This document provides 10 internet safety tips for students, including checking age restrictions on sites, talking to trusted adults about anything that makes them uncomfortable online, protecting personal information, using strong and unique passwords, and balancing screen time with other activities. It emphasizes teaching digital citizenship by integrating lessons into the regular curriculum, using real-life scenarios to discuss issues, providing students with practical strategies, and involving families. The document contains posters summarizing the tips that teachers can print or share.

1. 10 INTERNET SAFETY TIPS FOR STUDENTS
Technology is changing the way we live, work, and learn. The lines between our online and
offline worlds continue to merge and blur.
This is exciting! It means students can be more empowered than ever before to connect,
create, grow, and make the world a better place.
Of course, as our world becomes increasingly digital, our challenges, rights, and
responsibilities are changing too. Teaching students about digital citizenship and internet
safety is more important than ever.
This post breaks down the theory of digital citizenship and offers practical tips that you can
use in your classroom tomorrow, whatever your level of experience.
HOW CAN I TEACH THIS SUBJECT?
Feeling daunted by the thought of teaching students how to be safe online? There’s no need
to be. You don’t need to be an expert to help your students become safe, responsible, and
productive users of technology.
Adults play a crucial role in guiding young people to navigate life offline and online. You can
make more of a difference than you might know!
DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP? INTERNET SAFETY? CYBER SAFETY?
Not so long ago, our school "internet safety” programs were pretty narrow. We’d talk about
"cyber safety” or "cyberbullying” without exploring the broad range of important concepts
associated with using technology.
Because we’re now using technology differently and more immersively, there are many
important concepts that need to be explored. These concepts are defined as coming under
the umbrella of digital citizenship.
WHAT IS DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP?
This term has evolved and become more well-known in recent years.
Many years ago Mike Ribble described 9 elements to digital citizenship, which he called,
"The norms of appropriate, responsible behavior with regard to technology use.”
ISTE now tells us that, "digital citizens are learners who use their technology-driven powers
conscientiously — and with empathy — to help make the world a better place.” They divide
digital citizenship into three spheres: Digital Agent, Digital Interactor, and Digital Self.
Common Sense Education describes digital citizenship simply as, "the responsible use of
technology to learn, create, and participate”.
Common Sense Education’s lesson resources for digital citizenship are now divided into
these six topics:
• Media balance and wellbeing

2. • Privacy and security
• Digital footprint and identity
• Relationships and communication
• Cyberbullying, digital drama, and hate speech
• News and media literacy
I like to think that being a "good digital citizen” is similar to being a "good citizen” in
general
— just with the addition of technology!
WHY IS DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP SO IMPORTANT?
Just like in the offline world, we want our students to be safe, secure, happy, kind, and ethical
online.
Students don’t always have the life experience or brain development to navigate digital
dilemmas or use technology safely and effectively. So, like many other areas of life, they
need guidance from trusted adults, including teachers and family members.
Even if students are not online very much during the school day (or online on "protected
platforms”), many begin connecting, sharing, creating, and viewing as soon as they step out
of the classroom.
As educators, we can’t ignore this fact or waste the opportunity to tap into students’ interests
and lives, and help steer them in the right direction.
HOW DO YOU TEACH DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP?
All teachers want the best for their students, but many educators feel like they don’t have the
skills or confidence to include digital citizenship in their curriculum. This can be one area
where teachers are afraid that their students know more than they do.
The good news is, you don’t need to be an expert. You just need to be willing to listen, talk,
and learn.
A TEACHING APPROACH BEYOND "DOS AND DONT’S”
We live in a digital world where we can’t avoid using technology. And why would we want to?
The amazing potential to connect, learn, and create shouldn’t be avoided.
So, we obviously don’t want to either block technology or create an atmosphere of fear.
With technology use comes a responsibility to put digital citizenship education on the agenda.
But what is the best approach for teaching about digital citizenship?
I don’t think providing students with a list of dos and don’ts around digital citizenship and
cyber safety is powerful enough.

