Safer Internet Day 2020 - Education Resources Published
To support educators for Safer Internet Day 2020, the UK Safer Internet Centre - official coordinators of the day in the UK have launched the 2020 Safer Internet education resources. The new resources are for use with children and young people aged between 3 and 18 and have been published alongside guidance for educators and resources for parents and carers.
Safer Internet Day (celebrated on the 11th February 2020) aims to encourage children and young people to explore how they manage their identity online, and to think about how the internet shapes how they view themselves and others. It will explore whether the internet allows young people to experiment and express themselves, or if they feel limited in who they can be online, and how offline stereotypes and discrimination are challenged or reinforced online.
There are four education packs designed for use with children and young people, a pack for parents and carers, and a pack to support educators delivering these sessions.
- The pack for 3-7s includes differentiated lesson plans for 3-5s and for 5-7s and explores the concept of the internet and how their identity can be created online.
- The pack for 7-11s explores online identity by focusing on the importance of respect and reputation when navigating the digital world.
- The pack for 11-14s is focused on celebrating and supporting different identities online. The activities consider why some groups of people may feel excluded, unrepresented or unable to be themselves online, as well as offering a range of strategies to make the internet a more inclusive space for everyone.
- The pack for 14-18s looks at the barriers which prevent individuals and groups from being themselves online and explores how we portray the different aspects of our identities online and how others online treat us based on this.
- The pack for parents and carers includes activities, conversation starters and information to help parents and carers talk to their children about how to navigate the issue of online identity in a digital age in a safe, responsible and respectful way.
- The pack for educators includes ideas for getting the most out of the Safer Internet Day packs and supporting young people with the issue of online identity in a digital age as well as advice on creating a safe environment for discussion as well as handling disclosures about online risk.
The UK Safer Internet Centre have also created films for children aged 5-11, young people aged 11-18, a series of short videos aimed at parents and carers and a campaign film.
- ‘What does my avatar say about me?’ is the film for 5-11 year olds, it looks at a range of children creating avatars online and discussing the choices they make about how they represent themselves.
- ‘Are you #freetobe yourself online?’ is designed for use with 11-18 year olds and replicates a social media story where young people share insights around two key questions around online identity: ‘are people free to be who they are online?’ and ‘is everyone fairly represented online?’
- The short films aimed at parents and carers addresses how parents and carers can talk to children about their online lives and have conversations around online identity.
The Safer Internet Day resources and films can be found at www.saferinternetday.org.uk.We encourage DSLs and staff working with children and young people aged 3-18 in educational settings to download the resources ready for use to celebrate SID 2020 on the 11th February!
