Communicating online carries greater risk than just consuming or creating content because it involves other people and their ability to influence or affect our behaviour.
This page looks at email, which is typically the information required to create other accounts or activate devices, is still the most common form of communication in the workplace and is targeted relentlessly by criminals for financial gain.
The risks:
- phishing emails
- sharing private information (social engineering)
- sharing or receiving content that is inappropriate, offensive or harmful
- reading unreliable, or false, information
- being groomed or exploited
- being bullied
Becoming cyber resilient is the first step to being safer online. Talk to your learners about the devices and accounts that they use to access online information:
- Suggest they have at least two email accounts – one for most important accounts like bank logins and another for social media and shopping apps
- Make sure that email accounts are protected by stronger passwords and 2FA is enabled to stop others from accessing the account without permission
- Show them how to report spam, phishing and other malicious emails on the platform
- Sending phishing emails to NCSC can stop the spread of these messages and limit the harm to others – report@phishing.gov.uk
Being more cyber resilient reduces the risk of internet safety issues arising. We all want the internet to be a more welcoming space for children and young people and that is why we promote this positive message of safe, smart and kind.
With your learners:
- Are they aware of the risk of grooming – what it looks like, how it happens and how to report it?
- Ensure that learners are aware of the risks of direct messaging (DMs) – could they be offensive, harmful or bullying to someone else?
- Even though it may created and shared privately, it probably won’t stay private after you share it so, what does your content say about you?
Information:
When people’s posts are getting you down – Own It –
I want to know more about Cyberbullying – Childnet
Just a joke? – Childnet
I want to know more about Sexting – Childnet
Bullying or Harassment (reportharmfulcontent.com)
Staying-Safe-Online-advice-for-parents-and-carers.pdf (cyberscotland.com)
