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Year 3

The rules for friendship online

I can explain how to be a good friend online.

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New
New
Year 3

The rules for friendship online

I can explain how to be a good friend online.

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These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

Switch to our new teaching resources now - designed by teachers and leading subject experts, and tested in classrooms.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Online we should only be friends with people we know offline.
  2. We should think carefully before posting or sharing something online, especially if we are upset or angry.
  3. It is easy to pretend to be someone we're not online.
  4. People sometimes act differently because they are online.
  5. Online friendships are similar to those offline, but there are some extra steps to keeping friendships healthy online.

Keywords

  • Online - using the internet

  • Risk - something that could be dangerous

  • Pretend - to say that something is true when it isn’t

  • Behave - the things that someone does and says

Common misconception

Online friendships are not meaningful.

Increasingly, children's friendships exist both offline and online. It can be safe to have online friendships with people we know offline.


To help you plan your year 3 rshe (pshe) lesson on: The rules for friendship online, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Connect the rules for being a good friend online with the rules from your own school.
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Teacher tip
equipment-required

Equipment

content-guidance

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of upsetting content
  • Depiction or discussion of peer pressure or bullying
supervision-level

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

copyright

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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6 Questions

Q1.
Match the words to the correct definition.
Correct Answer:uncomfortable,feeling anxious, worried or unable to relax
tick

feeling anxious, worried or unable to relax

Correct Answer:evidence,a record of what has happened
tick

a record of what has happened

Correct Answer:screenshot,a picture of the screen of a digital device
tick

a picture of the screen of a digital device

Q2.
What is an online stranger?
someone we meet offline
an offline friend we talk to online
Correct answer: someone we do not know offline
Q3.
Which statement is false?
We should feel safe and confident when we go online.
If we feel uncomfortable online, we should tell an adult we trust.
Correct answer: If we see something bad, we should turn off the device and forget about it.
Q4.
Why should we take a screenshot if someone is unkind to us online?
Correct answer: to show a trusted adult what has happened
to show our friends
Correct answer: to have evidence if the other person deletes what they shared
Q5.
When a trusted adult blocks an account for us, we someone online from being able to message us.
Correct Answer: stop
Q6.
If we see something online that makes us feel uncomfortable, our trusted adult can it and block the account.
Correct Answer: report

6 Questions

Q1.
Match the words with the correct definition.
Correct Answer:online,using the internet
tick

using the internet

Correct Answer:risk,something that could be dangerous
tick

something that could be dangerous

Correct Answer:behave,the things that someone does and says
tick

the things that someone does and says

Q2.
People can to be someone they're not online.
Correct Answer: pretend, fake
Q3.
Who can we be friends with online?
anyone we meet online
Correct answer: friends we know offline
Correct answer: family members
someone online who says they're family
Q4.
We should think carefully before posting or sharing something online, especially if we are upset or ...
Correct Answer: angry, mad, cross
Q5.
How can we be a good online friend?
pressure others to do what we enjoy online
Correct answer: tell a trusted adult if we are worried about a friend
Correct answer: choose our words carefully
Q6.
Which statements are true?
Online friendships are not meaningful.
Correct answer: It is easy to pretend to be someone we're not online.
People act the same online as they do offline.
Correct answer: There are some extra steps to keeping online friendship healthy.