Download
Download the pack
Child Safeguarding Statement
Some resources and activities may prompt a child to remember and potentially share an experience of harm. Make sure you’re familiar with your school's safeguarding policies and procedures so you can confidently report safety and well-being concerns.
Prepare students for the session by discussing: their right to be safe and respected; what to do if discussing online safety makes them feel uncomfortable or unsafe; and how to seek help if they feel or have felt unsafe. Use this resource available on the website.
Tips & Resources
Cyberbullying and respectful online behaviour in primary schools
A teacher’s guide to addressing cyberbullying, peer pressure, and online respect with curriculum-aligned lesson plans and the Digital Licence program.
Part of the eSmart 4Cs of Online Safety series
The 4Cs group the main online risks children face: Content (what they see), Contact (who they interact with), Conduct (how they behave), and Compulsion (how they manage screen use).
This article focuses on Conduct - supporting students to learn respectful and responsible online behaviour, including how to prevent and respond to cyberbullying and peer pressure.
There’s no avoiding it: technology is a part of everyday classroom life and children are learning not only how to use digital tools, but also how to behave in online spaces. The internet offers enormous opportunities for learning and connection, but it also creates new challenges for how students treat each other online.
These are known as Conduct risks in the 4Cs framework — situations where a child’s own behaviour online may cause harm to themselves or others. In primary schools, this often shows up as cyberbullying, online peer pressure, or disrespectful communication. For teachers, this means helping students recognise kindness and build empathy online, so they can keep themselves and others safe.
What are Conduct risks?
Conduct risks are all about how students behave online. Unlike Content risks (what children see) or Contact risks (who they interact with), Conduct risks come from the choices students make in digital spaces.
In a primary classroom, this might include:
Because these behaviours start with students, the classroom is the perfect place to make a difference. Using the Contact lesson plans, teachers can show what positive digital behaviours look like, support respectful communication and help students see how their online choices matter in the real world.
Age-based outcomes you can aim for:
- Early primary: recognise the difference between kind and unkind online behaviour.
- Middle primary: practise empathy and learn strategies to stand up against unkindness.
- Upper primary: understand digital footprints, consent, and the long-term consequences of online actions.
- “How would it feel if someone posted this about you?”
- “Would you say that if the person was standing right next to you?”
These quick questions help students connect online actions to offline empathy.
For classroom-ready resources, explore our free curriculum-aligned Conduct Risk lesson plans, designed to give teachers age-appropriate activities and students the skills to act responsibly online.
What are some common examples of Conduct risks?
Cyberbullying and peer aggression
Cyberbullying is one of the most visible Conduct risks in primary schools. It can include excluding classmates from online spaces or sharing hurtful images without permission.
Example: A Year 4 student discovers a group chat where jokes about them are being shared. They become anxious and reluctnt to attend school.
Age-based outcomes
- Early primary: Identify unkind behaviour online and learn to tell a trusted adult.
- Middle primary: Practise empathy by reflecting on how unkind messages affect others.
- Upper primary: Understand long-term consequence of cyberbullying and the impacts it has across a whole-of-school community.
Teaching tip
When discussing cyberbullying, connect it to familiar offline situations.
- Use prompts like: “How would you feel if this happened to you?”
- Reinforce the idea that “kindness online = kindness offline.”
- Introduce terms such as digital footprint to show students that online actions can have lasting effects.
Quick classroom activity idea:
Roleplay a hurtful group chat vs a kind response.
Lesson plan spotlight:
Learners explore examples of online apologies, then create a personal collage with goals for good apologies.
This lesson is from our library of FREE, curriculum-aligned lesson plans, ready to download and use. The lesson plans cover a range of topics and age groups.
Explore the full library
Sharing inappropriate or harmful content
Sometimes students share things online that cross the line. It might be a joke or image that feels funny at the time but ends up upsetting others. Even if they don't mean harm, the impact can spread quickly. Teaching students to pause and think before they post helps protect friendships and keep the school community strong.
Example: During free time, a group of students pass around a meme that ridicules a cultural group. While intended as a joke, it spreads quickly and causes distress to others in the class.
Age-based outcomes
- Early primary: Recognise when online jokes or images are unkind.
- Middle primary: Understand that sharing harmful content can hurt others, even if “meant as a joke.”
- Upper primary: Connect the idea of consent and respect to sharing posts, and consider how content reflects personal values.
- “Would I say this if the person was here with me?”
- “Is this respectful to everyone who might see it?”
- Show how one careless share can spread further than expected, linking it to the concept of a digital footprint.
Lesson plan spotlight:
.avif)
Learners explore how positive behaviour—like respect, kindness, and fairness—helps create safe online spaces.
This lesson is from our library of FREE, curriculum-aligned lesson plans, ready to download and use. The lesson plans cover a range of topics and age groups.
