Lesson video

Hello, I'm Misty.

Thanks for joining me for today.

Today's lesson is going to be thinking about the internet and the impact the internet has on us.

There are lots of tasks and questions to work through, so I look forward to hearing what you've got to say and your opinions on this topic.

So let's get started.

Our outcome for today is to think about how we can describe how the internet can affect our lives and also how to spot misinformation, which is going to be one of our keywords for today's lesson.

Before we get started on today's lesson, it's really important that we think about the ground rules that we follow when we're having discussions in our classrooms. We've got Laura firstly saying, "Listen to others.

It's okay to disagree with each other, but we should listen properly before making assumptions or deciding how to respond.

And when we disagree, we challenge the statement.

We don't challenge the person." We've got Jacob saying, "No judgement.

We can explore beliefs and misunderstandings about a topic without fear of being judged." Andeep tell us to respect privacy.

He says we can discuss examples, but we do not use names or descriptions that could identify anyone, including ourselves.

And finally, Izzy reminds us to choose the level of participation that is right for us.

Everyone has the right to choose not to answer a question or join a discussion.

We never put anyone on the spot.

So with those in mind, let's get started with today's lesson.

And so now let's have a look at the keywords that we're going to be using today.

Firstly, we have the word technology, an electronic device that can create, store, or transmit information as electronic data.

Our second word is impact, which means having an effect on something.

Our third keyword is content.

And here we're talking about content online.

So posts, videos, reels, or articles that are posted on the internet.

Our fourth keyword is misinformation, which is false or inaccurate information but not intended to deceive.

And finally, we have our keyword influence, which means trying to change or affect something.

You'll see these words being used throughout this lesson, so keep an eye out for them and see if you can use them in your own responses as we work through this lesson.

We have two lesson outlines for today when we are looking at the impact of the internet on me.

The first one, how does the internet impact our lives? And secondly, how are people manipulated by misinformation? And you'll notice one of our keywords there.

So let's get started with our first lesson outline.

How does the internet impact our lives? So let's start by thinking about how the internet impacts our lives.

We've got here that the internet is a global network that connects billions of computers and other digital devices, and through technology connected to the internet, it's possible to access almost any information and communicate with anyone in the world.

We've got Jacob here giving us an example.

He says, "I live in the UK and my cousin lives in America, but we talk online every week and play games together." So a really nice example of how people are connected, even though they don't live in the same place.

We see that people can access the internet through different types of technology.

That could be tablets, phones, laptops, and computers.

And they use this for many different reasons, including browsing websites, downloading media files, sending and receiving emails and messages, managing their finances, maybe ordering products online, online shopping, accessing learning materials, which is what you are doing now.

Maybe applying for jobs, using the internet to play games online or being in a chat room to discuss topics of interest with other people, or maybe it's to share photos and videos.

And Jacob's back, he says, "I've done nearly all of these except apply for a job!" Give it time.

Jacob, you'll soon.

He also says, "Did you know that you can do online banking from 11 years old, but your parent or carer has to set up the account?" So that's a useful piece of information to have.

The internet can have a significant impact on us in both positive and negative ways, though.

We've got Aisha here.

She says, "The internet gives us freedom of speech to say what we think about a topic." But in response, Andeep says, "In contrast, it can also be a place for hate speech and sometimes for people to say abusive or threatening statements online." But the internet can impact us all differently.

Aisha says, "I love reading different makeup tips and watching tutorials makes me feel more confident." Izzy replies though, "Sometimes I find that the amount of beauty content makes me feel insecure about the way that I look." So Izzy there starting to feel a bit overwhelmed by all the content online.

Laura says, "I really enjoy playing online games with friends from all over the world." A bit like Jacob earlier, but Sam replies, "Sometimes when I'm playing online games, people say abusive things in the chat room, which really upsets me." So lots of students here giving us different perspectives on how they use the internet and how it makes them feel.

Sofia says, "I'm the only person with a cochlear implant in my school, and I found support online from communicating with other children who also have an implant." Lucas says, "I joined a group of people who love online games.

We post our scores and discuss tactics, but recently it's become quite competitive and I'm enjoying it less." So let's have a quick check for understanding here.

Can you complete this sentence? The internet, A, can impact people differently, B, can improve people's lives, or C, can make people's lives more difficult.

Take a minute just to think about your answer.

If you wrote that you thought the answer was, all three of them, then you'd be correct.

We saw those student responses earlier and we saw that the internet can make people feel differently.

It can improve people's lives, but it can also make people's lives more difficult.

So all of those are different impacts of using the internet.

So now that we've thought about the different impacts that using the internet can have, let's talk about some of those social media sites where some of those impacts can happen.

So social media sites do have rules and guidelines about what people can and can't post online.

People's content will mostly be removed if it is offensive or discriminatory, threatening or violent, whether it's confidential information about someone, whether it is illegal content or shows illegal activities or is misinformation, so something that is false or inaccurate.

However, because of the amount of content there is on the internet, it's quite hard to monitor.

So content will not always be removed by the social media platform.

