Safe and Ethical Use of The Internet

You have been talking to a new friend you met online for a few days now. According to her profile, her name is Mary, she’s 11 years old and loves bike riding. Mary asks to meet with you for a bike ride outside the school gates during lunch tomorrow. How do you respond?

• Tell her you’ll be there!

• Tell your friends that you are meeting with her during lunch so they know where you are

• Tell Mary you cannot meet with her unless your parents organise it and they are present

• Tell Mary you’d rather meet another time so you don’t accidentally miss any class

Answer explanation

You should never meet up with someone who yu only know online without a parent or guardian aware and present. Mary could be catfishing you, so you don't know if the information she has told you is true

When you tell your online friend, Mary, that you cannot meet with her without your parent, she starts sending you aggressive and hurtful messages. What should you do?

• Send aggressive messages back

• Tell her you’re sorry and can meet up with her

• Take screenshots of the messages to show a trusted adult and block the account

Answer explanation

Whenever anyone starts sending offensive content and messages online, you should block the profile and leave the chat. You should also take photos of the messages and show a trusted adult so the account can be banned

Afterschool, you and your friends have taken a nice group photo. You really like the photo and want to share it on your public online account. Should you post the photo?

• Yes, what school I go to is public information and not a safety hazard

• Yes, it's only my friends who usually see my posts anyways

• No, anyone could see the photo and recognise my school uniform, which is personal information

Answer explanation

Never share personal information online, such as where you go to school, where you live or your full name. Even if its only your friends who will likely see the post, anyone will still have access to it.

If you still wish to share the photo with family and friends, try sending it to them in a message.

While playing a game on your home computer, a message appears saying you are the 1 millionth person to visit the site and have won a prize. To claim your prize you are asked to enter your card details, email and phone number. Should you...

• Enter the details so you can win the prize. It could be a lot of money...

• Click on the pop up to have a further look at the terms and conditions

• Close the browser and play a game on a new site

• Ask your parents for their card because you don't have one

Answer explanation

Never click the link on pop ups because they could cause a virus even if you don't enter your details.

Your friends take a funny dancing video and want to send it to a funniest videos page that is accessible by everyone. What should you tell them?

• Advise them about their digital footprint and how the video will stay on the internet for a long time

• Tell them the video is very funny and they should send it

• Tell them you don't think the video is funny so that they don't send it

• Tell them they will regret posting the video in a few years time

Answer explanation

By explaining the concept of their digital footprint to them, they will understand why they might come to regret sharing the video online. They will understand how the video might be seen by their future employer and others

You are debating whether to post a photo on your profile. You look nice in the photo but your friend is pulling a funny face in the background. What should you do?

• Post the photo. You're sure your friend won't mind.

• Delete the photo

• Post the photo but don't tag the friend so no-one knows who they are

• Ask the friend for their consent to post the photo. Respond accordingly.

Answer explanation

Never post images of other people online without their consent. By doing this you are not using the internet responsibly and ethically.

You have decided to complete an online personality test. The test starts asking strange questions, such as your last name, pets names and birthday. Should you continue the test?

• Yes, giving this information will achieve a more accurate result

• No, the test could be trying to find out your personal details to guess your passwords and steal information

• Yes, but tell your parents about the test afterwards

• Ask your friends to try the test first and see if anything bad happens

Answer explanation

Some personality trait quizzes are disguised as a means of getting your personal information, which can be used to trick you or guess your passwords