Explore the full library
Peer pressure and group dynamics
The influence of peers online can be powerful. Children may feel pressured to join dares or post something risky in order to fit in. Even when they know it’s not a good idea, the fear of missing out or being excluded can be hard to resist.
Example: A student is encouraged by classmates to upload a silly video to a class platform. The video quickly escalates into ridicule, leaving the student embarrassed and isolated.
Age-based outcomes
- Early primary: Learn that it’s okay to say no when something feels uncomfortable.
- Middle primary: Practise language for resisting pressure and supporting friends who do the same.
- Upper primary: Explore strategies for making independent choices online, even when faced with group expectations.
- “That doesn’t feel right to me.”
- “I’d rather not post that.”
- “Let’s do something else instead.”
Role-modelling these phrases in class helps normalise respectful refusal and shows students that standing up to peer pressure is a sign of strength, not weakness.
Lesson plan spotlight:
Students practice saying 'no' in online scenarios, fostering confidence and assertiveness to set personal boundaries safely.
This lesson is from our library of FREE, curriculum-aligned lesson plans, ready to download and use. The lesson plans cover a range of topics and age groups.
Explore the full library
Teaching respectful online behaviour
Respectful online behaviour helps students feel safe and supported. When they learn to treat others fairly online, it strengthens friendships and builds a positive classroom culture.
For educators, teaching these skills early helps prevent issues and sets students up for lifelong digital citizenship.
What students gain when respectful online behaviour is taught explicitly:
- Empathy: understanding how words and actions affect others.
- Inclusion: recognising and valuing different voices and perspectives.
- Resilience: feeling confident to handle conflict, peer pressure, or unkindness online.
- “Respect and kindness don’t stop when we pick up a device.”
- “What we post online is part of how we show our school values.”
This makes online conduct feel like an extension of what students already know and practise every day.
How to respond to disrespectful online classroom behaviour
Since Conduct risks come from student behaviour, the classroom is the ideal place to teach safer habits. Teachers can guide students by showing respectful choices, offering chances to practise, and creating space to reflect.
Creating a safe classroom environment
- Connect your usual classroom expectations to online spaces.
- Show respectful communication when using technology so students see it in action.
- Remind students that the same rules apply everywhere: “If it’s not okay in the playground, it’s not okay online.”
Build skills with structured activities
- Roleplay scenarios: Practise how to respond when a peer is excluded or teased in a chat.
- Guided reflections: Ask students to step into someone else’s shoes — “How would you feel if this message was about you?”
- Digital storytelling: Have students create positive examples of online behaviour through posters, comics, or short videos.
Tailor activities to age levels:
- Early primary: simple “kind vs unkind” examples.
- Middle primary: group reflections on empathy and fairness.
- Upper primary: case studies exploring consequences and digital footprints.
- “I don’t agree, but I see your point.”
- “Let’s find another way to include everyone.”
These prompts make it easier for students to act respectfully in the moment, even under pressure.
Responding to cyberbullying incidents
Even with strong teaching, incidents can still happen. The aim is to support the student involved, repair any harm, and build lasting accountability. It’s not just about consequences, it’s about growth.
How to respond supportively
- Start by listening. Give the student space to share what happened and why they thought it was okay. Often the behaviour comes from what they’ve seen elsewhere.
- Help them build empathy. Ask questions like “How do you think the other person felt?” or “What would you hope for if this happened to you?”
- Encourage a genuine repair. This might be an apology, a restorative chat, or a chance to reflect with the class.
- Involve families if needed. What happens at home often shapes online behaviour, and parents can help strengthen respectful habits.
- Connect it back to school expectations. Refer to your digital conduct guidelines so students understand the standards clearly.
Remember to frame mistakes as learning opportunities:
“This isn’t about getting you in trouble, it’s about helping you make better choices next time.”
This approach reduces shame, builds resilience, and helps students take ownership of their actions.
To support these conversations, our Conduct risk lesson plans include activities on authentic apologies and restorative practices, helping teachers turn incidents into teachable moments.
How Conduct risks interact with the other 4Cs
Learning to behave respectfully online has benefits across all areas of online safety.
Content
Relates to thinking critically about online content.
Contact
Relates to staying safe in online interactions.
Compulsion
Relates to building healthy digital habits.
By framing conduct risks as part of the broader 4Cs of online safety (Content, Contact, Conduct, Compulsion), schools can give students a complete picture of how risks overlap — and how respectful online behaviour helps prevent harm across all areas.
Building a culture of respect online
Teaching students to manage conduct risks is about building confidence, not just avoiding harm. When teachers model respectful behaviour and guide students through real examples, every online interaction becomes a learning opportunity. You can start small with a free Conduct Risk lesson or take a broader approach with the eSmart Digital Licence Program. Both offer practical, ready-to-use tools for safer digital learning. With the right support, students learn to act with care and take responsibility online.
