OUTLINE
Students pair up and compare pretend secrets to start thinking about zones of privacy.
Goals for students:
Let’s talk
Why does privacy matter?
Your digital footprint is what represents you online. This could mean photos, audio, videos, texts, “likes,” and comments you post on friends’ profiles.
Just like it’s important to be a positive presence offline (like at school), it’s important to keep it positive online too.
The Internet makes it easy to communicate with family, friends, and people who love the same things that you do. We send messages, share photos, and join conversations on social networks – sometimes without thinking about who else can see them too. A picture or post you think is funny and harmless today could be seen and misunderstood by people you never thought would see it – now or way off in the future. Once something’s out there, it’s hard to take it back.
Remember:
That’s why your privacy matters. You can protect it by sharing only things that you’re sure you want to share – in other words, by being careful about what you post and share online. Why else might privacy be important?
It’s also good to know when to post nothing at all – not to react to somebody’s post, photo, or comment or not to share something that isn’t true. Everybody’s heard “think before you post,” and that’s because it’s really good advice. The way to respect your own and other people’s privacy is to think about what’s okay to post, who might see your post, what effect it could have on you and others, and when not to post anything at all.
Some questions for further discussion (these questions can also go home with students for follow-up family discussions):