Safer Internet Day 2023
Safer Internet Day takes place on 7th February 2023. The theme is ‘Want to talk about it? Making space for conversations about life online’.
What is clickbait?
Clickbait is content you find on the internet whose prime purpose is to attract as much attention as possible.
Crucially, this content is specifically formulated to try and get as many people to click on it as possible.
Often, the article doesn’t quite offer what it promised. In extreme cases, it can lead to webpages carrying viruses and phishing bots.
E-safety
E-safety has changed dramatically over the last five years.
The ‘think about the information you give away’ lesson is still important. But the age at which pupils need to confront this seems to be getting lower every year.
Here, we move on to considering children’s wider internet usage. Ask pupils to think more critically about what they’re reading and how they consume information.
It’s worth remembering what clickbait is and why we need to recognise it.
It be misinformation, and give readers a false impression. But, it can also lead to sites that contain loads of adverts or even viruses.
What they’ll learn
- To be able to check sources of information using a variety of methods
- The skills to recognise possible false headlines
- To understand why articles and websites may want you to click through and read
Starter activity
Begin by discussing previously covered information around e-safety and browsing the internet.
This is a good lesson to follow a ‘what we do online’ type of session.
Make sure that the children understand the difference between web browsers, email, search engines and websites. Use this time to get a discussion going about these various platforms, and how they each use the internet slightly differently.
Talk about the various functions of the internet itself, too, (fun, information, work, entertainment, storytelling, advertising, etc) and why pupils use it.
Rebecca Stacey is a former headteacher. She is currently studying for an MSc in Zero Carbon Communities and working for a sustainable charity in Cumbria. Follow Rebecca on Twitter @bekblayton
