Today is rung 1 of 3 on this topic
Digital footprint and being decent online
Can do: Thinks about permanence and audience before posting, and knows how to respond to conflict online.
Why it matters
By thirteen most children have real social accounts. The decisions are being made now, whether or not they're being discussed.
What it looks like when it's wobbly
No sense of permanence or context collapse, and conflict is escalated at speed with an audience watching.
⏱️ Two-minute check
"Who could see this in five years? What would you do if someone posted something untrue about you?"
Solid looks like: Real awareness of permanence, and a de-escalating plan.
The full activity for this topic · 20 minutes
The Screenshot Test
- 1Rule: assume anything posted will be screenshotted and shown to a teacher, a grandparent and a future employer.
- 2Look through their own recent posts with that rule and discuss any they'd reconsider.
- 3Check the privacy settings on every account together, actually changing them.
- 4Role-play a conflict: someone posts something cruel. Practise the responses — don't reply, screenshot, block, tell an adult.
- 5Agree one household rule together rather than imposing one.
If it's too hard
Privacy settings audit only.
If it's too easy
Search for their own name and see what's publicly findable.
Say this
"Would you be fine with that on a screen at school assembly? That's the test."