Safer Internet Day 2025

This year, Safer Internet Day (SID) 2025 focuses on the theme ‘Too good to be true? Protecting yourself and others from scams on the internet.’

The topic focus looks at the rise in online scams, what they mean for young people, and how they can protect themselves and others.

As measures enabling online scams become more sophisticated, schools, parents, and communities must collectively provide young people with the knowledge and tools to ensure they stay safe and secure online.

Online scams can take many forms, from scam emails and fake websites, to deepfake scams and coercing AI chatbots. As technology advances, so do the strategies of scammers. This year’s Safer Internet Day topic prompts important questions such as:

By exploring these issues, Safer Internet Day challenges students, teachers, and parents to think critically about, and develop safe digital habits, what they see online.

Here are some great interactive and informative activities schools can share with pupils to help empower them and staff to identify and respond to online scams:

Activities for Pupils

1. KS2 & KS3 Spot the Scam Challenge
• Help pupils recognise the difference between real and fake emails, websites, and social media messages;
• Facilitate group working to identify warning signs like suspicious URLs, spelling mistakes, and phoney sender addresses;
• Enable discussion on topics e.g. How do they know if something is trustworthy?


2. AI in Scams: Fact or Fake? (KS3 & KS4)
• Explain how AI is being used to generate deepfake videos, voice scams, and fake messages;
• Present AI-generated videos e.g. doctored celebrity videos and social media posts, and talk about how they may be used to dupe their audience;
• Ask pupils to consider how they might fact-check AI-generated content.


3. Scam Escape Room (All ages)
• Design an interactive escape room scenario in which students solve clues to ‘escape’ from the trap of a scammer;
• Develop puzzles where pupils identify fake websites, scam emails, phishing attempts.


4. How to Keep Yourself Safe on Social Media Role-Play Activity (KS2 & KS3)
• Role play- assign roles to pupils,e.g. scammers, victims, and digital detectives and role play where the ‘scammer’ attempts to defraud the ‘victim’ using typical scam techniques, and where the ‘digital detectivs’ aid in educating the ‘victim’, pointing out red flags, and helping steer them away from harm.


5. Debate: The Future of Online Safety (KS4 & KS5)
• Break pupils into teams to debate topics such as ‘Do you think the government and tech companies should do more to protect young people from scams?’;
• Have pupils research privacy laws, social media responsibility, and the regulation of AI.

Activities for Staff

1. Notice and Report Scams (CPD Session)
• Expand training and bring staff together for a training session on the new and emerging online scams that are targeting schools and young people;
• Review actual case studies and show how to report scams.


2. Assemblies on staying safe online led by teachers
• Conduct an assembly which explains how online scams work and gives practical advice on avoiding scams;
• Give real-world examples of how scammers take advantage of trust and emotions.


3. Parent and Staff Workshop
• Organise a joint session for parents and staff on how to educate young people about scams;
• Offer examples of practical help, which may include setting up scam alerts, how to identify phishing attempts, and discussing safe financial practices online.


4. Digital Detox & a Cybersecurity Check-Up
• Prompt employees to audit their digital security: passwords, privacy settings, and scam protection tools;
• Encourage using password managers and two-factor authentication (2FA).

Whilst online safety must remain at the heart of everyday safeguarding practice, Safer Internet Day 2025 provides an opportunity for schools, students, and communities to take action against online scams. By participating in discussions, activities, and awareness campaigns, young people can become digital defenders, protecting themselves and others in an ever-changing online world.

SSS Learning

10 February 2025