Safer Internet Day inspires young people to stay safe online

We all know how important it is to stay safe online, whether that is using the internet, social media, gaming platforms or apps via a computer, smartphone, tablet, games console, TV or even a watch.

To help reinforce the importance of this for young people and encourage debate about the topic we took part in a ‘Safer Internet Day’ on Tuesday 11th February 2025, which is a global campaign with the aim to make the internet a safer and better place for all.

The theme for this year was ‘Too good to be true’ and we used this as an opportunity to run sessions for Key Stage 3. The aim was to help students spots scams especially with the growth of AI, be aware of online sextortion and how to stay safe using the internet.

The topics covered encouraged classroom discussion as covered platforms students may be familiar with, such as WhatsApp, Snapchat, Instagram as well as email. It also looked at new technology including Bitcoin and Bots.

The skills and knowledge learnt will not only help students stay safe, but can also be transferrable so families can stay safe online as well.

The Computer Science department at the school have also organised a fun competition where students can create an advice webpage with the information they have learnt as part of Safer Internet Day. There will be prizes for the best entries and we can’t wait to see how creative our students have been.

For useful hints, tips, resources and contacts about how students and parents/carers can stay safe on the internet, visit www.gilesacademy.co.uk/e-safety