Category: CRIS teacher toolkit

cyber toolkit: consume

Cyber Toolkit: Consume

Teachers should focus on understanding how learners are using online platforms – do they consume, create or communicate?

This section focuses on the risks of using online platforms to consume content. Content that is consumed is created by others and shared online by individuals or organisations and can be any form of media, including video, photos, text or games. 

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cyber toolkit: consume

A lot of our online time is spent consuming others’ content, such as reading news or social media posts, watching videos or playing games. The main potential risks of this content are:

Misinformation

cyber toolkit informaiton literacy and misinformation

Misinformation, sometimes called ‘fake news’, is content created to deliberately mislead or misinform audiences and the single biggest risk to UK internet users (22% of UK users encountering potential harms, Ofcom 2022). This may be done to further a cause or goal, such as in politics, or to cause harm or alarm, such as scaring people off medicines and vaccines.

view the Information Literacy page

Inappropriate content

cyber toolkit inappropriate content

Inappropriate content is any form of media that may be harmful to the person consuming it and is the biggest combined threat to UK  internet users (40%* of UK users encountering potential harms, Ofcom 2022). What is considered inappropriate differs between the people viewing it. Some content may be deemed inappropriate for the age of the person consuming it, such as swearing, or more generally harmful, such as racist language or imagery.

view the Inappropriate Content page

Spending money online

cyber toolkit spending money online

More of our money is spent online than ever before, however, this can be problematic when money is being scammed or stolen, or the individual loses control of their spending, such as with problematic gambling. Scams, fraud and phishing are the most commonly experienced potential financial harms, encountered by 27% of UK online users (Ofcom, 2022)

Fast Forward is the gambling support charity for Scotland and have in-depth guides and advice on gambling support – go to Fast Forward page.

view the Spending Money Online page

cyber toolkit create

Cyber Toolkit: Create (NEW)

Teachers should focus on understanding how learners are using online platforms – do they consume, create or communicate?

This section focuses on the risks of using devices and online platforms to create content. This can be any form of media, including video, photos, text or games. Creating content carries less risk than consuming or communicating as long as the content remains on the device – the biggest risks coming when created content is shared via communication.

Ofcom data (2022) shows that the number of children and young people creating online video content is actually a small number and decreasing as this content becomes ‘more professionalised’.

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cyber toolkit create

Internet safety risks and considerations

Access

In order to create online content and potentially inappropriate or harmful content, learners usually need access to:

  • a device (internet access is not necessarily required for creating media content)
  • apps to create the content, such as the device’s camera and editing or manipulation apps

When supporting learners with this area, it is important to consider who controls their access to these opportunities and resources:

  • Is there a risk of this occurring in school?
  • How is that enabled?
  • Are there steps that could be taken to reduce the risk of this?

If it is an out-of-school risk:

  • How can the school support with this?
  • Is support required for families or learners?
  • Who can support with this: Community Learning and Development or Police Scotland?
Potential risks

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.

Topics to explore with learners might include are:

  • the types of content they might create
  • the risk in creating or sharing?
  • the risk of creating and sharing content to them or might it harm others?
  • the potential risks, and associated harms, the same for everyone – why are they different, and why does this matter?

Cyber resilience guidance

Devices

The first potential vulnerability when creating content is the device not being securely setup.

Check with learners that they have taken these steps to reduce the risk of content being stolen from their device:

  • their device account (Windows, iOS or android) has a strong password (three random words)
  • makes use of 2-factor authentication (2FA)
  • additional security features, such as fingerprints or facial recognition
  • has a unique account for each user (if shared device, such as a tablet or laptop)
  • a screenlock that requires a passcode or biometric (face or fingerprint) to log in to stop unauthorised access (hacking)
  • the latest operating system (usually iOS, android or Windows) installed as this usually fixes potential security vulnerabilities
  • installed apps from approved providers, such as App Store or Play Store to avoid potentially malicious apps that allow content to be stolen through a ‘backdoor’

 

Learners should also consider where created content is stored – this will typically be on the device but can also be stored on cloud storage, such as OneDrive, iCloud or Drive, and this adds the risk of remote hacking and content theft

 

  • apple devices have a content filter, called communication safety in Messages, in their ‘screen time’ settings that blocks potentially nude content sent or received on children’s phones
Accounts

Another potential vulnerability when creating content is the accounts on the device or online platform not being secure enough and allowing others to access created content.

