Category: Cyber Resilience Toolkit

cyberbullying

Cyber Resilience Toolkit: Cyberbullying

  go to cyber resilience toolkit home

Cyberbullying is a potential harm to children and young people online. It is classified as a communication risk as it involved at least one other person interacting with the user. (def, date)

“It is important not to get too hung up on the fact that your child has experienced bullying online, but to recognise that they have been bullied and need the same support as they would if they had experienced any other type of bullying. Take their concerns seriously, remain calm, and consider what they would like to happen.” Respect Me

Respect Me, Scotland’s national anti-bullying charity, defines bullying as:

“… a mixture of behaviours and impacts; what someone does and the impact that it has on you, which affects your ability to feel safe and in control of yourself. Bullying behaviour happens face to face and online and can include:

  • Being called names, being teased or made fun of
  • Being hit, pushed or kicked
  • Having your belongings taken or damaged
  • Being ignored, left out, or having rumours spread about you in
  • Being humiliated
  • Receiving abusive messages or having nasty comments made about you online
  • Being targeted because of who you are or how people see you“

Cyberbullying is bullying that involves the internet and internet-enabled devices, such as mobile phones and computers. This can include the bold text in the list above.

Supporting children and young people to reduce and manage risks, and report potential harms

Learners should learn:

Further information

Online Bullying – respectme

inappropriate content

Cyber Resilience Toolkit: Inappropriate Content

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Inappropriate content is a potential harm to children and young people online. It is classified as a consumption risk as it involves the user viewing, listening to, reading or playing online content, such as videos, livestreams, social media posts, podcasts, music or games. (def, date)

The NSPCC provides more information on inappropriate content here Distressing online content

They suggest that:

  • parental controls are enabled
  • children know how to use the in-app settings
  • inappropriate content is reported
  • children know how to take time away and relax if they see upsetting content – see the Childline Calm Zone for activities – go to Calm Zone

self generated media

Cyber Resilience Toolkit: Self-generated Media

  go to cyber resilience toolkit home

Self-generated media is a potential harm to children and young people online. It is classified as a creation risk as it involves the user creating images or videos of themselves. (def, date)

It is closely associated with communication risk, which increases the risk if the media is shared with another user. This also increases the potential harm, which might become cyberbullying or sexual abuse.

Further information (partner)

ipsum lorum

gaming

Cyber Resilience Toolkit: Gaming

  go to cyber resilience toolkit home

The main risk of gaming platforms is consuming and communicating and the potential harms are inappropriate content or cyberbullying.

Games may be played on consoles, mobiles or PCs. This guide deals with consoles as the most common platforms.

Main features

Most gaming platforms offer ‘social’ elements, such as chat, messaging and creating and sharing content such as videos made in-game which pose potential risks.

Gaming consoles are the most common platform to access the most popular games:

  • Nintendo (Switch)
  • Microsoft (Xbox)
  • Sony (Playstation)

Risk and potential harms

Ofcom data suggests that the most common potential harms on these types of platforms are:

How to set up an account

Almost any app will require the same details to create an account and access its content:

There may be requests for additional information, such as name, address or phone number – these are not always required.

These links explain how to register for and set up an account on the most popular platforms:

 

Using platform settings to manage risk

Each platform will have a setting for security and privacy – this can be used to control a number of aspects, including:

  • who can see your posts or media
  • the media and posts shown in your feed
  • who can contact or follow you

These links explain how to use settings to reduce the potential risks of unwanted contact, being tagged in abusive or bullying content, or seeing inappropriate or unwanted content on the most popular platforms:

How to report harmful conduct

If a user thinks they have been potentially harmed on the platform they should be aware of how to report this to the platform and potentially the police and trusted adults.

