Questions to prompt discussion with students:

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Elementary School Students (dialogue starters):

Strangers on the Internet

• What should you do when someone you’ve never met sends you a friend request or wants to connect with you online?

Knowing Your Friends

• How can you know when someone is trying to trick you online about who they are? 

Protecting Personal Information

• What are some private details you should never share online? 

Middle School Students (dialogue starters):

Where Predators Are

• The video talked about strangers who pretend to be kids in order to meet them online. What are some examples of apps or other places online these people might be? 

Online Privacy and Security

• What are some advanced measures you can take to protect your online privacy and personal information?

Recognizing Coercion

• How can you identify subtle forms of manipulation that may be used by online predators to gain control over others? 

High School Students (dialogue starters):

Please Go Away

• How do you deal with a stranger who keeps trying to engage you online even though you don’t feel comfortable?

What’s Safe to Say?

• The woman in the video who was kidnapped by a cyberstalker thought she was being careful. What kind of personal information could help a predator find where you are? 

Online Safety Advocacy

• What actions can you and your friends take to encourage young people in your community to be aware of their safety online? 

More resources for parents, students, & educators

• Drugs on Social Media: What Parents & Educators Need to Look Out For
• What is the Chroming Challenge: Understanding the Perils of Inhaling Toxic Chemicals
• TikTok Tranquilizer Challenge: What Parents & Educators Need to Know

Conclusion

Students are digital natives and between screen time at home and screen time at school, they often spend quite a bit of time online. Protecting kids online is more important today than ever before with the risk of online predators, online drug sales, and other dangerous situations that kids have the potential to be exposed to. The most important defense against these online risks is having an ongoing dialogue with students so they understand what red flags they should be looking out for and know what to do if they find themselves in an unsafe situation.