Is this the same as an online safety talk?

It overlaps but goes further. Alongside password security and phishing, sessions cover research skills, source evaluation, copyright and citation — the things students are graded on in school projects.

Does my child need their own device during the session?

They need a device to talk to the tutor. Having a browser open helps, since the tutor can ask them to run a search or check a setting and describe what they see, but sessions also work by discussing examples the tutor describes.

Will this help with a school research project?

Yes. A session can be spent on an actual assignment — narrowing a topic into searchable terms, checking whether sources hold up, and formatting citations in the style the teacher asked for.

Does it cover AI tools like chatbots?

Sessions discuss how to recognise AI-generated text and images, why chatbots produce confident but incorrect answers, and what most schools' policies say about using them in assignments.

Digital Literacy

Middle School (6-8) · Computer Science

Digital literacy at grades 6-8 is about judging what you find online and managing what you leave behind. Sessions focus on how search engines rank and personalise results, how to check whether a website, video or image is trustworthy, how passwords and account settings actually protect an account, and how to use and credit other people's work. It does not involve writing code — that is covered by the Intro to Coding and Web Basics topics.

Start a session on Digital Literacy

What this covers

Building better search queries: choosing keywords, using quotation marks and site: or filetype filters, and narrowing by date
Source evaluation: checking who published something, when, why, and whether other independent sources agree (lateral reading)
Spotting manipulated or misleading media — recycled photos, misleading charts, clickbait headlines, and text or images generated by AI tools
Account security in practice: building and storing strong passphrases, turning on two-factor authentication, and recognising phishing messages and fake login pages
Digital footprint and privacy settings: what apps collect, what a public post can reveal, and how to review permissions on a phone or school account
Using others' work fairly: copyright basics, Creative Commons licences, paraphrasing versus copying, and writing a simple citation for a website or video

Where learners get stuck

Believing a site is reliable because it looks professional or appears first in search results: Students are taught to judge quality by appearance, but layout and ranking reflect design budget and SEO, not accuracy. The fix is checking the publisher elsewhere rather than reading the site's own About page.
Thinking .org or a padlock icon means a site is trustworthy: These are widely repeated as safety rules. In fact .org is open to almost anyone, and HTTPS only means the connection is encrypted — a scam site can have both.
Assuming deleted posts, private accounts or incognito mode make activity disappear: The interface hides content from the student's own view, so it feels gone. Screenshots, backups, platform records and school network logs all persist, which changes how a student thinks about what to post.

What a session looks like

A typical 25-40 minute session starts with a real example — a search result, a viral post, a suspicious email — and the tutor asks the student to reason aloud about it before offering guidance. The student describes what they notice, tries a verification step, and explains their conclusion. Sessions may also work through a student's own assignment, such as finding and citing three sources for a research project, or reviewing a checklist of account settings.

Helpful to know first

Comfortable reading and typing at a middle school level
Regular use of a browser, school account, or phone/tablet apps
No coding experience needed

Questions

Is this the same as an online safety talk?: It overlaps but goes further. Alongside password security and phishing, sessions cover research skills, source evaluation, copyright and citation — the things students are graded on in school projects.
Does my child need their own device during the session?: They need a device to talk to the tutor. Having a browser open helps, since the tutor can ask them to run a search or check a setting and describe what they see, but sessions also work by discussing examples the tutor describes.
Will this help with a school research project?: Yes. A session can be spent on an actual assignment — narrowing a topic into searchable terms, checking whether sources hold up, and formatting citations in the style the teacher asked for.
Does it cover AI tools like chatbots?: Sessions discuss how to recognise AI-generated text and images, why chatbots produce confident but incorrect answers, and what most schools' policies say about using them in assignments.