 

ABUSIVE OR THREATENING MESSAGES SHOULD BE REPORTED TO POLICE SCOTLAND

Online Reporting Form | Police Scotland

 

These links explain how to report users and content on the most popular platforms:

Resources and activities

Resources and activities

Although not specifically teaching resources, these guides from Shore (The Lucy Faithfull Foundation) can support discussions and are useful to point learners to for information on harmful sexual behaviour, such as unwanted contact or unwanted sexual messages:
What to do if… 

Topic Library

Thinkuknow by CEOP is the national website for learning about child exploitation and online protection (CEOP). Their learning resources site offers information and resources for learners, families and educators. 
These are a selection of the resources for different ages:

Jessie & Friends (4-7s)

Play Like Share (8-10)

Send me a pic? (11-14)

Exploited (14+)

streaming and videos

Cyber Resilience Toolkit: Streaming and Videos

  go to cyber resilience toolkit home

The main risk of streaming and video platforms is consuming and the potential harms are inappropriate content or misinformation and disinformation (fake news).

Twitch, TikTok and YouTube are the most popular apps for viewing streams and videos.

 

Main features

Platforms like Twitch, TikTok and YouTube offer a way to connect with, and view content, from people across the world. Increasingly these are for brands or individual ‘influencers’. 

These platforms also offer direct messaging and the ability to ‘tag’ other people in the posts or comments – usually with @username.

It might be useful to think of these services in the context of their main media:

  • Twitch – live videos, often play-alongs on games or watch-alongs of other videos
  • YouTube – longer user-created videos
  • TikTok – shorter user-created videos

Risk and potential harms

Ofcom data suggests that the most common potential harms on these types of platforms are:

The presence of brands and ‘influencers’ adds the potential harms of scams and influenced or pressurised spending.

Because they offer direct messaging and the ability to ‘tag’ other people in the posts or content there is also a potential harm of abusive or bullying messages.

How to set up an account

Almost any app will require the same details to create an account and access its content:

  • username (usually an email or the phone’s linked Google or Apple account)
  • password

There may be requests for additional information, such as name, address or phone number – these are not always required.

These links explain how to register for and set up an account on the most popular platforms:

Using platform settings to manage risk

Each platform will have a setting for security and privacy – this can be used to control a number of aspects, including:

  • who can see your posts or media
  • the media and posts shown in your feed
  • who can contact or follow you

These links explain how to use settings to reduce the potential risks of unwanted contact, being tagged in abusive or bullying content, or seeing inappropriate or unwanted content on the most popular platforms:

How to report harmful conduct

If a user thinks they have been potentially harmed on the platform they should be aware of how to report this to the platform and potentially the police and trusted adults.

 

ABUSIVE OR THREATENING MESSAGES SHOULD BE REPORTED TO POLICE SCOTLAND

Online Reporting Form | Police Scotland

 

These links explain how to report users and content on the most popular platforms:

Resources and activities

Although not specifically teaching resources, these guides from Shore (The Lucy Faithfull Foundation) can support discussions and are useful to point learners to for information on harmful sexual behaviour, such as unwanted contact or unwanted sexual messages:
What to do if… 

Topic Library

Thinkuknow by CEOP is the national website for learning about child exploitation and online protection (CEOP). Their learning resources site offers information and resources for learners, families and educators. 
These are a selection of the resources for different ages:

Jessie & Friends (4-7s)

Play Like Share (8-10)

Send me a pic? (11-14)

Exploited (14+)

social media messaging

Cyber Resilience Toolkit: Social Media Messaging

  go to cyber resilience toolkit home

The main risk of social media and messaging apps to send messages is communicating and the potential harms are cyberbullying and unwanted contact.

Snapchat and WhatsApp are the most popular apps for direct and group messaging.

Main features

Platforms like Snapchat and Whatsapp offer a way to send direct messages to individuals or group chats. These can include text, voice notes, photos or video.

 

It might be useful to think of these services in the context of their main media:

  • Snapchat – direct messaging or public posting short media 
  • Whatsapp – direct messaging to individuals or groups (can include media)

Risk and potential harms

Ofcom data suggests that the most common potential harms on these types of platforms are:

With these harms, it is important to differentiate between problematic behaviour and harmful behaviour where there is a risk to safety, such as an adult contacting a child.

