Internet Safety Tools for Teachers

What can teachers of 8- to 9-year-old children do to help keep them safe?

Discuss with students the public nature of the Internet — that the online world is a public place just like the store, the neighbourhood, the playground or going to someone’s house.
Explain to students that pictures should only be accepted, taken or sent online with parental permission.

Review with students the difference between respecting and breaking personal boundaries.
Explain to students that no one should ask children to take their clothes off (the exception being for medical purposes).
Review with students "OKAY" and "NOT OKAY" touching.
Teach students to trust their instincts. Use "what if" scenarios to help them anticipate possible situations and practice appropriate responses if someone breaks their personal boundaries.
Review with students the difference between a KEEP Secret and a SPEAK Secret. A KEEP Secret is harmless and will eventually come out, like a birthday present; a SPEAK Secret is a secret that children are told never to tell, like someone speaking sexually to them. Children need to tell a safe adult about SPEAK Secrets.
Talk to students about friendship: what it is and isn't. Explain that new friendships online need to be adult supervised and that children should never meet in person with anyone they have first met online without an accompanying parent.
Begin discussions about the concept of anonymity on the Internet and how people aren’t always who they say they are online. Also begin discussions about how people can misuse personal information online.

Teach students to leave the computer and tell a safe adult if they are exposed to inappropriate material online (e.g. sexually explicit or violent content).