Check with learners that they have taken these steps on their apps to reduce the risk of content being stolen from their accounts:

  • they use a secure, perhaps separate, email account (with its own unique username, secure password and 2FA)
  • they use their device security, such as account and biometrics, to log in to apps as this means they need to have the device in-hand to access the account
  • they do not share access to their account with anyone
  • they know how to use the settings and security features to set the platform up to only share information they are willing to share – this might include turning off data or location tracking, for example
Report and support

When using devices or online platforms to create content, learners should understand that online platforms and services, including apps, carry greater risk of being shared without permission as the content created on these is almost always stored on their server, which is the company’s computer, and not the child or young person’s device. 

Should created content ever be shared with, or without, permission then learners should have the knowledge, skills and support to report and recover from the potential risks associated with this:

Anyone under the age of 18 is considered a child by law and ANY content that contains exploitative or indecent images or video of children is child sexual abuse and illegal.

Educators should follow Local Authority child protection procedures. Children and young people who experience this should report it to CEOP (Child Exploitation and Online Protection).

 

It is not illegal to film or photograph someone without consent, however, any exploitative or indecent images or video of children is child sexual abuse and illegal.

Educators should follow Local Authority child protection procedures. Children and young people who experience this should report it to CEOP (Child Exploitation and Online Protection).

Digital content that may have been created consensually but once consent is revoked it can be challenging to stop the other party sharing it. The Internet Watch Foundation Report/Remove tool can be used to request any exploitative or indecent images and video are removed from online servers.

Resources

Thinkuknow by CEOP is the national website for learning about child exploitation and online protection (CEOP). Their learning resources site offers information and resoruces 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+)

cyber toolkit communicate

Cyber Toolkit: Communicate (NEW)

Teachers should focus on understanding how learners are using online platforms – do they consume, create or communicate?

This section focuses on the risks of using online platforms to communicate. 69% of children aged 3-15 used an online communications service for making voice/video calls or sending messages in 2022 (Ofcom).

The Cyber First Aid Box can be used by families to discuss and provide support to children and young people who may have encountered an online harm.

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cyber toolkit communicate

Although most of our time online is spent consuming content, such as viewing social media posts, watching videos or playing games, there is perhaps greater risk of harm from online communications. Whereas the user is mostly in control of content they consume, communicating with others involves others and therefore the additional risk of their behaviour impacting the user.

It is important that learners learn how to setup and maintain as much control of their devices and accounts to reduce the potential risk of harm. Teachers should make learnign specific to as many of the learners as possible, the statistics below should help shape some of your conversations with learners and help to identify the apps most common to children and young people.

 

Ofcom (2022) statistics reveal that:

  • 50% of 3-15-year-olds use WhatsApp (rising to 75% of 12-15s)
  • 30% of children aged 3-15 use Snapchat
  • 30% of children aged 3-15 use FaceTime
  • 22% of those aged 13+ who had received a recent unwelcome friend request, follow request, or message, received this via an instant messaging service
  • 9% of UK internet users aged 13+ who had experienced an online potential harm in the last four weeks, encountered their most recent potential harm on an instant messaging platform

The potential risks of online communication are most likely (Ofcom, 2022):

  • unwelcome friend/follow requests or messages
  • trolling
  • bullying, abusive behaviour or threats
  • unwanted sexual messages

Unwanted contact

cyber toolkit unwanted contact

Unwelcome friend/follow requests or messages (20%) and unwanted sexual messages (8%) account for 28% of the potential risks encountered by UK internet users aged 13+ (Ofcom, 2022). Understanding how the platform works can help children and young people reduce the likelihood of this potential risk by managing who can and cannot contact them.

