Smart & Safe Online

About this course

The internet is an amazing place full of games, videos, and ways to connect with friends and family. But just like crossing the street or riding a bike, there are safety rules every kid needs to know. Smart & Safe Online teaches those rules in a fun, friendly way that makes sense to young learners aged 7 to 9.

This course was designed by certified safety educators with over 25 years of experience teaching kids. Every lesson uses age-appropriate language, relatable stories, and hands-on activities that kids actually enjoy. No lectures. No scare tactics. Just practical skills they can use the same day.

Each module includes a short video lesson, an interactive activity, a quick knowledge check, and a family discussion prompt. Kids earn a badge at the end of every module. By the time they finish, they will have their own personal Internet Safety Plan to share with their family.

Lessons

• 1 What Is the Internet? 35 min
  Key Idea: The internet is like a giant neighborhood. There are fun places to visit — games, videos, and ways to talk to grandma. But just like your real neighborhood, there are also places that are not safe for kids. Learning the rules helps you explore the good parts and avoid the bad ones.

  Let’s Learn

  Imagine you are standing in the biggest library in the world. Every book ever written is on the shelves. Every song ever recorded is playing somewhere. Every game ever made is ready to play. And you can talk to anyone, anywhere, anytime. That is the internet.

  But here is the thing: the internet is not magic. It is millions of computers all connected by wires, cables, and signals. When you visit a website, your computer sends a message to another computer somewhere else in the world, and that computer sends the website back to you. It happens so fast you do not even notice.

  There are three big safety rules that work everywhere online. Rule One: Ask First. Before you go to a new website, download a new game, or talk to someone new, check with a grown-up. Rule Two: Stay Kind. The words you type online go to real people with real feelings. Rule Three: Tell a Grown-Up. If something online makes you feel scared, confused, or uncomfortable, tell a trusted adult right away. You will never get in trouble for telling.

  Try This

  Draw a map of your favorite places on the internet. It could be a game you love, a video channel you watch, or a website you visit for school. Put a green checkmark next to the safe ones and a red flag next to any place that made you feel uncomfortable. Share your map with a grown-up and talk about what you found.

  Check Your Understanding

  • What is the internet made of? (Hint: it is not magic!)
  • What are the three big safety rules?
  • Who should you tell if something online makes you feel uncomfortable?

  Talk About It

  Ask a parent or guardian: “What was the first website you ever visited? What rules did you have for using the internet when you were my age?”

  Vocabulary: Browser, website, app, Wi-Fi, search engine, internet

  Mark as complete
• 2 Personal Information Privacy 35 min
  Key Idea: Some information about you is like a secret password. It belongs to you and your family. You should never share it online without checking with a grown-up first.

  Let’s Learn

  Think about your house. You have a front door, and only people your family trusts get to come inside. Your personal information works the same way. Your full name, your address, your phone number, the name of your school, your birthday, and your passwords are all things that should stay inside the “house.”

  Here is a simple rule called the Grown-Up Check: any time a website, a game, or a person online asks you for personal information, stop and ask a grown-up first. Even if the request looks official. Even if it promises a prize. Even if it says “urgent.” Real companies and real friends will never pressure you to share private information without your parents knowing.

  What about usernames? When you create a username for a game or an app, pick something fun that does NOT include your real name, your age, or where you live. “DragonMaster82” is great. “SarahFromOakville2015” gives away too much. A safe username is like a superhero mask — it lets you play without telling strangers who you really are.

  Try This

  Make two lists. List A: things that are OK to share online (your favorite color, your pet’s name, your favorite game, your favorite food). List B: things that are NEVER OK to share without asking a grown-up (your real full name, where you live, your school name, your phone number, your passwords). Hang List B near your computer as a reminder.

  Check Your Understanding

  • Name three things that count as personal information.
  • What is the Grown-Up Check rule?
  • Why is “DragonMaster82” a better username than “EmmaToronto2016”?

  Talk About It

  With a grown-up, walk through one of your favorite apps or games. Look at the profile or settings page together. Is there any personal information visible? If so, talk about whether it needs to be there and how to change it.

  Vocabulary: Personal information, privacy, username, password, permission, Grown-Up Check

  Mark as complete
• 3 Being Kind Online 30 min
  Key Idea: The words you type online affect real people with real feelings. Being a good digital citizen means treating others the way you want to be treated — even when you cannot see their face.

  Let’s Learn

  Imagine you are playing a game online and someone sends you a mean message. It stings, right? Now imagine you send a kind message to someone who is having a bad day. You just made their whole day better, and you did not even know they needed it. That is the power of your words online.

  There is a rule called Pause Before You Post. Before you type anything — a comment, a message, a reaction — stop for three seconds and ask yourself: Is this true? Is this kind? Is this necessary? If the answer to any of those is “no,” do not send it. This one habit will save you from so many problems.

  What if someone is mean to YOU online? Remember the three-step response: Stop (do not reply — mean people want a reaction), Block (use the block button to cut off contact), and Tell (tell a grown-up what happened). You do not have to handle it alone. And if you see someone else being treated badly, be an upstander, not a bystander. Send the person a kind private message. Tell a grown-up. Refuse to share or laugh at the mean content.

  Try This

  Write three kind comments you could leave on a friend’s post or video. Make them specific and genuine — not just “cool!” but something like “I love how you drew the dragon’s wings. The colors are amazing!” Practice saying something nice that would make someone smile.

  Check Your Understanding

  • What does Pause Before You Post mean?
  • What three things should you do if someone is mean to you online?
  • What is the difference between an upstander and a bystander?

  Talk About It

  Ask a grown-up: “Have you ever seen someone being mean online? What did you do? What do you wish you had done?”

  Vocabulary: Cyberbullying, upstander, bystander, digital citizen, respect, Pause Before You Post

  Mark as complete
• 4 Screen Time Balance 30 min
  Key Idea: Screens are fun, but your brain and body need breaks. Finding the right balance helps you feel better, sleep better, and have more fun in real life too.

  Let’s Learn

  Have you ever noticed that after a long time on a tablet or watching TV, your eyes feel tired, your head might hurt a little, or you feel kind of grumpy? That is your body telling you it needs a break. Screens give off blue light, which tricks your brain into thinking it is daytime. That is why using screens right before bed can make it hard to fall asleep.

  Here is a simple rule called the 20-20-20 Rule: every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds. That gives your eyes a rest. Set a timer if it helps. And try to put screens away at least one hour before bedtime. Read a book, draw a picture, or talk to your family instead.

  The best way to balance screen time is to make a plan. Decide with your family how much screen time makes sense each day, and what kinds of activities you will do instead. Riding your bike, playing outside, building with LEGO, reading, drawing, or playing a board game with your family — these are all things that help your brain grow in ways screens cannot.

  Try This

  Create your own Screen Time Plan. Pick three offline activities you love and schedule them into your week. Write down when you will do them and for how long. Share the plan with your family and put it on the fridge. Try it for one week and see how you feel.

  Check Your Understanding

  • What is the 20-20-20 Rule?
  • Why should screens go away at least one hour before bedtime?
  • Name three fun activities you can do without a screen.

  Talk About It

  As a family, create a Family Screen Time Agreement. Decide together: What times of day are screen-free? Where in the house can screens be used? What are the consequences if the agreement is broken? Everyone signs it — grown-ups too!

  Vocabulary: Screen time, balance, blue light, offline, routine, 20-20-20 Rule

  Mark as complete