Online Safety and Wellbeing — Year 4 Lesson Plan
National Curriculum: PSHE — Living in the Wider World: online safety, managing personal information, recognising risks in the digital world
Overview
Pupils develop a critical understanding of the opportunities and risks of online life. They explore how to protect personal information, manage screen time, and recognise the difference between real and curated online identities.
Learning Objectives
- Identify personal information that should be kept private online.
- Understand that online content may not be real or accurate, and that people can present false identities.
- Recognise how excessive screen time can affect mood, sleep, and relationships.
- Know how to respond if they see something upsetting or receive an unkind message online.
Key Vocabulary
Suggested Lesson Structure
Display an example social media profile (fictional). Ask: what personal information can you spot? Would you give this information to a stranger in the street? Establish the parallel between offline and online stranger safety.
Cover three themes with discussions. Personal information: what is safe to share publicly (first name, interests) vs. what must remain private (surname, school, address, passwords). False identities: show a 'before/after' of a photo edited with a filter — discuss how people present an idealised version of themselves online; not everything you see is real. Screen time and wellbeing: brief research summary — excessive use linked to poor sleep and lower mood; the key is balance and being intentional about use. Responding to problems: report > block > tell a trusted adult. Cyberbullying is still bullying even when it happens online.
Pupils review a fictional child's social media page and highlight in red any information that should not be public, and in green anything that is safe. They justify their choices to a partner.
Pupils create a 'Digital Safety Passport' — a folded card listing three things they will do to stay safe online and two things they will do if something goes wrong.
Discuss: what should you do if a friend shows you something online that makes you feel uncomfortable? Reinforce the message that telling an adult is always right — it protects both them and others.
Common Misconceptions
- Private accounts are completely safe — people you accept as followers or friends can still screenshot and share content.
- You can always tell if someone online is who they say they are — catfishing and fake profiles are designed to be convincing.
Prior Knowledge
Pupils should already be able to:
- Year 3 PSHE: friendships and bullying, including mention of cyberbullying.
- Computing KS2: understanding of the internet and what data is.
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