Tactics for teachers

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

  • Review with kids that the Internet is a public place like the store, the neighbourhood, the playground or going to someone’s house. Set the expectation that parents should monitor them online to increase their safety.
  • Use filtering software on your school computers.
  • Balance the amount of time children spend online with offline activities.
  • If using school computers, ensure that children are not communicating in chatrooms as these areas are typically unregulated.
  • Caution should be given to whether children at this age should be using instant messaging (MSN, Yahoo!, AOL, etc.), or social networking sites (Facebook, Myspace, etc.). A high level of adult supervision is necessary. Keep in mind that most games have an interactive chat component.
  • Provide adult monitoring of online activities.
  • Discuss appropriate and inappropriate material. This could lead into a review of the difference between respecting and breaking boundaries.
  • Explain that no one should ask children to take their clothes off (with exception for medical purposes).
  • Review ‘okay’ and ‘not okay’ touching.
  • If exposed to inappropriate material online (sexually explicit, violent, etc.), teach them to leave the computer and tell a safe adult.
  • Teach them to trust their instincts. Use "what if" scenarios to help them anticipate possible situations and practice appropriate responses if someone breaks their personal boundaries.
  • Explain that pictures should only be accepted, taken or sent online with parental permission.
  • Review the difference between a ‘keep’ and a ‘speak’ secret. A ‘keep’ secret is harmless and will eventually come out, like a birthday present; a ‘speak’ secret is one that children are told never to tell, like someone speaking sexually to them. They will need to tell a safe adult about ‘speak’ secrets.
  • Begin discussions about the concept of anonymity on the Internet and how people can misuse personal information online.
  • Talk 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 anyone they have first met online without an accompanying parent.
  • Ensure they have a few safe adults who they can talk to about anything (parent, aunt, grandparent, teacher, etc.)