go to Unwanted Contact page

Trolling, bullying and abusive behaviour
cyber toolkit trolling bullying abusive behaviour

Trolling (15%) and bullying, abusive behaviour or threats (8%) account for 23% of the potential risks encountered by UK internet users aged 13+ (Ofcom, 2022). Understanding how the platform works can help children and young people reduce the likelihood of this potential risk by managing whose messages and posts they see, and how to mute or block people who may be trolling, bullying or abusing them.

go to Trolling, Bullying and Abusive Behaviour page

Technology assisted harmful sexual behaviour (TAHSB)

Technology-assisted harmful sexual behaviour (TA-HSB) is when children and young people use the internet or other technology to engage in sexual activity that may be harmful to themselves and others. TA-HSB covers a range of behaviour including:

  • the developmentally inappropriate use of pornography
  • online sexual abuse
  • grooming
  • sexting

go to TAHSB page

Communicate – Email

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:

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?

Communicate – Direct Messaging (DM) Apps

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 exclusively at direct messaging (DM) apps, such as Snapchat and Whatsapp, not social media or gaming which also have messaging features. Dating apps, such as Grindr and Tinder may also be considered as Messaging apps but we do not currently have age appropriate content on those platforms.

The risks:

  • sharing private information
  • sharing or receiving content that is inappropriate, offensive or harmful
  • reading unreliable, or false, information
  • being groomed or exploited
  • being bullied
  • receiving inappropriate images or messages 
  • phishing scams

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:

  • Make sure that platforms are protected by stronger passwords and 2FA is enabled to stop others from accessing the account without permission
  • Ensure they are aware of privacy settings, such as who can see or share your messages, media or location (Snapchat Snapmaps are enabled by default and allow other users to see your exact location)
  • Check that they are aware of the risks of grooming, cyberbullying and scams
  • Show them how to report concerns on the platform
  • Forward phishing messages to NCSC on 7726

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?

Communicate – Livestreams

Livestreaming is an increasingly popular method of communicating with people across the world. They can be based on any sort of content but often centre around sports and gaming.
Learners should be aware of the risks of inappropriate content in livestreams, the pressure to provide tips, subscriptions or sponsorship, and the risks associated with talking to others on streams, whether friends or strangers.

The risks:

  • pressurised into purchases, tips, sponsorships or subscriptions
  • inappropriate content
 

 

 

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:

  • Make them aware of any potential risks, such as inappropriate content and costs
  • Ensure they have privacy and security settings enabled on their streaming platforms and consider where and what they film
  • If content is harmful – do they know how to report it?

 

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:

  • Discuss the risk of watching inappropriate streams
  • Ask them to explore and recommend smarter choices for more appropriate streams – this could be class stream reviews alongside book reviews
  • Look at how they can be kinder when streaming or commenting on others’ streams

 

Communicate – Gaming

Gaming is one of the most popular past times in the world. The amount of money spent playing games is more than that spent on video-on-demand (VOD), such as Netflix, or music streaming like Spotify combined. There are many aspects to gaming beyond playing the games, including livestreaming, esports or gambling.

Learners should be aware of the risks of inappropriate content in games, the pressure to make purchases (lootboxes, FUT, skins), and the risks associated with playing multiplayer online games whether friends or strangers.

 

The risks:

  • sharing or receiving content that is inappropriate, offensive or harmful
  • being groomed or exploited
  • being bullied
  • sharing private information

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:

  • Make them aware of any potential risks, such as grooming or cyberbullying and greifing
  • Ensure they have privacy and security settings enabled on their games consoles and apps when playing online
  • If content is harmful – do they know how to report it?

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:

  • Discuss the risk of playing inappropriate games, or with inappropriate players, such as randomly matched adults
  • What is the difference between trolling, griefing and bullying?
  • Look at how they can be kinder when playing cooperatively