Digital Responsibility

Overview

In this lesson students learn how to be responsible and safe online. They practise using a decision-making approach for privacy, cyberbullying, and trustworthy online behaviour, linking these to consumer-style rights and responsibilities (fair treatment and accountability).

Learning intentions

Students will:

• WALT understand responsibilities for safe, respectful online behaviour
• WALT explain how privacy works and why personal information should be protected
• WALT identify cyberbullying and describe appropriate responses
• WALT apply a simple action plan when something online feels unsafe or unfair

Success criteria

Students can:

• I can describe at least two ways to protect my privacy online
• I can explain what cyberbullying looks like and why it can be harmful
• I can choose a safe response using “stop, save, tell” and trusted adults
• I can justify my choices using fairness, respect, and responsibility

Curriculum links

• Social Sciences: Economic Activity — Consumer rights and responsibilities (responsible participation in markets through fair treatment and accountability)
• Social Sciences: Economic Activity — Financial Education: Credit and debt (analysing everyday scenarios and identifying appropriate actions when something goes wrong)
• Social Sciences: citizenship-focused behaviours (responsibilities that help keep society fair and safe, including respecting others and obeying laws)

Lesson structure (60 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Hook (Think–Pair–Share). Teacher shows 3 short scenario cards (e.g., “A stranger asks for my school uniform photo,” “A meme targets a classmate,” “A site asks me to ‘sign in to continue’”). Students discuss with a partner: What feels safe? What feels risky?
2. 5–15 min · Direct teach: Digital responsibility. Teacher defines four focus areas: responsible online behaviour, privacy, cyberbullying, and safe internet use. Students take quick notes under headings and add one example from their own experience (e.g., group chats, sharing photos, reporting). Discussion prompts:

• What does “responsibility” look like online, not just offline?
• How can online actions affect real people and communities?

3. 15–28 min · Mini-lesson: Privacy and personal information. Teacher uses a privacy checklist: “What I share, who can access it, how permanent it might be, and what it could be used for.” Students complete a worksheet: sort items into “share cautiously / keep private” (e.g., full name, school name, location, birthday, favourite sports team, password). Key discussion points:

• Why might something seem harmless but still be risky?
• How can settings (privacy controls) reduce risk?

4. 28–42 min · Group task: Cyberbullying decision-making. Students work in groups of 4 with one cyberbullying scenario each (e.g., repeated insults in a chat, fake account pretending to be someone, threatening comments, sharing an embarrassing photo). Teacher provides a decision framework:

• Stop (pause and don’t escalate)
• Save (don’t delete evidence; screenshot/record what you can)
• Tell (report to platform and tell a trusted adult/school contact) Groups answer three questions on the same sheet:
• What harm could this cause?
• What would you do first, second, third?
• Who else might be able to help (peer, teacher, parent/caregiver, school support)? Teacher circulates with prompts: “What makes this a cyberbullying case rather than a misunderstanding?” and “How do you ensure your response is safe?”

5. 42–52 min · Whole-class discussion: Safe internet use and fairness. Teacher facilitates a structured discussion using a “Four Corners” statement method (students stand for one option). Statements include:

• “If everyone is liking it, it must be okay.”
• “If I don’t write mean words, I can’t be responsible.”
• “Reporting is telling, not tattling.”
• “Privacy settings guarantee safety.” Students justify their corner choice using fairness, respect, and responsibility language.

6. 52–60 min · Exit ticket (individual assessment). Students respond to two prompts:

• “Choose one action you would take if someone posts a rude comment about a classmate. Use stop, save, tell.”
• “Name one privacy rule you will follow and explain why.”

Resources

• Scenario cards (teacher-made) for privacy and cyberbullying
• Privacy checklist/sorting worksheet
• Group decision sheet with stop/save/tell prompts
• Exit ticket slips or digital form
• Whiteboard/markers and timer
• Screenshot/video guidance reminder (no personal images required)

Assessment

• Formative: teacher observes group discussions and decision sheets for correct identification of risk and appropriate responses
• Formative: “Four Corners” justifications show understanding of responsibility and respectful online behaviour
• Summative (lightweight): exit ticket responses checked for privacy reasoning and a clear cyberbullying response sequence

Differentiation

• Provide sentence starters for group work (e.g., “This is risky because…”, “First I would…”, “I would tell…”)
• Offer an example completed sorting task for students who need a model
• Extension for confident students: ask them to add one extra step beyond stop/save/tell (e.g., block/report/review settings, support the target, avoid sharing)
• For EAL/SEN: use visuals (icons for stop/save/tell), keep scenarios short, and allow verbal answers to be transcribed