Chapter 3: Smart, Safe, and Kind Online

Smart, Safe, and Kind Online 🦸

Be a Cyber Safety Hero!

You know how devices work. You know how to keep information safe. Now it is time for the biggest hero job of all: being smart, safe, and kind every time you go online.

You do not need a cape. You need three words: Stop. Think. Ask.

Stop, Think, Ask 🛑

Sometimes a surprise box jumps onto the screen. It is called a pop-up. Some pop-ups are helpful, like “Battery low.” Some are tricks.

Warning Signs

A message might be a trick if:

You were not expecting it.
It comes from someone you do not know.
It says “Hurry!” or “Right now!”
It says you won a prize.
It says something scary, like “Your tablet is broken!”
It asks for private information, like your password or address.
It asks you to tap a link or download something.

What Heroes Do

Stop. Hands off! Do not tap. Do not answer.
Think. Do I see a warning sign?
Ask. Show a trusted grown-up. Let them close it.

You will never be in trouble for asking.

Bots: Helpers and Tricksters

A bot is a computer program that does a job all by itself, over and over. Some bots help. A junk mail filter is a bot that moves trick emails out of the way. Some bots harm. A trickster bot can send the same fake prize message to thousands of people.

Who Said So?

Computers follow instructions. Heroes ask, “Who said so?”

Trusted: your teacher, your grown-ups, and the apps your school gave you.
Not trusted: a pop-up, a message from a stranger, or a sign in a game that says “Type your password to win!”

Computers need this rule too. A good program follows its owner, not a sneaky note hidden on a web page.

Real or Made Up? 🤖

AI tools can make pictures, sounds, and videos. They can look and sound real, but they are not.

A photo of a cat flying an airplane.
A video of a dinosaur walking into a school.
A voice that sounds just like a real person, saying words that person never said.

Some made-up pictures are just for fun. But some are made to fool people. So before you believe something surprising, or share it, check it with a trusted grown-up. Ask together: “Is this real? Who made it?”

Unsafe Things Online

Some things online are not for kids. Scary or hurtful pictures. Mean words. Videos of dangerous stunts. Things meant only for grown-ups.

If you see something like that, turn the tablet over or close the lid. Then tell a grown-up. It is not your fault, and you did the right thing.

School-Approved Tools

Your school picks apps and websites that are safe for you. These are school-approved tools. Your teacher puts them on your tablet.

If an app or website is not on your school’s list, do not use it without asking. And never type private information, like your full name, your address, or a password, into a tool your school did not approve. That includes AI chat tools.

Kind Clicks 💛

Words online are real words, read by real people with real feelings.

cyberbullying means being mean to someone on purpose using a device, often again and again.

This is cyberbullying:

Sending mean messages again and again.
Leaving someone out of an online game on purpose, to make them sad.
Sharing a picture of someone to make fun of them.

This is not cyberbullying:

Bumping someone’s game character by accident.
A friend who makes a mistake and says sorry.

If It Happens

Do not send mean words back.
Step away from the screen and take a deep breath.
Show a trusted grown-up. Keep the messages so they can see them.
Be a friend. If it happens to someone else, say, “That was not okay. Let’s tell a teacher together.”

Your Digital Footprint

Everything you do online leaves a trail. It is called your digital footprint. It can last a long time.

Positive footprints: kind comments, saying thank you, sharing art you made.
Negative footprints: mean words, sharing someone’s photo without asking, telling a friend’s secret.

Good Uses and Bad Uses

Devices are for good things: learning, making art, reading, and calling family. It is not okay to use a device to be mean, to use someone else’s password, or to peek at someone else’s screen.

Rules Online, Too 📜

The rules at home and at school still count online. Be kind. Take turns. Do not take things that are not yours. Ask first.

What you do online has real-world results. A mean message really hurts. Breaking device rules at school can mean losing tablet time. There are even laws that everyone, kids and grown-ups, must follow online.

Copyright

When you draw a picture, it belongs to you. You get to say how it is used. That is the idea of copyright. The people who make books, songs, shows, and games own their work too. So we ask first, and we say who made it.

Your School’s Device Rules

Your school has a list of rules for its tablets and computers. It is called an Acceptable Use Policy. The rules might say:

Use school devices for learning.
Keep your password private.
Tell a teacher if something seems wrong.
Be kind online.

These rules are made to protect you. They keep you away from unsafe websites, keep your information private, and keep the tablets working for everyone.

Now you know how devices work, how to keep information safe, and how to be smart and kind online. You are a Cyber Safety Hero! Remember: stop, think, and ask a grown-up.

Chapter 3 Activity: Hero Practice 🦸

With a grown-up:

Play “Trick or Treat?” Your grown-up reads pretend messages. Say “trick” for warning signs and “treat” for safe ones.
Look at a silly picture together. Ask: “Is this real or made up? How can we check?”
Write three kind things you could say to a friend online.
Read your school’s device rules with your grown-up. Which rule keeps you safest?

Key Concepts Checklist

I can name three warning signs of a trick message
I know to stop, think, and ask a grown-up
I can name a helpful bot and a harmful bot
I know AI can make pictures and voices that look real but are not
I only use school-approved tools and never type private things into other tools
I can tell cyberbullying from an accident, and I know what to do
I leave positive footprints online
I know copyright means the maker decides how their work is used