Digital Citizen — Navigating the Online World Safely
Tween discusses real online safety scenarios — phishing attempts, privacy decisions, cyberbullying situations — with their parent. This activity reveals digital literacy, risk assessment skills, and understanding of ethical online behaviour through scenario-based discussion rather than lecture.
Opens a guided voice session in TogetherTime.
What you'll need
No materials needed — this is a pure discussion activity. Find a comfortable, relaxed setting. The parent should resist the urge to immediately correct — listen to the child's reasoning first, as it reveals their actual understanding of online risks.
How it works
- 1~45s
Scenario one: your child gets a message that says 'Your account has been compromised! Click here immediately to secure it. If you don't act in 24 hours, your account will be deleted.' It looks like it's from a service they actually uses — maybe a game or social media platform. The link looks almost right but not quite. Ask your child: 'What would you do? How do you decide if this is real or a scam?' Then ask: 'What information could someone get if you clicked that link and entered your password?' Let them think it through. Tell me the reasoning — not just 'I wouldn't click it' but WHY and how they would verify.
Watch for: phishing_recognition_and_reasoning
- 2~45s
Scenario two: your child's friend wants to post a group photo on social media. your child is in the photo and looks a bit silly. The friend says 'It's just for fun, everyone does it.' Ask your child: 'What are your options? What are the risks of the photo being posted? And who gets to decide — you, your friend, or both?' Then go bigger: 'If a photo of you is online, who can see it? How long does it stay there? Could it affect you in 5 years?' I want to hear your child's understanding of digital permanence, consent, and privacy. Tell me the reasoning!
Watch for: privacy_risk_reasoning
- 3~40s
Last scenario — this one's about other people, not just your child. A group chat your child is in starts making fun of someone who isn't in the chat. It starts as jokes but gets meaner. Nobody's being directly cruel to your child, so it would be easy to just stay quiet. Ask: 'What would you do? What are your options?' Then: 'What's the difference between a bystander and an upstander? Which is easier, and which is better?' And: 'If you spoke up, what might happen — both good and bad?' I want to hear your child's ethical reasoning about online behaviour when they isn't the target. Tell me what they says!
Watch for: bystander_ethics_reasoning