The presence of brands and ‘influencers’ adds the potential risk of scams and influenced or pressurised spending.

How to set up an account

Almost any app will require the same details to create an account and access its content:

  • username (usually an email or the phone’s linked Google or Apple account)
  • password

There may be requests for additional information, such as name, address or phone number – these are not always required.

These links explain how to register for and set up an account on the most popular platforms:

Using platform settings to manage risk

Each platform will have a setting for security and privacy – this can be used to control a number of aspects, including:

  • who can see your posts, media or messages 
  • who can contact or follow you

These links explain how to use settings to reduce the risks of unwanted contact and cyberbullying:

How to report harmful conduct

If a user thinks they have been potentially harmed on the platform they should be aware of how to report this to the platform and potentially the police and trusted adults.

ABUSIVE OR THREATENING MESSAGES SHOULD BE REPORTED TO POLICE SCOTLAND

Online Reporting Form | Police Scotland

These links explain how to report users and content on the most popular platforms:

Resources and activities

Prevention is better than fixing problematic behaviour and these resources might be useful to get learners thinking about how their behaviour may affect others:

Be Internet Legends curriculum

Be Internet Kind section

Common Sense Edcuation

Meet Heart of the Digital Citizens!
 
Our Digital Citizenship Pledge

The Power of Words

 

Childline
 
Friendship problems

 

Although not specifically teaching resources, these guides from Shore (The Lucy Faithfull Foundation) can support discussions and are useful to point learners to for information on harmful sexual behaviour, such as unwanted contact or unwanted sexual messages:
What to do if… 

Topic Library

Thinkuknow by CEOP is the national website for learning about child exploitation and online protection (CEOP). Their learning resources site offers information and resources for learners, families and educators. 
These are a selection of the resources for different ages:

Jessie & Friends (4-7s)

Play Like Share (8-10)

Send me a pic? (11-14)

Exploited (14+)

social media feeds

Cyber Resilience Toolkit: Social Media Feeds

  go to cyber resilience toolkit home

The main risk of social media platforms when scrolling feeds is consuming and the potential harms are inappropriate content or misinformation and disinformation (fake news).

Instagram, TikTok and Twitter are the most popular apps for viewing social media content.

Main features

Platforms like Instagram, Twitter and TIkTok offer a way to connect with, and view content, from people across the world. Increasingly these are for brands or individual ‘influencers’. They usually share short videos (sometimes live), photos and short pieces of text (posts).

These platforms also offer direct messaging and the ability to ‘tag’ other people in the posts or content – usually with @username.

It might be useful to think of these services in the context of their main media:

  • Instagram – photos
  • Twitter – short texts (posts)
  • TikTok – short videos

Risk and potential harms

Ofcom data suggests that the most common potential harms on these types of platforms are:

The presence of brands and ‘influencers’ adds the potential risk of scams and influenced or pressurised spending.

Because they offer direct messaging and the ability to ‘tag’ other people in the posts or content there is also a risk of abusive or bullying messages.

How to set up an account

Almost any app will require the same details to create an account and access its content:

  • username (usually an email or the phone’s linked Google or Apple account)
  • password

There may be requests for additional information, such as name, address or phone number – these are not always required.

These links explain how to register for and set up an account on the most popular platforms:

Using platform settings to manage risk

Each platform will have a setting for security and privacy – this can be used to control a number of aspects, including:

  • what posts or media you see in your feed
  • who can contact or follow you

These links explain how to use settings to reduce the potential risks of unwanted contact, being tagged in abusive or bullying content, or seeing inappropriate or unwanted content on the most popular platforms:

How to report harmful conduct

If a user thinks they have been potentially harmed on the platform they should be aware of how to report this to the platform and potentially the police and trusted adults.

These links explain how to report users and content on the most popular platforms:

Resources and activities

Our Learner Digital Skills Toolkit has a section on information and media literacy with advice and resources to use in class Finding and checking – learner digital skills toolkit 

This includes Project Real resources for understanding misinformation and disinformation Project Real