When we are on the internet, we only see a tiny fraction of what has been posted online, and sometimes we might come across or have information appear on our social media feeds that might make us feel uncomfortable or worried or upset.

Andeep gives us some advice.

He says, "If you are sent content that makes you feel worried or upset, you should always talk to a trusted adult.

They can listen to your concerns and help you to change your privacy settings and filters to stop this content coming up again." Really helpful advice from Andeep there.

There are lots of ways to filter content online to avoid being sent things that are upsetting.

This can include blocking.

If you block someone, you prevent certain people from contacting you.

It can be to hide.

Hiding certain social media companies or people from appearing on your timeline or feed.

You can report content.

So if you receive offensive or abusive information, this can be reported so the comments are removed.

If a law has been broken, you can also report this to the police or you can make sure that you have your safe search on.

Turning this on means you won't be targeted with inappropriate content.

So the four ways to avoid being sent things that are upsetting include block, hide, report, and safe search.

Sofia and Alex come together to offer advice on other ways to manage what you see and your social media use.

Sofia says, "You can try taking a short break from social media and maybe enjoy an offline activity instead." Alex says, "Consider reducing the amount of accounts that you follow and turn off your notifications so you aren't constantly checking your digital device." So let's have a quick stop to check our understanding.

True or false, if you are sent offensive content online, there's nothing you can do about it.

Is that true or false? If you put the answer false, then you'd be correct.

And why is that? Well, because depending on the content, you can report this to the online platform and the message or the post can be removed.

Or if a law has been broken, you can report this content to the police.

So there's always something you can do if you are sent offensive content online.

So let's look at task A.

We've got Laura here.

Laura enjoys playing basketball and follows many basketball social media accounts.

Recently though, she started seeing content that talks about how you should look, what you should wear, and gives diet tips for improving her game.

She's finding this content overwhelming.

It's making her feel really self-conscious about her body and it's putting her off her favourite sport.

She doesn't want to stop following some of these accounts, but the content is upsetting at times.

So your task is to, number one, identify the impacts that the content is having on Laura.

And then number two, can you provide Laura with three pieces of advice on how to manage the content that she is seeing? Pause your screen here while you think about your responses to part one and part two of this task.

Well done.

I'm sure you've had some really interesting discussions about the situation that Laura's in at the moment.

If you put down that some of the impacts that the content is having on Laura included finding the comments about clothes and diet tips overwhelming, becoming self-conscious about her body, or really sadly becoming reluctant to play basketball, then you've effectively identified those.

Your advice to Laura might have included talk to a trusted adult for advice.

She could hide some of the accounts that she disliked if she didn't want to unfollow them.

If the content is offensive or contains misinformation, she could report it to the platform.

She could take a break from social media and do something else offline that she enjoys, or finally she could reduce the amount of basketball accounts that she followed.

So lots of advice there, looking at how Laura can manage how she interacts with the content that she's seeing online.

So let's move on to our second lesson outline for today.

How are people manipulated by misinformation? The development of internet technology brings huge benefits to our lives.

However, because it's open to everyone, it isn't always reliable, it isn't always safe, and it isn't always honest.

Aisha says, "The internet can be an amazing place to communicate with others and find information," but Alex replies, "But you need to be careful who you talk to and where you find this information." So now we have Jacob here and he says, "We need to judge whether the information that we are reading is reliable, misinformation or disinformation." And we've got the definition here for misinformation.

So incorrect but not intended to deceive facts about something.

Sometimes people repeat information that they've read that is false, but their intention is not to deceive.

They've just shared it thinking it's correct.

But misinformation is different to disinformation.

We see here that disinformation is the reverse or opposite of facts about something.

So in this case, someone might use disinformation to influence you to behave in a way that they want you to.

For example, they might tell a lie about a candidate in an election, so you vote for who they want to win.

True or false, disinformation is when someone mistakenly shares something as fact without realising it is false.

Take a second to think about your answer.

If you put that you thought the answer was false, you would be correct.

And why is that? Well, that's because disinformation is when someone purposefully deceives you by sharing information that is untrue and false.

Often in order to influence your thinking, actions or behaviour.

We've got Jun here and he tries to only read reliable information.

He says, "I like to read the news and find out about current affairs on the internet.

I mostly use reliable websites that have been recommended by school, but sometimes I get news articles sent to me on social media by friends.

I don't always know if these stories are correct or if they're trying to influence me.

So I usually try to check if I can find the same information on a reliable website." So some good advice from Jun about how he makes sure that he sources only reliable information.

He goes on to say, "This week I read online about what type of exercise to do, but different websites advise different things." And he's got a question here, "How can I tell which websites are sharing misinformation or trying to influence me, and which one of those websites are sharing correct advice?" We've got some examples of how people can be manipulated by misinformation here.

Number one, we've got a news article.

We've got this quotation.

"Joining a gym is the best way to stay fit and exercise," but it's said by the person who owns Beefed Up Gyms Limited.

So here Jun is saying this isn't always reliable because even though this is a news article from an online newspaper, the advice is presented as coming from an expert.

However, this expert owns a gym and could be biassed.