3. I do think it’s a good start and I have created a series of posters with this blog post as handy
reminders to use in your classroom. However, I believe the topic has the most impact when
the following four areas are covered:
1. INTEGRATION: Digital citizenship is embedded into the curriculum in an ongoing and
authentic way.
2. STORYTELLING: Students are presented with "real-life” scenarios to consider, discuss,
and learn from.
3. STRATEGIES: Practical strategies are taught so students build a toolkit of actionable
ideas and skills.
4. COMMUNITY: Messages from parents and educators overlap and there is ongoing
communication.
Let’s take a look at each layer...
1) INTEGRATION: GAIN REAL WORLD EXPERIENCE "Okay students, put away your
maths equipment; it’s time for reading.”
"Art class is over now; it’s time to head to sport.”
In the traditional curriculum, a lot of subjects are seen as separate areas. Digital citizenship is
not like this.
Some standalone lessons can certainly be useful, but I strongly believe elements of digital
citizenship need to be weaved into the curriculum frequently and authentically.
I have always found blogging to be an excellent way to teach students about being
responsible digital citizens and members of online communities.
Of course, blogging is not the only tool that can be used to promote positive internet
behaviours. Many online platforms can be used as vehicles to drive messages about digital
citizenship.
This will be especially powerful when those tools or platforms are open to the public. In Ross
Cooper’s discussion of closed platforms, he wisely states,
We’d be a bit hypocritical by first declaring, "Digital citizenship is important; let’s practice it!”
and then saying, "Use this, because we don’t want you to experience what’s out there.”
I’ve always been an advocate for public classroom blogs but they’re not for everyone. In
2018, I published an article about the pros and cons of public blogs.
It’s not a black and white issue but it’s worth considering how you can incorporate some
authentic, public experiences into your classroom program, even if it’s heavily moderated and
teacher-controlled initially.
2) STORYTELLING: DISCUSS SCENARIOS AND REAL-LIFE SITUATIONS

4. Lecturing students about dos and don’ts isn’t enough for digital citizenship messages to
have an impact.
We all know the power of storytelling. Sometimes messages can seem abstract or less
important when delivered as simple statements or advice.
For example, you might hear facts and statistics about sufferings in war-torn countries that
you barely pay attention to, but when you read or watch a story about real people you may
feel deeply impacted. Furthermore, if you were to hear someone’s story in real life, you may
feel even more moved and transformed.
Stories can stay in your memory and leave a lasting impact.
Stories, scenarios, and real-life situations involving digital dilemmas are ideal for classroom
use. Students can relate and reflect on issues, and may even feel comfortable sharing their
own experiences.
There are a number of places online where either videos or written scenarios are published.
These can be ideal prompts for discussions, responses, reflections, or role plays.
Check out my Pinterest board for a collection of digital citizenship scenarios. Please let me
know if you have anything to add!
3) STRATEGIES: BUILD A PRACTICAL TOOLKIT
Apart from teaching students what we should not do, we need to equip them with practical
strategies so they know what to do instead.
For example:
• You can’t use any image off Google to illustrate your digital work, so we need to teach
students about using Creative Commons.
• We don’t want students sharing their YAPPY (personal) information online, so we need to
help them generate ideas of safer information to share with others in their online
communications. Brainstorm nicknames, safe topics to talk about and so on.
• We don’t want students creating short passwords with identifiable information, so we
need to help them understand what a strong passphrase is.
• We don’t want students accessing inappropriate content, so we need to teach them
what to do if they come across a website that doesn’t look safe or appropriate (e.g. closing
tabs, telling adults, not clicking on random links etc).
• We don’t want students to leave a negative digital footprint, so we need to teach them
about creating a positive online presence. Having no digital footprint at all probably isn’t the
answer.
Many of these ideas can be mini-lessons that are touched on as part of your regular
curriculum.
4) COMMUNITY: INVOLVE FAMILIES

