Safer Internet Day 2020 Educational resources for 14-18-Year Olds

For Safer Internet Day 2020, we have created a range of educational resources which are designed for educators to deliver with young people aged 3-18-years old, including specific resources tailored for use with 14-18-year olds.

Safer Internet Day 2020 will be celebrated globally on Tuesday 11th February with the slogan ‘Together for a Better Internet’. In the UK, the day will be celebrated with a specific focus on identity online.

In the UK, we choose an annual theme that we think best suits the current landscape of online safety and the issues that young people may face online. This year, we are encouraging young people to explore how they manage their online identity and think about how the internet shapes their view of themselves and others.

We will look at whether the internet allows young people to experiment and express themselves, or if they feel limited in who they can be online, and how offline stereotypes and discrimination are challenged or reinforced online. By opening up conversations around online identity, we aim to inspire young people to support each other in being who they want to be, to celebrate difference, and help work towards creating a truly inclusive internet.

Each year, to help schools to celebrate Safer Internet Day, we create a range of educational resources that look at the theme in a way that is suitable for children and young people of different ages.

The resources for use with 14-18-year olds explores the theme of online identity and specifically how our identity is viewed online and used as a measure of our authenticity. The resources pose questions about whether all identities are treated equally and how we can become an ally to those in need online. 

Within the pack you will find three mini presentations exploring these ideas further, these presentations can be used within an assembly, in form time, or adapted for use within a lesson.

We have also created a selection of both quick activities, and activities which can be used in whole school or community settings.

Within the pack, you will find a guide for using the resources within the pack alongside support for establishing a safe and supportive learning environment when tackling this theme.

The educational resources for this age group explore what barriers exist which may prevent individuals and groups from being themselves online. They allow young people to consider whether everyone feels fairly-treated, represented and free to be themselves online.

These resources seek to empower young people to feel able to challenge misrepresentation online, giving them the skills they need to become an ally to those who are being targeted or treated unfairly. The resources reflect the different ways young people can do this publicly and privately, online as well as offline.

Young people engaging in the activities in the 14-18 pack will think about how we portray the different aspects of our identities online and reflect upon how others online treat us based on this. They will recognise how our identities are used as a measure of our authenticity online and consider whether this gives us true freedom in being ourselves.

Included in the resources is a mini presentation posing the question ‘Are all identities equal online?’

This presentation can be delivered in an assembly format or discussed with smaller class-sized groups and has an accompanying script to help you deliver the key messages.

During the presentation, young people are encouraged to think about what equality and diversity look like online, and whether everyone feels fairly-treated and represented online.

There is an identity quiz which tests their knowledge on the most commonly used language online, what it means to treat everyone equally online, and which characteristics are protected from discrimination by law.

We have also created a guidance pack for the people delivering the Safer Internet Day messages in your school, youth group, or other setting.

This gives further advice about how to mark Safer Internet Day, information about how to handle disclosures and sensitive topics, as well as details on how you can spread the word.

For Safer Internet Day 2019, our education packs were downloaded over a million times, with teachers explaining the positive impact these lessons had on their pupils.

One teacher said:

“All of the classes engaged well with their particular tasks and really enjoyed sharing it with the parents. It gave us the chance to have the parents in and we ran two follow-up workshops with parents too.” – Primary school teacher, Manchester

You can link up with the wider campaign taking place across the UK – and globally in over 130 countries – by joining the social media campaign and registering as an official supporter.

Simply complete our registration form on our website to become an official supporter and receive your supporter certificate, and get involved with our social media activities by using the hashtags #SaferInternetDay and #freetobe.

Visit www.saferinternetday.org.uk for: