:

• co-designing programmes to reflect any emerging issues parents and pupils are hearing about or facing online
• peer-to-peer support - consider implementing a scheme which supports pupils to help their peers stay safe online

Reviewing and maintaining the online safety principles

This includes making sure that school staff have access to up to date appropriate training and resources so that they are confident in covering the required content in a way that is relevant to their pupils’ lives.

It could also include using information available to the school to review practices and ensure the issues facing their pupils are covered in a timely manner.

Embedding the online safety principles

Reinforce what is taught in lessons by taking appropriate and consistent action when a pupil:

• makes a report of unacceptable online behaviours from another pupil, including cyberbullying
• shares a concern about something they have seen online

Modelling the online safety principles consistently

This includes expecting the same standards of behaviour whenever a pupil is online at school - be it in class, logged on at the library or using their own device in the playground.

Schools should also ensure they extend support to parents, so they are able to incorporate the same principles of online safety at home.

Further sources of information

This list provides links to relevant government guidance and a range of national organisations who can offer support to schools.

Related guidance is available on:

• relationships and sex education (RSE) and health education
• national curriculum in England computing programmes of study
• national curriculum in England citizenship programmes of study
• keeping children safe in education
• behaviour in schools
• searching, screening and confiscation at school

Support and resources are also available from:

• the CEOP Thinkuknow Programme
• the NCA’s Click CEOP
• National Centre for Computing Education (NCCE)
• UK Council for Internet Safety
• Education for a Connected World

Schools can also get advice from national organisations such as:

• Anti-Bullying Alliance
• Association for Citizenship Teaching
• The Diana Award
• DotCom Charity
• Hopes and Streams
• Internet Matters
• Internet Watch Foundation
• NSPCC learning
• Parent Zone’s school resources
• PSHE Association
• UK Safer Internet Centre

You can refer parents to the following national organisations for support:

• Parent Zone

You can refer pupils to the following national organisations for support:

Mob mentality describes how people can be influenced by their peers to adopt certain behaviours on a largely emotional, rather than rational, basis.  ↩

Is this page useful?

• Yes this page is useful
• No this page is not useful

A new AI era begins

Introducing the fastest, most intelligent Windows PCs ever. Windows 11 Copilot+ PCs give you lightning speed, unique Copilot+ PC experiences, and more at a price that outperforms.

The best Windows yet

When there’s a lot to do, let Windows 11 help you get it done.

Meet Windows 11

Learn how to use the new features of Windows 11 and see what makes it the best Windows yet.

Upgrade your experience

Learn how to get Windows 11 on your current PC 4 , or purchase a new PC that can run Windows 11.

Need help transferring files, resetting a password, or upgrading to Windows 11? Explore the Windows support page for helpful articles on all things Windows. Have a specific issue you’re troubleshooting? Ask your question in the Microsoft Community.

Meet Copilot in Windows

Find the information and ideas you need to power your ingenuity. Copilot in Windows 6 is an AI feature that allows you to get answers fast and ask follow-up questions, get AI-generated graphics based on your ideas, and kickstart your creativity while you work. Get to know Copilot in Windows, your new intelligent assistant.

Sync your PC & phone

Microsoft Phone Link makes it possible to make calls, reply to texts, and check your phone’s notifications from your PC 5 .

Find the right fit

Explore a selection of new PCs, or get help selecting the best computer for your unique needs.

Better together

Discover the Windows 11 experiences built to bring your favorite Microsoft tools to life.

Microsoft Store

The apps you need. The shows you love. Find them fast in the new Microsoft Store. 1 2

Microsoft Edge

Make the most of your time online with the browser built for Windows.

Microsoft 365

Maximize your productivity with easy-to-use Windows 11 multitasking tools built to work with the Microsoft apps you use every day. 3

Looking for more?

Get help with your transition to Windows 11, and make the most of your Windows experience.

Get Windows 11

Intuitive. Easy. Faster than ever. Experience all Windows has to offer. 4

Get Microsoft news and updates

Subscribe to our newsletter to get the latest news, feature updates, how-to tips, deals and more for Windows and other Microsoft products.

Become an insider

Register with the Windows Insider Program and start engaging with engineers to help shape the future of Windows.

• 1 Screens simulated. Features and app availability may vary by region.
• 2 Some apps shown coming later. Certain apps only available through Microsoft Store app in Windows 11.
• 3 Microsoft 365 subscription sold separately.
• 4 Windows 11 upgrade is available for eligible PCs that meet minimum device specifications . Upgrade timing may vary by device. Internet service fees may apply. Features and app availability may vary by region. Certain features require specific hardware (see Windows 11 specifications ).
• 5 Phone Link experience comes preinstalled on your PC with Windows 10 (running Windows 10, May 2019 Update at the least) or Windows 11. To experience the full functionality, Android phones must be running Android 7.0 or later. Phone Link for iOS requires iPhone with iOS 14 or higher, Windows 11 device, Bluetooth connection and the latest version of the Phone Link app. Not available for iPad (iPadOS) or MacOS. Device compatibility may vary. Regional restrictions may apply.
• 6 Copilot in Windows (in preview) is available in select global markets and will roll out starting in summer 2024 to Windows 11 PCs in the European Economic Area. Copilot in Windows 10 functionality is limited and has specific system requirements . Learn More .

Follow Microsoft Windows

Share this page