What is Online Safety?
Online safety is the ability to understand and recognize threats that exist on the internet, as well as having the skills and knowledge to avoid these threats. This includes knowing how to keep personal information private and secure online, protecting devices from malware, avoiding harmful or illegal content, and managing online relationships safely.
Basics of Online Safety
One of the difficulties of online safety is that the threats are constantly changing, getting ever-more sophisticated. However, when teaching students online safety skills, there are some basic concepts that, when mastered, can help prevent against a wide variety of threats. These include:
Securing Personal Information
The first basic of online safety is protecting personal information. This means being careful about sharing information such as:
- Full name
- Address
- School or work
- Social security number
- Account usernames and passwords
Students should be taught never to share personal information online without a parent or guardian’s specific permission. They should also never share usernames and passwords of their accounts, which may be used to obtain personal information.
Protecting Against Malware
Most malware attempt to gain access to a computer or to steal personal information to use for nefarious purposes. They may compromise not only personal security, but can also wreak havoc on software, files, and operating systems. There are a wide variety of attacks at differing levels of sophistication, which can make them difficult to detect or avoid. However, some basic online safety skills can help prevent these attacks:
- Don’t click links or open attachments in emails from people you don’t know.
- Be wary of contests, “freebies,” or awards stating you’ve won something or have “money” or some other award waiting for you.
- Avoid downloading software or files from unknown sources–this includes being wary of pop-up windows that ask you to download something.
- Be wary of error message pop-ups that you don’t understand.
Avoiding Harmful or Illegal Content
While the internet opens us up to a wide array of information and communication, this also means being at risk for stumbling across content that is harmful or even illegal. It’s important to discuss with students how to stay safe online by understanding the types of searches that are okay and which aren’t.
Computers that students have access to should have safety filters in place to prevent harmful or illegal searches and content. Parents and guardians should also set a standard for open communication with students, creating an environment in which they are comfortable asking questions or discussing what they may have seen online. It’s important to let students know that if they accidentally stumble across something that makes them uncomfortable, it’s prudent and safe to ask an adult for help.
Manage Relationships Safely
Finally, online safety should also include discussing communication students may have with other individuals online and how to manage these relationships safely. This means understanding the risks associated with engaging with others online, including:
- Knowing that some people may not be who they say they are.
- Never meeting someone they’ve met online in real life unless it is thoroughly evaluated, approved and overseen by a parent.
- Telling an adult if someone says something that makes them uncomfortable.
Final Thoughts
Online safety can be difficult and complicated to understand, especially with the quickly changing environment of online threats. EasyTech, Learning.com’s digital literacy program, helps students master the basics of online safety, empowering them with skills, knowledge and awareness to avoid threats while online.

Learning.com Team
Staff Writers
Founded in 1999, Learning.com provides educators with solutions to prepare their students with critical digital skills. Our web-based curriculum for grades K-12 engages students as they learn keyboarding, online safety, applied productivity tools, computational thinking, coding and more.
Further Reading
Cultivating Digital Literacy Skills in Students
Digital literacy is the ability to understand, use, and interact with technology, media, and digital resources in real-world situations, providing...
Celebrating South Carolina STEM Education Month
March 14 (Pi day) marked the kickoff of STEM Education Month in South Carolina. STEM education is becoming increasingly important in K-12...
Women Making History in Tech
Believe it or not, a report by Accenture showed that “the proportion of women working in tech is now smaller, at 32%, than it was in 1984, at 35%."...
This Digital Learning Day, Equipping Students to Navigate Our Digital World
Today we celebrate Digital Learning Day (#DLDay), a day sponsored by All4Ed to highlight the digital tools educators use across the country to...
What Does Lifelong Digital Literacy Look Like in a Constantly Changing Digital World?
There’s no doubt that the digital technology landscape is constantly changing. What began as the ability to automate calculations and digitize...
Preparing Students for a Tech Centered World
For many, technology is a gift. For others…not so much. Either way you view technology, one thing is certain: technology is here to stay and will...
Is Teaching Keyboarding to Students Still Relevant in 2023?
It wasn’t not too long ago that typing was ubiquitous in computer class. Typing curriculum programs were an important focus of technology...
Get Creative with Professional Development for Technology Integration
Technology continues to develop at lightning speed. For educators, there is more and more pressure to integrate it into the classroom; but with...
How to Help Students Improve Pattern Recognition Skills
In computational thinking, one of the integral steps to the problem-solving process is pattern recognition. In this process, pattern recognition is...