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Digital identity, privacy and reporting concerns - Computing Year 6

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Introduction

Enjoy creating, learning and communicating online while making thoughtful choices about information. You will examine a fictional digital profile, decide what a particular audience needs to know and practise a safe route for getting help with an unwanted message.

No personal disclosure is needed. Use only the invented examples in this course. Do not search for classmates, post a real timetable, enter passwords, share upsetting messages or describe your own experiences in public tasks. You can choose a different fictional scenario or speak privately to a trusted adult if an example worries you.

Your product: A revised fictional profile, reasons for its sharing choices, a model privacy-setting review and a short help-seeking plan. Knowledge and safe decision-making matter more than creating an online account. No new account or real message exchange is required.

The Year 6 sequence is editorial within England's key stage 2 responsible-use and reporting expectations. If something is already worrying you online, you do not need to finish a quiz before asking a trusted adult for help. A person who receives harmful contact is not to blame for someone else's behaviour.

Understand identity and combined information

Digital identity is information and activity associated with someone online. A chosen username, a posted drawing, a comment and information shared by other people can all contribute. A digital footprint is the trail those activities leave. It is not one perfect record that you can always see or control from a single settings page.

Some information identifies a person directly, such as a full name and home address together. Other details may become identifying when combined: a school badge in a photograph, a regular club location and a precise meeting time can reveal more than a first name alone. A nickname can reduce unnecessary exposure without making someone invisible or unaccountable.

Inspect an invented profile

Fictional learner RiverSketch wants to share a drawing in a teacher-approved art gallery. A draft profile says: I enjoy drawing birds. My real full name is in the picture caption. I attend a named school, and I wait alone at its side gate every Tuesday at 16:10. My login code is shown in the corner of the screenshot.

The audience needs the drawing, a suitable display name and perhaps a short explanation of the artistic choice. It does not need a real full name, routine location, timetable or login code. Revise the fictional profile to: RiverSketch — I used curved lines and blue shading to draw a bird. Remove identifying background or caption details from the invented image description rather than claiming that a nickname solves them all.

No real photograph or secret is shown in this exercise. The point is to inspect what an image or caption might reveal, not to collect such material. Do not submit a screenshot of your own account settings or login page for assessment.

Learn about identifying information

Common Sense Education's original film explains personally identifiable information. Pause to identify a detail that could point to a person, then apply the idea to RiverSketch's fictional profile. The film supports the concept; do not copy its lesson activities or use it as a request to disclose your own information. You can complete all tasks with the written invented examples here.

Think beyond a single detail: Enjoying drawing birds is normally less identifying than a home address, but context still matters. A harmless preference combined with a unique public profile and routine location can reveal more. Ask what the specific audience needs, what else it might combine and whether a trusted adult should review the choice.

Use privacy controls without assuming guarantees

Privacy settings help limit access, but they are not a guarantee. An approved service may let an adult and learner control who sees posts, sends messages, comments or finds a profile. Features and names differ. Review them with the responsible adult using the service's official controls; do not create an account or change a real school setting for this course.

Our fictional gallery offers these model choices:

Setting	Choice for this exercise	Reason
Gallery audience	Teacher-approved class group	Matches the agreed learning audience
Profile details	Display name and artwork explanation only	Avoids unnecessary identification
Contact from unknown accounts	Restricted through the approved controls	Reduces unwanted approaches
Location and routine	Not included	Not needed to understand the artwork

These are invented options, not instructions for a named platform. A real service must meet school and family rules and its applicable age requirements. A teacher can demonstrate suitable controls without giving pupils direct account access.

Explain what a setting cannot promise

A permitted viewer might take a screenshot, copy text or forward information. Another person might post information about you. Deleting your own post may remove it from view in one place without proving that every copy has disappeared. Settings reduce certain exposures; careful content choices and trusted-adult support still matter.

Ask before sharing another person's image or information and respect a refusal. Permission to view a class document is not automatic permission to repost it elsewhere. If someone has shared an unwanted image or identifying detail, ask a trusted adult to help through the proper reporting or removal route rather than retaliating or spreading it further.