5. Research tells us that family participation in schooling is one of the biggest predictors of a
child’s success. When schools and families work together there can be positive outcomes for
all.
Digital citizenship education is no different. We need to bring parents into the conversations
we are having in our classrooms.
Digital citizenship education should be a community effort. The impact will be more powerful
when students have multiple trusted adults they can discuss issues with, and when they’re
hearing the same messages reinforced from both home and school.
This can create a holistic approach where everyone can feel supported and involved.
LEARN MORE: Check out this post with lots of information and tips about involving parents
in your digital citizenship education. There’s even a poster to distribute to parents or display
on your school website.
10 DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP AND
INTERNET SAFETY TIPS FOR
STUDENTS
The following is certainly not an exhaustive list but are key messages that I believe all
students should be aware of.
Scroll down to find a set of 11 posters to print or embed on your blog!
1) CHECK LAWS
Many sites have age restrictions and you’re not allowed to sign up for an account if you’re not
old enough (e.g. Facebook, Snapchat, YouTube, Instagram, Musical.ly etc.). Often these age
restrictions are 13+ or 18+. An adult can help you check in the terms and conditions on the
website if you’re not sure.
Most of the images, text, and videos you find online are protected by copyright unless stated
otherwise. This means you can’t reuse them. For example, you can’t take an image you find
off Google Images and put it in your website or project. There are some sites where you can
find free content to use. Read more about that there.
2) TALK
Talk to your parents about what you’re doing online and let them know when you’re going on
the internet.
If anything you see online makes you feel uncomfortable, worried, sad, or unsure, leave the
site and talk to a trusted adult.
If you don’t feel comfortable talking, there are helplines like Kids Helpline (Australia),
Childline (UK), Kids Help Phone (Canada) and Your Life Your Voice (USA).

6. 3) FRIENDS
Don’t add people as online friends unless you know them in real life or have parent
permission. Never arrange to meet an online friend without talking to a parent.
Don’t send personal information or photographs to an online friend. Never send private
photos or videos of yourself to anyone (whether you know them in real life or not).
Remember, you can’t trust everything online friends tell you. Anyone can pretend to be
anyone on the web.
4) PRIVACY
Keep your personal information private online.
YAPPY is a useful acronym to help you remember the personal information you should not
share online...
• Your full name
• Address (including your home address, email address, and school name/address)
• Phone number
• Passwords
• Your plans and birthday
Don’t publish this information or provide it in response to questions in emails, private
messages, chat rooms, or forums. Even if you think these are private.
5) REPUTATION
Protect your digital footprint and don’t publish anything online that you wouldn’t want all your
friends, family, teachers, and future employers to see.
You can read more about digital footprints and explore a poster with 10 tips in this post.
6) QUESTION
You cannot believe everything you read or see online. Publishing online is easier than ever
so there is a lot of inaccurate or biased information out there.
When you come across information, question who wrote the message and why it was
created. Find more advice about evaluating websites here.
7) CYBERBULLYING
Know what cyberbullying is and tell someone if you think it’s happening to you or others.
Cyberbullying is when someone picks on you, annoys, embarrasses, hurts, or threatens you
repeatedly using technology, such as the internet or a phone.
There are things adults can do to deal with cyberbullying or inappropriate online behaviour:

