Cyber security and safety in the classroom: practical habits and teaching resources

Technology supports how students learn, communicate, and create. As learning and daily life become increasingly digital, students need practical skills to protect their information, accounts and devices. Cyber Action Month is a useful opportunity to develop these skills in the classroom.

What is cyber security?

Cyber security is about protecting data, accounts, devices and networks from threats, unauthorised access, loss or misuse.

It includes practical measures such as strong authentication, secure passwords, data encryption, and recognising threats like phishing. For older students, it can also involve understanding networks, software vulnerabilities, and how secure access to data is managed.

Importantly, cyber security overlaps with but has some differences to both privacy and online safety:

• Privacy concerns what personal data is collected, stored, shared, or used. Cyber security includes the measures used to protect that data.

• Online safety is broader, and covers how people communicate, behave, and respond to harmful experiences online.

Why does cyber security matter in the classroom?

Students use websites, apps, devices, and online accounts every day. These tools may collect or store personal data, including names, photos, login details, and locations.

Teaching cyber security helps students recognise risks and take practical steps to protect themselves and others. It also supports informed decisions about what information they share and how they manage their online presence.

Learning can begin in Foundation years with lessons on recognising personal data and what should remain private. It can progress from there to things like secure passphrases, digital footprints, multi-factor authentication, and phishing. Older students can investigate networks, encryption, cyber threats, and software vulnerabilities.

Build stronger cyber security habits in your classroom

You can start building stronger cyber security habits in your classroom by:

• using strong, unique passwords or passphrases

• enabling multi-factor authentication when available

• keeping devices and software up to date

• teaching students to check the sender, links and attachments in suspicious messages

• reviewing privacy settings regularly

• checking whether an app or website needs the personal information it requests

• backing up important files

• encouraging students to ask a trusted adult when something feels wrong.

Explore cyber security with your students

The Digital Technologies Hub brings together cyber security, privacy and data protection teaching support from Foundation to Year 10.

The Hub organises its content by year band. Each section reflects how students’ knowledge and skills can develop as they progress through school.

Educators can access:

• clear explanations of key privacy and security concepts

• age-appropriate classroom examples and activities

• guidance on what to teach at each year level

• sample units and lesson sequences

• planning templates

• research-informed teaching approaches

• assessment guidance and examples

• downloadable posters and supporting resources.

Topics develop from recognising personal information and making safe choices to understanding passwords, digital footprints, multi-factor authentication, phishing, cyber threats and data protection.

For older students, the myfuture article 5 ways to clean up your digital footprint offers practical guidance on managing an online presence. It encourages students to review their accounts, deactivate profiles they no longer use, update privacy settings and consider how they present themselves online.

Choose a resource that suits your students and start building cyber security knowledge and habits they can use at school and beyond.