🕵️ Free Course – Beware Online: Scams, Threats & Traps (Ages 11–18)
About Course
This course is designed to help young people aged 11 to 18 develop the knowledge and practical skills needed to stay safe in an increasingly digital world. Technology offers enormous opportunities for learning, creativity, entertainment and connection, but it also creates genuine risks. Learners will discover how to recognise dangers early, make safer choices and build healthy digital habits that protect their privacy, security and wellbeing.
Created primarily for young people, the course is also valuable for parents, teachers, youth workers and safeguarding professionals who want to better understand the online risks facing children and teenagers. It provides clear explanations, realistic examples and practical guidance that adults can use to encourage safer online behaviour at home, in schools and in youth settings.
Across 15 lessons, learners explore personal information, social media safety, digital wellbeing, screen time, online pressure, healthy relationships and emotional resilience. The course also examines modern threats including deepfakes, AI generated deception, fake accounts, scams, grooming, cyberbullying, blackmail and manipulative behaviour.
Learners will understand how online platforms collect information, why privacy settings matter and how strong passwords and two factor authentication can improve account security. They will also learn how to question suspicious content, recognise emotional manipulation and avoid reacting impulsively when a message creates fear, urgency or excitement.
A major part of the course explains what to do when something goes wrong. Learners receive practical guidance on responding to bullying, harassment, sexual pressure, account hacking, harmful synthetic content and blackmail. This includes preserving safe evidence, reporting harmful behaviour, securing accounts and seeking support from trusted adults. Sensitive subjects are handled carefully, using age appropriate language and clear actions.
The overall aim is to help young people use the internet with greater awareness, independence and control. Adults completing the course will also gain valuable insight into how they can guide, support and protect the young people in their care.