New
New
Year 5

Online comparisons

I can explain why things online can affect our mental health.

New
New
Year 5

Online comparisons

I can explain why things online can affect our mental health.

These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

Switch to our new teaching resources now - designed by teachers and leading subject experts, and tested in classrooms.

These resources were created for remote use during the pandemic and are not designed for classroom teaching.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Comparison between our lives and the lives of others can impact our mental health.
  2. There is often a difference between how things appear and how they really are online.
  3. Our expectations of online content do not always align with reality.
  4. Online content and behaviour can increase anxiety and feelings of comparison.
  5. Negative and pressurising content can impact our mental wellbeing.

Keywords

  • Social media - websites and apps used to share words and images with other people

  • Compare - to look at how similar or different we are to someone else

  • Influencer - an online celebrity who is famous or trying to get famous

  • Anxious - feeling worried, nervous, or unsure about something that might happen, like before a test or speaking in front of people; the feeling can also be felt in your body

Common misconception

Images and videos of influencers we see online show the reality of someone's life.

It often takes a huge team to create content, making influencers seem more conventionally attractive, happy or energetic than they normally are.


To help you plan your year 5 rshe (pshe) lesson on: Online comparisons, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Show real examples of unrealistic posts shared by online influencers. Ensure the examples of posts you share are age-appropriate and do not include harmful content or inappropriate language.
Teacher tip

Equipment

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), 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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6 Questions

Q1.
Match the words to the correct definition.
Correct Answer:post,to put something online, such as a video, image or text

to put something online, such as a video, image or text

Correct Answer:content,posts, videos, reels and articles put online by a content creator

posts, videos, reels and articles put online by a content creator

Correct Answer:advertise,persuade someone to buy something

persuade someone to buy something

Q2.
Some influencers lie on social media. True or false?
Correct Answer: True, Yes, Correct, T
Q3.
What can influencers do online?
Correct answer: post content
decide who will become famous online
Correct answer: engage with their followers
delete other people's posts
Q4.
Some influencers create content to get money. True or false?
Correct Answer: True, Yes, Correct, T
Q5.
We should group chats with strangers.
Correct Answer: avoid, leave, never be in, never join, not accept
Q6.
What do some people use group chats for?
search something online
play games
Correct answer: organise events
Correct answer: share information

6 Questions

Q1.
Match the word to the correct definition.
Correct Answer:social media,websites and apps used to share words and images with other people

websites and apps used to share words and images with other people

Correct Answer:influencer,an online celebrity who is famous or trying to get famous

an online celebrity who is famous or trying to get famous

Correct Answer:anxiety,feeling worried, nervous, or unsure about something that might happen

feeling worried, nervous, or unsure about something that might happen

Q2.
How might someone make their life appear more interesting on social media than it actually is?
Correct answer: edit their photos
only post unedited photos
always share the worst part of their lives
Correct answer: only share the best part of their lives
Q3.
Photos and videos shared by influencers always show the reality of their lives. True or false?
Correct Answer: False, F, Incorrect, No
Q4.
What might happen if we compare ourselves to others on social media?
we can learn how to get more followers
Correct answer: it can make us feel anxious or worried
we will feel better about ourselves
Correct answer: we might feel pressured to change ourselves
Q5.
How might someone make their life appear more interesting on social media than it actually is?
only post unedited photos
always share the worst parts of their lives
Correct answer: edit all of their photos
Correct answer: only share the best parts of their lives
Q6.
What might happen if we compare ourselves to others on social media?
Correct answer: it can make us feel anxious or low
we will feel better about ourselves
Correct answer: we might feel pressured to change ourselves
we can learn how to get more followers