7. • Talk to your school
• Report the abuse to the social media platform
• Don’t delete the content until it’s dealt with. Collect your evidence
• Report the behaviour to a government organisation (for example, eSafety Office in
Australia)
8) ACCOUNTS, PASSWORDS, AND USERNAMES
Think carefully when choosing your username for your online accounts and email address:
• You don’t want to choose anything that identifies your full name or personal information.
• You also don’t want to choose a silly or funny username or email address. You might
regret this later when you’re connecting with teachers or applying for a job.
Passwords
Being a digital citizen means you’ll need to have a lot of passwords. Tempting as it is, avoid
using the same password for all your accounts. You need to use a password that you can
remember but is not easy to guess.
One strategy is to use a modified passphrase.
Here’s some advice on creating a passphrase I wrote for The Edublogger:
• Come up with four or more words such as mysterious triangle bingo nurse
• Avoid using personal information or well-known quotes or song lyrics (these can be easily
guessed)
• Add some uppercase letters, symbols, or numbers if you wish eg.
#MYsteriousTr1angle=Bin.go.nur5e
• Avoid making the passphrase too complex when you add the punctuation and numbers.
It’s important that you can still remember it!
It’s extremely important that you never share passwords with others. Even your best friends!
9) MANNERS
Be polite and respectful online just as you would be offline. Always treat others the way you
like to be treated.
Before posting, ask yourself:
• Would you say that to someone’s face?
• Could someone take your message the wrong way?
• How would you feel if someone said that to you?

8. 10) UNPLUG
Life is all about balance. It’s not good for our health and wellbeing to be online all the time.
Balance screen time with green time. Get outdoors, move, play, and interact face-to-face.
Don’t let life pass you by!
Posters: 10 Tips for Students
Here are 11 posters summarising the digital citizenship and internet safety tips. I hope these
are useful to use in your classroom!
Click here to download a PDF copy.
Download
Key Message...
A lot of these ideas come down to "think before you post”.
• Slow down and think about your choices.
• T alk to someone about your dilemma before posting or acting.
• Your initial response might not be the best one.
Useful Resources and Lesson Ideas
There are many digital citizenship resources available online for educators, parents, and
students.
The following sites are particularly useful, and I have also curated more on a Pinterest board.
COMMON SENSE EDUCATION
A very comprehensive US non-profit organization with resources, information, and advice.
They’ve recently updated their digital citizenship resources and there are lots of lesson ideas
you can use with all age groups.
OFFICE OF THE ESAFETY COMMISSIONER
An Australian government site with lots of resources for educators, parents, and children.
Also includes a complaints service.
The classroom resources section has helpful multimedia and lesson plans for primary and
secondary school educators.
NETSMARTZ
Resources such as videos, games, and presentations for children, educators, parents, and
law enforcement. This is a US site run by National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.

9. The teaching resources section has some useful lesson plans, presentations, and tip sheets.
You do need to register for a free account to access these.
BE INTERNET AWESOME
Google’s digital citizenship program. It includes games, curriculum, and courses for teachers
and students to learn about navigating the online world safely and responsibly.
Another useful discussion starter from Google for older students (or staff) is their Phishing
Quiz (phishing is an attempt to trick you into giving personal information by pretending to be
someone you know or recognise).
Final Thoughts: Start early, don’t stop, involve others
DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP IS A TOPIC THAT’S IMPORTANT FOR ALL AGES.
Common Sense Media reports that children are accessing devices and the internet at
increasingly younger ages, well before coming to school. The amount of time young people
are spending on screens is also increasing to a significant amount — about 6 hours a day for
tweens and 9 hours a day for teens.
Along with learning about opportunities, children need to learn about the responsibilities that
come with using technology. When students develop habits and behaviours without guidance,
problems are sure to occur.
My hope is that teaching students some key messages from a young age will help them
navigate their way safely through the online world as they grow older.
While it’s unlikely young people will never experience an issue online, I believe it is a good
aim to both minimise potential harm and ensure students feel like they always have someone
to talk to.
Digital citizenship education is an ongoing process, and the work of one teacher is not
enough. Ideally, we need parents, students, educators, community members, and school
leaders to unite.
Most of all, we need to create a positive culture where students feel empowered to use
technology safely and purposefully.
AS ISTE TELLS US,
Respect, education and protection are still important foundations of digital citizenship, but
today’s digital learners also need to understand the power they have to advocate,
collaborate and drive change through technology.