You already have ways to judge when another person's consent matters in sharing. Today the question shifts: when something online goes wrong, what can you actually do next?
You will work through invented situations, choose response steps, and name the people and services that can help. The goal is a clear routine you can use, not a scare story.
Harmful situations online can look different: a mean message, a photo or clip shared without permission, a stranger asking for personal details or a private chat. None of these is something you have to handle alone.
Before we open the first card: when something upsetting shows up online, people often reply, delete, tell someone, or freeze. Which of those do you think happens most, and why? Imagine an upsetting message on a phone, not one from your own life. Silently pick a first move. We will test ideas on invented cards only, not real people in this room.
Today you will practise choosing responses on the cards, using a simple routine.
Key question: when something goes wrong online, what steps keep you safer, and who can help?
We only discuss the invented stories on the cards, not real people in this room.
Work through the invented situations together on the interactive activity. The default plan is two cards in this slot (An upsetting message, then A request from a stranger). For every card:
- Read the story and the prompt.
- Talk about how the person might be feeling.
- Discuss the options. There is no single score; you are choosing the strongest next moves and saying why.
- Open the feelings check and the things to think about, then compare your group's choices with the class.
As you go, notice which steps keep turning up: not engaging, keeping evidence, blocking and reporting, and telling a trusted adult.
Interactive activity
In pairs, for each invented situation we just did, point to who or what helps first and say one thing they can actually do.
| Who or what | What they can do |
|---|---|
| A trusted adult parent, guardian, relative, year head, tutor, coach | Talk about this one: what can a person do here that an app cannot? |
| Platform tools | Block stops that account contacting you. Report flags it to the app. |
| Your school's own route | Your year head, tutor or guidance counsellor, and whatever your school's anti-bullying policy says to do. |
| Keeping a record | Screenshots, usernames and times, so whoever helps you has something solid to act on. |
| Side A — reporting can feel like snitching | Side B — reporting is worth it |
|---|---|
|
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Using today's situations: when do those risks matter, and what support (evidence, a trusted adult, quiet tools) reduces them? Which side do you take, and why? Then as a class, note when reporting helps and what support you would want around it.
As a class, put our strongest next moves in order.
1. … 2. … 3. … 4. … (and further help if needed)
Once the order is locked: platform tools and your school's own route sit around that routine when you need information or extra support.
You cannot control every message that arrives. You can control your next moves, and you do not have to make them alone.
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