Online Safety & Ethics

Curriculum Area

Subject: Technology
Level: KS4 (GCSE)
Exam Board Relevance: AQA, OCR, Edexcel, or WJEC GCSE in Computer Science / ICT
Curriculum Links: Covers aspects of online safety, ethical use of technology, and digital responsibility

Lesson Objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

1. Identify risks associated with using the internet.
2. State an appropriate use of the internet in daily life.
3. State an inappropriate use of the internet and its potential consequences.

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Lesson Structure (80 Minutes)

1. Starter Activity – “Internet Risks Brainstorm” (10 minutes)

• Ask students to jot down 3 dangers they associate with using the internet.
• They then swap their answers with a partner and add 2 more dangers.
• As a class, create a mind map on the board under categories such as:
  • Cybersecurity risks (hacking, phishing, malware)
  • Data privacy threats (tracking, personal data leaks)
  • Social issues (cyberbullying, misinformation, online grooming)

2. Real-Life Case Studies – The Dark Side of the Web (15 minutes)

• Present three real-world cases (generalised to avoid distress):
  1. A teenager sharing personal details online, leading to identity theft.
  2. A social media prank escalating into cyberbullying and legal consequences.
  3. Employees getting fired for inappropriate social media posts.
• Discussion Questions:
  • What could have been done differently?
  • How do these risks affect individuals and society?

3. Appropriate Use of the Internet – "The Best of the Web" (10 minutes)

• Students list positive ways the internet benefits society.
• Examples:
  • Researching academic resources
  • Communicating with family and friends
  • Online learning and career development
  • Digital activism for positive social change
• Split students into small groups, each researching one example and presenting it in one minute.

4. Inappropriate Use of the Internet – "Digital Dilemmas" (15 minutes)

• Introduce topics of misuse:
  • Plagiarism – Copying other people's work.
  • Illegal downloading – Music, movies, software piracy.
  • Fake information – Spreading false or misleading data.
  • Cyberbullying – Harassment, hate speech, trolling.
• Present a moral dilemma like: “Your friend shares a meme mocking a classmate. It goes viral. Do you react? If so, how?”
• Peer discussion in groups (5 minutes); then share insights as a class.

5. Interactive Activity – Digital Footprint Challenge (15 minutes)

• Ask students to Google themselves (or a famous person) and analyse what appears.
• Discuss what this means for:
  • Employability in the future
  • Reputation management
  • Digital footprints that never disappear

6. Plenary – “How Will You Change?” (5 minutes)

• Exit Survey (mini whiteboard or post-it notes):
  • One thing I learnt today 🧐
  • One change I plan to make 👍
  • One thing I want more information on 🤔
• Discuss key takeaways as a class.

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Assessment Methods

☑ Formative:

• Verbal discussions – Students demonstrate understanding during class participation.
• Group tasks – Observing engagement and clarity of reasoning.

☑ Summative:

• Mini presentations in Activity 3 evaluate their ability to communicate appropriate internet use.
• Digital footprint analysis tests their ability to interpret data critically.

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Resources Needed

🖥️ Computers / Tablets (for internet research)
📝 Mini whiteboards or post-it notes (for plenary reflections)
📜 Printed Case Study Summaries (if digital access is limited)

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Differentiation Strategies

🔹 For higher-ability students:

• Challenge them with ethics-based debates: Should social media companies be responsible for online behaviour?

🔸 For students needing support:

• Provide structured sentence starters for class discussions.
• Use more visual case studies to simplify complex concepts.

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Homework / Extension Task

💻 Task: Research a famous case of cybercrime, misinformation, or privacy breach and write a short report on:

1. What happened?
2. What lessons were learned?
3. How could it have been prevented?

📢 Encourage creativity – they can present this as a comic strip, blog post, or infographic in the next lesson.

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Final Thought

This lesson goes beyond textbook definitions—it immerses students into real-life scenarios so they understand both the power and dangers of the internet. By making the lesson interactive and discussion-based, we ensure that students leave with knowledge they will apply beyond the classroom.

Would love to hear feedback from teachers after implementation! 🚀