Be in Ctrl PowerPoint
The purpose of this lesson is to inform you that this behaviour is a crime and to raise awareness of how to protect yourself online, where to find help and support, and to give you Ctrl!
This occurs when someone a young person has only met online asks them to send sexual photos and/or videos or perform sexual acts via webcam. They threaten to post the images or videos on the internet or share them with friends/family if the young person doesn’t send more images or pay money.
The purpose of this lesson is to recognise this behaviour is a crime and to raise awareness of how to protect yourself online and where to find help and support.
This activity will allow students to explore the language surrounding this topic and introduce what is involved in the crime and how young people are targeted by offenders. Ask students to complete the worksheet individually, then share/update their responses with their neighbour.
Online communication is how people communicate with each other using the internet, and includes email, messaging apps, forums, chat rooms and social networking sites.
Online Sexual Exploitation is when young people are persuaded or forced to send or post sexual images of themselves, take part in sexual acts via a webcam or smartphone, or have sexual conversations by text or online.
The person who persuades or forces a young person to do this may be looking for sexual material or money.
When someone a young person has only met online has sexual photos/videos of a young person, they may demand more photos/videos or money, and threaten to post the images online or share them with friends/family if the young person doesn’t do as they say.
Someone a young person has only met online threatens to post sexual images of the young person online because they want to receive more explicit photos/ videos or they want the young person to pay them money not to post the images.
This video tells the story of Anna and George who were both affected by the crime of online sexual coercion and extortion.
This activity will allow students to discuss how Anna and George could have protected themselves online and highlight how they compromised their safety and wellbeing. The activity will also encourage students to discuss where Anna and George could have accessed help and support. The final question emphasises the criminality of this behaviour.
Ask students to complete the worksheet in their groups and when they have finished take whole-class feedback. Ask one group for feedback on how Anna could have protected herself online, then ask the other groups if they have anything else to add. Ask another group for feedback on how George could have protected himself online, then ask the other groups if they have anything else to add.
Ask another group for feedback on what the key message from the Gardai is, then ask the other groups if they have anything else to add.
Provide further feedback on how young people can protect themselves online and where to access help and support using slides 9-11.
Be In: No.1 Control – No regrets – Keep control of what you share online and with whom. A person you only know online may not be what they claim to be. Anything you send to someone, post online or do over a webcam can be saved/recorded without your knowledge. These images can then be shared anywhere and with anyone.
No.2 Trustworthy – A friend of a friend? Don’t accept friend requests from someone you don’t know. If someone online says they are a friend of a friend,
exercise caution – it is easy to post fake photos or stream a fake video, ask your friend if they have met them in person.
No.3 Reality Check – Be aware of your online presence – think about how your online profile makes spdate pl you appear to others
No.4 Location – Put your safety first – don’t share your location or meet up with someone you have only met online. Keep your private stuff private – don’t share private information such as your address, phone number or school, and use the maximum privacy settings on your social media accounts.
Offenders who want to obtain sexual images or money from young people will do everything they can to gain your trust online. Be cautious and look out for these warning signs:
– Flattering you and giving you lots of attention, like suggesting modelling opportunities, or moving very fast. – Talking about sex online, sometimes very quickly. – Asking you to send naked pictures. – Asking you to move to private chat like WhatsApp or KIK, or live streaming platforms like Skype. – Asking you to keep your chat secret. – Displaying mood swings – taking their flattery away and becoming nasty or threatening. – Claiming their webcam is broken – they pretend to be someone your age and say their webcam isn’t working so you can’t see them.
– It is very easy to fake a webcam feed, just because you can see someone doesn’t mean it is really them.
(Teacher information – KIK messenger is included here as the Gardai receive many notifications regarding online child sexual coercion and extortion from KIK messenger and Chatstep.)
If any young person is experiencing this problem it is important to look for help and support, they are not alone and help is available.
Be in Ctrl PowerPoint
Keep the evidence, don’t delete anything, save messages, take screenshots and record any details you have. Stop the communication – block the person and deactivate your social media account. Don’t delete the account as this evidence with help the Gardai.
Report the problem to An Garda Siochana – they will help you and take you seriously. They will deal with it in confidence without judging you.
This activity may be suitable for a one hour class. Divide students into small groups and distribute an A3 whiteboard or paper and markers to each group. Ask students to design an online post giving advice to young people. The posts should focus on two areas: – How to protect yourself online from online sexual coercion and extortion – Help and support available if affected by the crime Allocate each group a social media network (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat etc.). Encourage students to customise their posts to the social network they are allocated by drawing/referencing the logo, adding #hashtags etc.
The reflection activity will allow students to apply the learning from the lesson to their own lives, give them a ‘To do list’ to keep themselves safe online and a list of personal supports they can access when experiencing difficulties. Ask students to complete the worksheet individually and emphasise their responses are private and will not be shared with the class.