How to teach data protection

Sponsor's feature: Explore the importance of protecting personal information online with your students using these ideas and lesson resources
Girl on computer
Despite the significant rise in the online presence of young people, many are unaware of how to protect their information. Photograph: Alamy. Alamy

Children start using the internet from a very young age, but most are unaware of how the personal information they upload gets used, or how to make informed decisions about what they share online.

Protecting personal information is an essential part of adult life, and teaching young people about internet safety from an early age will help give them the knowledge and tools they need to take responsibility for protecting their own information.

Internet use among young people

More than 80% of five to seven-year-olds in the UK use the internet, according to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO). This rises to 96% of eight to 11-year-olds and 99% of those aged from 12 to 15.

Almost one in five (18%) eight to 11-year-olds have a social networking site profile, rising to 67% of 12 to 15-year-olds, while 29% of children aged nine to 16 say they have had contact with someone online that they have never met face-to-face.

Despite this significant online presence, many young people are unaware of how to protect the information they are sharing, according to the ICO.

The ICO conducted a survey of more than 4,000 young people in 2011 which found that 60% had not read the privacy policies of the social networking sites they used, 32% did not know what a privacy policy was, and 23% said they did not know where to find it.

These statistics highlight how important it is to give young people the knowledge and awareness they need to make informed decisions about how they use and protect their personal information online.

It is also important, says the ICO, to teach young people about the value of their personal information, how it is gathered and used.

Teaching young people the value of their personal information

As the UK's independent authority set up to uphold information rights in the public interest, the ICO has created a set of lesson plans for primary and secondary schools that explore what is meant by "personal data" and demonstrate ways of protecting that information.

The lessons give young people the chance to discuss their ideas and understanding of issues around personal information while encouraging them to think about their own online activities including what information should – and shouldn't – be shared.

The aim is that children and young people will:

Learn why personal data is important
Become aware of the rights they have with their personal information
Understand the potential threats to their privacy
Know how to protect themselves.

Primary school lesson ideas

The ICO's primary lessons introduce pupils to their rights and responsibilities relating to data protection and freedom of information. The aim is to develop students' knowledge and awareness so that they can make informed decisions about the information they share.

A good place to start is by asking pupils what is meant by "personal information". Can they give examples such as their name, date of birth or telephone number?

Next, ask them to list as many pieces of personal information about a celebrity or public figure as they can. Are they surprised at how much they know or are able to find out? How does this make them feel about sharing their own personal information?

Dependent on a person's relationship to a child, there might be some pieces of personal information that can and should be shared. Can pupils give examples of what these relationships and types of information might be? What might they tell a doctor or a teacher that they wouldn't tell a shop keeper? Are there any kinds of information that should never be shared, such as passwords?

Examine the idea of keeping personal details private by asking students what they would do if they received a text saying they could win £100 by texting back their name, age, and a photograph of themselves. What could some of the dangers of replying be? What should they do and why? Pupils could make posters warning of the dangers of responding to unsolicited messages.

Secondary school lesson ideas

As well as looking at keeping personal information safe, the ICO's lessons for secondary pupils provide guidance about young people's rights to access personal information from the organisations that hold their details, and their rights as citizens to request information from public authorities.

Questions to consider with your class:

Where might my personal information be held?
What could it be used for?
What rights do I have over information about me?
How can I keep my personal information safe?
What about identity theft?

Working in groups, can students come up with a list of reasons why they should look after their personal information? Ideas might include: reducing the chances of receiving spam or other unwanted marketing, and preventing the information from falling into the wrong hands. It is worth noting that a determined criminal needs only three pieces of personal information to begin to carry out an identity theft.

Remind students that when posting on websites, it's wise to think about the impression they are creating. Would the things they write or the pictures they share cause embarrassment in real life? How would pupils feel if a potential employer or their parents saw things they had posted?

Although social networking sites such as Facebook are meant for use by people aged 13 and over, many children do access such sites. In addition, lots of computer games that are popular with young people involve aspects of social networking.

As a class, discuss why social networking sites have age limits. Ask whether anyone uses a "message board" within a computer game. Encourage children to consider how they should react to message boards which involve strangers. Reiterate the need to keep personal information safe.

Additional resources

The ICO has created a useful infographic that highlights different aspects of children's online activities. Use it as a model for students to conduct their own class or year group survey.

There are additional resources available from the youth section of the ICO website, including posters, bookmarks, and a list of top tips to help young people stay in control of their personal information.

Before sharing this list with your class, ask them to brainstorm in groups what they think some of the tips might be. Display some keywords on the board as a stimulus, for example: privacy policy; secure site; password; small print; firewall. Can groups come up with their own top 10 list of tips? Compare these ideas with those from the ICO and discuss.

For more information and to download the primary and secondary teaching resources and accompanying PowerPoint presentations, visit the ICO website.

Content on this page is provided by ICO – supporter of the citizenship hub.