- A 19-year-old running for public office in New Hampshire found out about the importance of following Internet safety rules the hard way. As Seacoast Online reports, his opponents found images in his social media posts that were sexually suggestive and referenced past drug use. Just like that, his political career crashed and burned upon takeoff.
- The internet can be a dangerous neighborhood for everyone, but children and teens are especially vulnerable. From cyber predators to social media posts that can come back to haunt them later in life, online hazards can have severe, costly, even tragic, consequences. Children may unwittingly expose their families to internet threats, for example, by accidentally downloading malware.
- The five rules of E-Safety A.K.A S.M.A.R.T Safe-staying safe on the internet- have you got a good internet security program to stop viruses? Meeting- NEVER meet with someone that you have talked to on the internet unless they are friends you have known for a long time.
- Create online rules with together with your family. Involve your children in the creation of the online rules so that they are more familiar with the rules and feel as if they contributed to family safety. Post the rules near the family computer and talk often about the rules since most children and teens now access the internet remotely.
Online safety guide 0-5 year olds. Online safety guide 6-10 year olds. Online safety guide 11-13 year olds. Online safety guide 14+ year olds. Moving to secondary school. Secondary school. Online pressures Secondary School. Digital resilience toolkit 6 – 10 year olds.
By Simon Migliano
The internet can be a helpful tool and valuable forum for connecting with people across the world—for people who know how to use it.
For students, it can be an online portal fraught with danger and temptations and sadly, bullying. Unfortunately, digital actions and choices can have real-life consequences, making an Internet Safety Policy critical for your classroom.
To give you a head start, today’s guest author has boiled down their Complete Guide to Teaching Online Safety into 10 simple rules detailed for your internet safety policy. Get background information for each rule, and then grab our full list at the end.
More: 10 Classroom Rules for Using Technology
1. Keep sensitive information private.
With so many recent data breaches, it’s critical that students learn to keep certain information private at a young age.
2. Don’t interact with strangers.
Messaging apps and social media has made it easier than ever for students to encounter the wrong person. Your students need to know that online strangers are potential predators will lie to them.
More: 23 Best Educational Websites: Social Media, Chatting and Web Browsing
3. Know the laws that protect you, your privacy, and your rights.
Teachers need to teach and be familiar with the laws and acts that are in place to keep students safe. These include:
- Child’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA)
- Child Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA)
- Cyberbullying laws
CIPA relates to the school’s responsibility to censor the computer access on the campus, COPPA puts the responsibility on website operators to protect children’s’ privacy. Understanding all of these laws is paramount in educating your students.
4. Zero tolerance of cyberbullying, if you see it, report it.
These internet policies must include cyberbullying prevention and reporting. According to StopBullying.gov, 9% of students in grades 6–12 experienced cyberbullying, and this bullying can have severe and even life-threatening consequences. Students must understand the severity of it and know that real ramifications will be enforced for anyone who’s caught participating in it.
5. Engage in appropriate online behavior.
Students need to understand the basics of what constitutes appropriate online behavior. This could be taught by giving examples of appropriate behavior and appropriate actions.
Check out 20 Basic Rules For Digital Citizenship for some ideas.
6. Don’t download anything without permission.
Viruses often infect computers when somone downloads an infected file. This is just one way hackers are able to access personal information; by implementing this rule, you’re one step closer to keeping private informatio, and your devices, safe.
More: 32 Digital Citizenship Resources for K-12 Teachers
7. Don’t click on any suspicious links.
Links are another way viruses can get into a computer. Students are especially susceptible to pop-up scams and malevolent links that contain viruses and spyware.
8. Don’t overshare on social media; once you post it, it never truly goes away
Nearly half of kids have regretted something they posted on social media, according to McAfee. While this could fall under appropriate online behavior, social media in particular has provided students with a platform to broadcast to the world at any time of the day.
More: The Pro’s and Con’s of Teaching Social Media in the Classroom
9. Treat online relationships with caution.
Another important topic is online relationships and the complications of relationships in the digital age. Many underaged children are “catfished” by older people lying about their identity, often going so far as to have full fake profiles complete with pictures and a large number of friends or followers just to look more legitimate.
10. Keep a clean digital footprint.
The importance and permanence of students’ digital footprint and how their Internet conduct could affect their future is a crucial piece of these rules. Things that they send via text, social media, email, etc. are never truly deleted—just don’t do it. Continue to reiterate that their Internet choices can affect their futures, including relationships, college admissions, and job opportunities.
More: What Do Your Students’ Digital Footprint Look Like?
- Never share your address, phone number, full name or parents’ names without teacher permission. If you’re ever unsure of a site’s legitimacy or an appropriate amount of information to share, ask a parent or teacher.
- “Stranger danger” applies to everything you do online. Don’t talk to anyone you don’t know, unless the teacher has instructed you.
- Don’t visit any site your teacher has not instructed you to go to or visit.
- If you see cyberbullying, report it to a teacher or other adult immediately.
- Exhibit appropriate online behavior at all times: No cyberbullying, no name calling, and no sharing of inappropriate images and videos.
- Don’t download anything unless otherwise instructed, including files, programs, apps or games.
- Never click on unfamiliar links or pop-up windows, including links via email and social media.
- Share only your successes and kindest words. Don’t post overly emotional content, like if you’re mad at someone or activities that your teacher or parents would be upset about.
- Don’t trust anyone you meet online, even if you think they’re your age or friendly. Always check with a teacher or parent first.
- Your digital footprint will never go away. Never post something online that you’re uncertain about. Always ask a teacher or parent.
The internet unlocks a wealth of information, students just need guidance on how to navigate the online world. Anyone using the internet is susceptible to hackers and viruses, and the best chance students have to combat this is with safe Internet practices.
These rules are aimed mostly at younger children, at oldest pre-teens. Appropriate “rules” for online use vary by age, maturity of the child and family values (updated June, 2013)
1. I will not give out personal information such as my address, telephone number, parents’ work address/telephone number without my parents’ permission.
2. I will tell my parents right away if I come across something that makes me feel uncomfortable.
3. I will never agree to get together with someone I “meet” online without first checking with my parents. If my parents agree to the meeting, I will be sure that it is in a public place and bring a parent along.
4. I will talk with my parents about posting pictures of myself or others online and not post any pictures that my parents consider to be inappropriate.
5. I will not respond to any messages that are mean or in any way make me feel uncomfortable. It is not my fault if I get a message like that. If I do I will tell my parents right away.
6. I will talk with my parents so that we can set up rules for going online and using a mobile phone. We will decide upon the time of day that I can be online, the length of time I can be online and appropriate areas for me to visit. I will not access other areas or break these rules without their permission.
7. I will not give out my passwords to anyone (even my best friends) other than my parents.
8. I will check with my parents before downloading or installing software or doing anything that could possibly hurt our computer or mobile device or jeopardize my family’s privacy.
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9. I will be a good online citizen and not do anything that hurts other people or is against the law.
10. I will help my parents understand how to have fun and learn things online and teach them things about the Internet, computers and other technology.
Also see Family Contract for Online Safety
For an overview, read Child Safety on the Information Highway (20th anniversary edition)