So one-sided, and they might just want to promote their business.

So it could be that that's a way of manipulating us using that news article quotation.

The second example that he looks at is a quotation or a post in a student chat room.

We've got this quote here.

"I exercise three times a week with a mix of cardio and weight training, says @stayhealthy123.

And Jun says, "A chat room can be a great way to get ideas from other people.

However, those people are not often qualified to give advice.

And what works for one person may not be right for someone else." So this is what they do, but it might not be the best option for Jun.

In our third example, we see a post on a social media platform, and this is from @celebrity100.

And it says, "The best thing you can do for physical exercise is invest in a running machine for your home." And then we notice in little writing next to it, it says, "This is a paid promotion by Running 2000." And Jun says, "Celebrities will often endorse a product.

And because they're famous, we feel we can believe their advice, but they are also not qualified and may be being paid to advertise a product." We can see that next to the post.

"It is the law to say on a post if someone is being paid for the content, but they might make it in a very small font and make it hard to see." A way that we are being manipulated, we might not realise that this is a paid promotion.

We've also got fake news on fake news websites.

So we've got on shockingnews.

com, We have "A man ran 1000 miles every day to stay healthy.

You'll never guess what happened next! Click here to find out." And Jun says, "Sometimes websites will use clickbait headlines." So that's clickbait, meaning writing that is sensationalised or misleading in order to attract visitors to click onto their website.

He says, "These headlines are designed to shock or intrigue people, so they want to find out more.

But in order to do that, the headlines and the articles themselves may be misinformation." So let's have a think about how people are manipulated by misinformation in this check for understanding.

The question is, which one of these options might suggest a source online isn't reliable? Is it A, it is a paid promotion? Is it B, it comes from an expert, or is it C? It comes from a celebrity? Pause your screen here while you think about the answer.

Well done.

If you put that you thought it was a paid promotion or that it came from a celebrity, then you would be correct.

So let's think about misinformation again.

The accidental sharing of false information can spread quickly, and although there may be no intention to harm, the negative consequences can be powerful.

It can mislead friends, it can increase confusion around a topic.

It can create divisions between groups or communities.

And in extreme cases can put people in danger.

And Jun says, "I always forward or share information I think might be helpful for other people," but misinformation can spread easily online and have serious implications.

So let's see what Jun, Andeep and Izzy have to say.

Jun says, "I read online that running is bad for you and I was worried.

So I forwarded this to Andeep, who loves running." Andeep says, "I couldn't believe it.

I love running, but I trust Jun.

So I decided to quit the cross country race.

And when Izzy texted me to ask why I wasn't competing, I told her it was bad for us and sent her the link." Izzy then said, "I emailed the school to ask to cancel the race because it would endanger the students.

I also started an online petition to raise awareness about the issue." So we can see here that Jun has read an article and he's forwarded to Andeep.

Andeep has decided to quit the cross country race based on this article and sent it on to Izzy.

Izzy then has emailed the school to cancel the race and started an online petition.

So we can see the consequences of this misinformation that Jun read initially.

And misinformation can impact the relationships that we have.

Jun says, "I feel bad that I shared information that resulted in the race being cancelled.

I should have checked where it came from." And Andeep responds.

"I know Jun wouldn't send me something that wasn't true on purpose.

So I just believed it and told Izzy.

I need to remember that we can all be easily manipulated by misinformation." And then Izzy responds, "I was too quick to react.

I should have spoken to a trusted adult at school about my worries and they would've helped me to realise that this was misinformation." So in that situation, we can see the impact that that's had on all of those different students.

So now we've looked at that.

Let's pause for another quick check for understanding.

True or false.

Although not intentional, sharing misinformation can be harmful for others.

Pause your screen here while you think about your answer.

If you put the answer true, then you would be correct.

Well done.

So let's move on to our final task for this lesson.

Read the social media post below.

Can you explain three ways in which it's trying to manipulate people? So we have a post here from @famousmodel2000, and it says, "A-list model reveals the top three beauty products they use to keep looking young.

Click here to find out more." And then again, in that small writing, "This is a paid promotion with modelproducts.

com." So can you explain three ways in which this post is trying to manipulate people? Pause your screen here while you think about your answer.

Your answers may have included that the social media handle @famousmodel2000 suggests this advice is from a celebrity and not an expert.

You may have also said it's clear that this is a paid promotion, which means this is not a balanced review.

The post will be biassed and could contain misinformation.

And then we've got "Click here is click bait.

It uses misleading information to attract users to click on the website." So three ways this post is trying to manipulate people.

If you've got all of those, well done.

So let's reflect on the lesson today.

Our summary is that the internet is a global network that uses technology to connect us to people around the world.

We talked about the fact that we all interact with the internet in different ways.

There are lots of positive and negative impacts of using the internet.

We said that if we were worried or upset about any content we saw online that there were lots of things we could do to ensure it does not influence us in a negative way.

For example, speak with a trusted adult or use the report function.

And we finally said that we need to be careful about the content we share because some of it can be misinformation.

There are lots of ways we can check if we think an online source is reliable or not.

Thanks for joining me today.