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      Safe and unsafe online actions

      Lesson details

      Learning outcome

      I can understand how online actions can affect safety.

      Key learning points

      1. Online actions can be safe or unsafe.
      2. Sharing private information is an unsafe action.
      3. Safe choices help protect personal information.

      Keywords

      • Action - something a person does

      • Safe - not likely to cause harm or danger

      • Risk - the chance something harmful or unwanted could happen

      Common misconception

      Only strangers can cause problems online.

      Unsafe situations can happen even when using familiar apps or talking to people you know.

      Teacher tip

      A key point in this lesson is understanding consequences. Encourage pupils to explain what might happen after an unsafe action, rather than just labelling it as unsafe.

      Licence

      This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2026), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0
      except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions
      (Collection 2).

      Lesson video

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      Prior knowledge starter quiz

      4 Questions

      Q1.
      Which piece of information can identify a person?

      favourite colour
      Correct answer: full name
      favourite animal
      favourite sport

      Q2.
      Why can sharing personal information online increase risk?

      because it makes your profile more colourful
      because it makes you more popular
      Correct answer: because many people may be able to see it

      Q3.
      Which combination of information is most likely to identify someone?

      favourite colour and favourite animal
      first name and favourite sport
      Correct answer: first name and home town
      favourite subject and favourite food

      Q4.
      Which statement is correct?

      If information is true, it is always safe to share online.
      Correct answer: Information can be true and still unsafe to share online.
      Only home addresses need to be kept private.
      Posting online is always safe.

      4 Questions

      Q1.
      Which action could be considered unsafe?

      reading information on a school website
      posting your favourite animal
      Correct answer: clicking on a link from someone you don't know
      sending homework to your teacher using the school learning platform

      Q2.
      Which statement is correct?

      Unsafe situations only happen when talking to strangers.
      Unsafe situations can only happen on unknown websites.
      Correct answer: Unsafe situations can happen even on familiar apps or with people you know.
      Unsafe situations only happen when sharing your personal information.

      Q3.
      Unsafe actions increase the of something harmful or unwanted happening.

      Correct Answer: risk

      Q4.
      What might happen if someone shares their home address in a public comment?

      their profile looks better
      Correct answer: other people could find where they live
      nothing, because the information is true

      To help you plan your 4 digital literacy lesson on: Safe and unsafe online actions, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...