Safer Internet Day 2023 - Easy ways schools can get involved

Tuesday, 7th February 2023, is Safer Internet Day, an excellent opportunity for your school to educate, inspire and empower your students to be ethical and knowledgeable digital citizens. Check out these simple ways your school can get involved.

Safer Internet Day (SID) is a global event that brings together communities, families, schools and organisations from more than 200 countries to help create safer online spaces. The day calls upon all stakeholders to join together to make the internet a safer and better place for all, and especially for children and young people. 

Promoting Positive Digital Behaviour

See our in-depth guide for more info on fostering positive digital behaviours and engaging your whole school community in online safety these holidays.

READ THE GUIDE

In Australia, the day is organised by the Office of the eSafety Commissioner, and their theme for 2023 is "Connect, Reflect, Protect".

In New Zealand, the day is organised by Netsafe, and their theme is "Every Space a Safe Space".

With SID so early in the school year, finding the time and space to plan your school's involvement can be challenging. To make things easy for you, our online safety education partners, ySafe, have detailed 5 simple ways for your school to get involved in Safer Internet Day 2023.

5 Safer Internet Day ideas for schools

1. Empower students through a student-led assembly
   Prepare a student-led assembly discussing ways technology, games and social media can be used positively.
   
   
2. Get creative with a photography or art competition
   Run a school photography competition or art show where students can submit a piece that illustrates their interpretation of the Connect, Reflect, Protect or Every Space a Safe Space theme. A gallery can be set up in the school (such as in the library), and entries can be shared on your school's social media channels or newsletter.
   
   
3. Turn students into digital safety experts
   The Digital Experts Academy is a new, gamified, entertaining learning experience for students from leading cyber safety experts, ySafe. The program utilises social and emotional learning to build resilience, promote self-regulation and develop essential digital safety skills to thrive online. Enrol your students in the course and run the first module on Safer Internet Day each year - starting with 2013. Find out more about the program here.
   

    

    

4. Role play to be safe and healthy
   Have fun running in-class role plays with students, highlighting the importance of healthy digital habits. Some examples could include the following:
   - Connecting safely online.
   - Reflecting before we press send.
   - Protecting yourself by speaking to trusted adults about online issues.
   - Being an upstander.
   - When you've been gaming for too long.
   
   
5. Debate the hot topics
   Have a class or school debate about digital safety issues and encourage student voices! You might consider some conversation starters or debate topics like:
   - Bullying online isn't as bad as it is in real life.
   - If a person has their nude shared, it is their own fault.
   - Talking to strangers online isn't a big deal.
   - Kids don't really need to worry about sharing personally identifiable information. They aren't celebrities, so nobody will care about hacking them.

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