Internet & Social Media Safety
SAVE encourages students to be extremely careful when using the internet and social media. Messages posted in any kind of a public forum can be read by anyone. Personal information such as name, address (home and email), telephone number, school name, or information on family and friends should never be shared with anyone you meet in cyberspace or on social media. Never reveal anything about other people that could possibly get them into trouble. It is important to remember that people you meet online, whether in a chatroom or message forum, may not be who they say they are. Also be careful not to provide any personal details, including locations, on your social media sites. The approaching end of the traditional school year calendar is a good time to spread awareness in your school about social media safety.
- Technology Awareness for Parents Public Service Announcmenet – Created by 2011-12 SAVE Youth Advisory Board Advisors
- Downloadable Reproducible Cyberbullying Brochure
- La intimidación en la Red:La información y la prevención
- Cyberbullying Lesson Plan & Activities
Crime Prevention Activities
- Publish an Internet Safety Pledge for students to sign that includes tips on web surfing and email safety.
- Team up with local law enforcement to sponsor an “Internet Safety Community Forum” and have officers speak on internet safety issues.
- Look into finding “internet hotline” phone numbers where students can call and report suspicious online activity.
- Have students write their state congressional representative and ask for their involvement in safer internet practices in the schools.
Conflict Management Activities
- Write and perform plays or skits that demonstrate how during an online chat, someone can go about trying to get your personal information.
- Encourage students to get their parents involved in setting ground rules for internet use. Send a list of “Internet Violence Prevention” tips home with students.
- Sponsor an “Internet Safety Community Forum” at your school. The Safety Pledge can be distributed and signed and students can be educated on different types of filters and site blocking software available.
Service Project Activities
- Sponsor an “Internet Free Weekend” where students agree to participate in community service work at local charities instead of surfing the web.
- Share the list of internet safety tips with other schools in your district and/or state.
- Have several SAVE members write an article on Internet Safety for the school paper.
Internet Safety for Teens and Youth
- National Criminal Justice Reference Service: Internet Safety for Children
- KidsHealth: Internet Safety
- FBI.gov: A Parent’s Guide to Internet Safety