Bullying, Online Gaming and Group Chats

Bullying, Gaming, and Group Chats: Why Does It Matter How I Behave Online?

In this 2024 lesson, students will reflect on the importance of treating others with kindness and respect whenever they interact with friends and classmates online. According to OFCOM’s latest research, 55% of 8- to 17-year-olds regularly use online games and apps like WhatsApp to chat with or hang out with friends. However, with the rise of this kind of communication, we are also seeing increasing cases of online bullying in these forums. Sometimes this is a spillover from bullying that takes place in real life, but it can also occur between friends who typically behave respectfully in person. Could also be used in Tutor Time for LKS3 or during anti-bullying week.

We will discuss the importance of treating our online friends with the same level of kindness and respect that we would expect to receive ourselves, both online and in real life. We will also highlight scenarios where children can unknowingly bully their friends online, by taking teasing too far or excluding friends in online gaming situations. Finally, we will discuss strategies for managing online relationships and, where necessary, setting boundaries with friends who behave badly online.

The lesson includes a starter activity that serves as a recap of the previous lesson, a video clip with reflection questions, a set of case studies to discuss, and a plenary task. Everything is editable should you wish to make amendments, but it is also fully resourced and ready to use if you want to hit the ground running. The lesson is best suited to students in Year 6 (UKS2) or possibly Year 7 (LKS3).