Safer Internet Day was a good moment to think together about how we can navigate online safely and responsibly.
The internet gives us access to information, entertainment and instant communication, but the risks cannot be ignored: cyberbullying, exposure to unsuitable content, identity theft, online fraud and contact with strangers. We discussed each of them with the pupils.
We chose to talk in terms of situations rather than prohibitions. A rule such as "don't talk to strangers" sounds clear to an adult, but to a child a stranger does not look like a stranger: they have a friendly username, they play the same game and they seem the same age. So we started from examples the children recognise from their own experience and looked together for the signs that ought to make them stop.
The most important part of the conversation, though, was a different one: what to do once something has already happened. The greatest risk at their age is not the mistake itself but the silence afterwards — the fear of being told off or of losing the tablet makes children hide exactly the things they ought to talk about. We told them plainly that an adult must always be informed and that nobody is to blame for having been tricked.
The aim of the day was a positive, safe online experience, built on understanding rather than fear.