LESSON 17 MIDDLE SCHOOL LESSON INTERNET SAFETY OBJECTIVES: 1. Internet safety what is true and what is false? 2. Email & Instant Messaging safety 3. Strangers on the Internet INDIANA STANDARDS (Grades 6-8).2.5 Examine how information from the media influences health behaviors. (Grades 6-8).2.6 Interpret the influence of technology on personal health. (Grades 6-8).3.1 Explain the validity of health information. (Grades 6-8).3.2 Locate valid health information from school and community. TEACHER TALKING POINTS Internet safety what is true and what is false? The Internet can be fun and educational Ask students where/how do they use the Internet? What do they know about how to be safe on the Internet? Not everything on the Internet is true. For example right now I could go online and type the sky is green and grass is blue. It is hard to tell the difference between the truth and a lie online. If you have questions ask your parents or teacher. There are some websites that might be scary or hurt your feelings. Let someone know if you find a website like that. Email & Instant Messaging safety Email and instant messenger are easy and popular ways to communicate. But keep these things in mind to be safe: They can be dangerous, too. It is hard to know who you are talking to online. There are Spam messages sent in emails. Don t click on links in messages unless you know where they came from. Don t share any passwords, not even with your best friends. Don t share personal information with anyone (this includes not only your name and address but also school, sports teams and church information). Social networking can be fun and can allow you to connect with friends. Only become friends with someone online if you know them in real life Let your parents know if you are using one of these websites
Think before you post! Never use bad words, say mean things or tell people secret information just because it is online. Tell your parents before you post any pictures or videos. Sometimes videos or pictures might seem like a good idea but could be harmful to you or someone you know. Online gaming can be fun, but remember not everyone online is your friend! Be careful what information you share (same rules as with IM and Email). Some of the people playing the game might be adults. Strangers on the Internet There are strangers on the Internet. People can contact you through email, social networking, IMs, chat rooms, online gaming and more. Would you tell a stranger on the street your name and where you live? Same rules apply online! Your parents and teachers can help make sure you stay safe and still have fun! Let them know before you put up any information about yourself. Let them know if you find a website that scares or confuses you or you don t think is right.
STUDENT ACTIVITY Which Teen Are You? This quiz will allow your students to figure out their internet personality and can help them in terms of how much information they share online. Have them answer the following questions: 1. You got food poisoning from a new restaurant. You a. Write a cryptic post on Facebook about not eating there ever again. b. Give them a bad review online. c. Mail a strongly worded letter to the manager. d. Tweet details of how much you got sick along with pictures. e. Tell your friend how much you liked it so he ll go, too. It ll be funny for him to be sick, too. 2. You want to go see the big summer blockbuster this weekend. You a. Group text 15 of your closest friends. b. Tweet the details to see if anyone else wants to go. c. Call your friends on the phone to make plans. d. Tweet to ask if anyone wants to go. Tweet when you find out the movie times. Tweet when you decide on a time. Tweet when you get to the theater you get the idea. 3. You had a fight with your best friend. You a. Unfriend her on Facebook. If you make up later you can just friend her again. b. Complain about it in a gamer forum. Those guys are pretty good listeners. c. Go over to his house and talk it out. d. Instagram pictures of how you re feeling, like a boiling pot of water or a weeping willow tree. e. Text his girlfriend flirty messages. She s cute so why not? 4. A new game came out this week and everyone is playing it on their phones. You a. Buy it. You don t want to be left out when your friends talk about it. b. Already have it and beat it! c. Don t really care. The only app you use if your calendar to keep track of your busy schedule. d. Post the score of every game you play on Facebook. e. Check it out just to see what the hype is. 5. Your crush asks you out. You a. Stalk his Twitter account to see if he mentions you. b. Send a link to him with a playlist of your favorite songs. c. Introduce yourself to his parents. d. Change your relationship status to in a relationship. e. Make sure he didn t post about it online. 6. Your parents surprised you with a European trip over the holidays. You a. Wonder how big of a cell phone bill you ll rack up from all that overseas texting. b. Create profiles on a few travel websites and start asking people for tips on what to do. c. Gladly leave your cell phone behind. d. Call your cell phone company to make sure you ll have full Internet access in every country. e. Download a few language apps so you can ask out girls in other languages.
7. You lose power during a storm and your cell is about to run out of batteries. You a. Charge it in the car. Who cares about wasting gas and car batteries?! b. Check all of your accounts and notify your friends that you ll be offline for a while. c. Turn it off. d. Head out to the nearest 24-hour coffee shop with free Wi-Fi and plug in. e. Welcome the quiet. You were having a hard time keeping all of your accounts straight anyway. 8. It s your birthday and you want to celebrate. You a. Create a Facebook event and invite everyone on your friends list. b. Plan a game-a-thon with your friends from all over the world. c. Go out for pizza after the game with your friends. d. Create a Twitter account named My Birthday and tweet things like it s going to be epic and I bought a piñata for weeks before the party to get people excited. e. Throw two parties. If You Answered. Mostly A s you re a social butterfly who is always online. You don t post anything bad, but keep an eye on your friends & family. They might not be as trustworthy as you think. Mostly B s You re a game player who likes to talk, talk, talk. You spend a lot of time online and leave a ton of footprints. Are you sure you ve covered your tracks? Mostly C s You re a busy person who doesn t have much time to be online. You don t have a lot of patience for technology. Mostly D s You re fully connected and can t go a minute without telling the world what you re thinking. But is every thought worth sharing? You should think about editing yourself. Mostly E s You re a schemer juggling at least two different online personalities. You re bound to slip up sometime.
FAMILY INFORMATION Most children in the United States use the Internet and can navigate around the electronic world better than adults! The Internet can be a fun and helpful place for children; however, there are also dangers. Being aware of these dangers and setting age-appropriate restrictions can help prevent harm to your child. Remember these tips when helping keep your child safe online. 1. Help your child with Internet searches. This will teach them how to tell a good site from a bad one. Also, read over some of their emails with them to help them determine safe from not safe. Remember they pick up many of their habits from you! 2. There are different Internet browsers that offer age-appropriate filters or other safety options. For example, safesearchkids.org is powered by Google and offers safe Internet searching. 3. Talk about Internet safety rules with your kids. Try to bring the topic up every once in a while as a reminder. Sometimes it helps to print out a list of Internet rules that are easily seen and understood by the child. It helps remind everyone of things you have discussed. Keep the rules age appropriate. You might need to change them as they get older. 4. Discuss what is OK to share and what is not. Your child might know not to give out his/her name, but other information can also be asked for and used by people online (school, church, passwords). 5. Keep the computer and other methods of Internet access (gaming systems, etc.) in a common area. This way you can keep an eye on your child, and they will know you are available if they need help. 6. Encourage your child to tell you about any website that scares or upsets them. Try not to get upset with them if they tell you they found a bad website. That way they know it is OK to come to you with problems. If they do find a bad website or have other problems on the Internet, discuss it with them to help them figure out what happened and how to avoid it. 7. Children have even more difficulty than adults with determining the validity of information presented on a website. Sometimes the content can be intentionally hurtful to people and violent, racist, sexually explicit or otherwise inappropriate language is found. Discuss this with them, so they know that the Internet is not like a text book. 8. Set limits on Internet gaming including which games are safe and how long they can play. Help them pick out safe usernames that do not reveal personal information. 9. Ask questions! Let your kids know you are interested in them and what they do. They can also probably teach you a lot about the Internet, too! Visit www.netsmartz.org for more information regarding Internet safety. There you can find videos and activities for your child. There are also printable safety pledges and much more. Be sure to tell other parents about this wonderful resource.