Tasmania Legal Aid has created an online learning module to increase a young person’s knowledge of the law in using technology and social media safely.
The Being Cyber Safe learning module contains three core units and concludes with a final review. Each unit consists of an initial overview and invites young people to explore a topic further. There are activities in each unit based on different learning styles.
If a young person is working through this learning module as part of their school program there are classroom tasks that they can send to their teacher. We also invite schools to arrange a follow-up video call with a Legal Aid lawyer to give students the opportunity to review the module and ask questions about the material.
Unit 1 - Using technology safely
This unit seeks to give young people a legal understanding of some of the rules they may have come across in school relating to technology. We feature a discussion about social media apps, such as TikTok. Young people will then be able to choose to follow this up by looking further into either cyber crime or online identity theft.
The classroom task is to create an infographic to express their own learning for a peer audience.
Unit 2 - Respect versus bullying
This unit focuses on bullying. We focus on how bullying in the “real world” can be done through using technology. We also explore how respect can be a counterbalance to bullying.
Activities include a simple quiz for comprehension, a find-a-word based on common words from this unit, and a music-related activity.
The classroom task asks young people to make a short film, using the opening video as an example. A young person could also make a poster depending on their time and resources.
This unit focuses on sexting, what it is, the legalities of sexting and explaining why engaging in sexting is dangerous for a young person. We provide practical tips on how a young person can respond to requests to engage in sexting and how to make a formal complaint.
The classroom task invites young people to think about why schools have policy and rules in place relating to the use of technology in schools.
The final section contains information on Tasmania Legal Aid, the eSafety Commissioner and Kids Helpline and how these organisations can help young people navigate the world and online. We have included a final crossword to test comprehension. Schools may use this final crossword as proof that a student has completed the learning, if required.