Basic digital citizenship
Understand basic digital citizenship: being kind online, protecting personal information, recognising that people behind screens are real people with real feelings, and knowing what to do if something online makes them uncomfortable
What a learner can do afterwards
- State at least three rules for staying safe and being kind online
- Explain why hurtful messages online are just as harmful as saying them in person
- Describe what they should do if someone online makes them feel uncomfortable or asks for personal information
1 · Read
When you play games or chat online, there is a real person on the other side of the screen. That person has real feelings, just like you. Being a good digital citizen means treating them with kindness and keeping yourself safe.
Maya is playing an online game. A player she has never met asks where she lives so he can 'send her a prize.' Maya does not answer. She stops chatting and tells her dad about the message right away.
Hurtful words typed on a screen can hurt just as much as hurtful words spoken out loud. Before you send a message, ask yourself: would I say this to their face?
Be kind online, keep your personal details private, and tell a trusted adult if anything online makes you feel unsafe.
More to read
How to Be Popular on Scratch: 11 Steps
Your Scratch pals are real pals, so type kind words and share neat games. If you like someone's work, heart it to show you noticed. Never type your name, your school, or your street. If an odd note pops up or mean words hurt, shut it fast and tell mum, dad, or a teacher. Grown-ups can help fix net scares, so tell a trusted adult right away.
3 Ways to Be Respectful
Screens hide faces, but the person on the other side is real, and each note lands in a real chest. Type what you would say face to face. Kind words hold, and mean words sting just the same through glass. Read twice before you send. If it would make them grin, send it. If it would sting, bin it. Respect rides on each tap, and rude words ride too, so pick your rider. Kind keys build pals, and mean keys break them, just the same as in the yard, only typed.
Make Someone Smile with Words (Plus Text Message Ideas)
When a blue pal posts a sad pic, type some sun. Say you draw great, or that you miss them at lunch. Small words lift big sads, but mean notes cut the same as fists. Think once before you type. Would I say it loud in class? If not, never type it. If yes, type it gladly. Words fly fast, and hurt lands hard, so send smiles and bin sneers. One kind note can flip a whole day, so be the one who flips it.
2 · Watch
En anglaisTake it off screen
Where it sits
Optional connections
Where this leads
Jobs that lean on this skill. Follow one to see everything it is built on.
8 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.