Worked choice: A classmate says a restricted group is completely private, so it is fine to add everyone's home addresses. The group setting does not make the addresses necessary, and copies can still be made. Keep unnecessary details out and ask the teacher before changing the agreed content or audience.

Respond to unwanted contact and get support

You can stop a conversation that makes you uncomfortable. You do not owe an unknown account a reply, a photograph, a location or an explanation. Pressure, secrecy, requests for private information and attempts to move a conversation away from an approved space are reasons to seek help.

In a fictional game chat, an unknown account tells RiverSketch: Send me your school timetable and where you wait after school. Do not tell anyone; I need it to give you a prize. No real message or account is involved. The request is unnecessary for a game and would expose a routine location.

Follow a safe help-seeking route

Do not send the timetable, location, images, password or sign-in code. Do not follow an unfamiliar link to claim the supposed prize.
Stop engaging. You do not have to challenge the sender, prove they are dangerous or keep chatting to gather more material.
Tell a trusted adult promptly, such as a parent, carer, teacher or the school's designated safeguarding contact. Explain the request in your own words.
With adult support, use the service's appropriate block and report tools through the normal interface, and follow the school's reporting process. A report flags a concern for the service; blocking limits contact through the available controls. Neither replaces adult support or guarantees that every future approach is prevented.

Do not forward upsetting material to classmates or upload it to a homework page as proof. Do not download harmful images or seek out more. A trusted adult can help decide what existing information is appropriate to show and how to report it safely. If there is an immediate real-world danger, get adult help straight away rather than continuing the online exercise.

If you already replied or shared something: You can still ask for help. Explain what happened to a trusted adult; do not send more to try to fix it alone. If the first adult is unavailable or does not help, tell another trusted adult or the appropriate school contact. Someone else's harmful behaviour is not your fault.

Practise without a real incident

Use the invented request and rehearse a short help message: An unknown account asked for a timetable and location and told me to keep it secret. I stopped replying. Can you help me use the proper report route? There is no need to add real names, account links or a copy of a harmful message.

Each school should identify its actual reporting route privately with learners. A generic course cannot know the current named staff member or local procedure. For assessment, explain the type of trusted contact and the steps, not a public list of personal contact details.

Evaluate claims and build a safe sharing plan

Check a claim without surrendering information. A familiar-looking avatar, a school logo or the words official support do not prove who controls an account. An exciting offer is not evidence that its request is appropriate. Do not test a suspicious form by entering real details or clicking through its links.

In a fictional art-game message, an account promises an instant trophy if RiverSketch provides a home address and an inbox sign-in code. There is no real link in this exercise. The relevant questions are: Is this an approved route? Is that information needed for the stated task? Can a trusted adult verify the claim independently through a known official route? The safe immediate choice is not to provide the requested details and to seek help.

Make a context-aware sharing plan

Fictional information	Proposed audience	Reasoned choice
An original bird drawing and a suitable display name	Teacher-approved art gallery	May suit the task after the agreed review	A draft group assignment	Restricted project team	Share only through the approved class workspace	Home address, exact routine location or timetable	Unknown account	Do not send; seek adult help with the request	Password or one-time sign-in code	An account messaging for a prize	Do not send; use only the approved sign-in or recovery process with adult help	Another learner's image	A wider audience than originally agreed	Do not repost without the appropriate agreement and school review

This table is a set of teaching decisions for stated contexts, not a rule that one category of information is harmless everywhere. A display name can be identifying if it includes a real full name and school. An original picture can contain an identifying background or caption. Review the actual purpose, audience and content together.

Create a safe fictional evidence portfolio

Rewrite RiverSketch's profile so the approved audience gets the artwork explanation without routine location, real-name caption or account secrets.
Annotate the invented gallery settings, explaining what they reduce and what they cannot guarantee.
Explain the unknown-account scenario and rehearse a help-seeking response without contacting anyone.
Add a limitation: a permitted viewer can still copy information, and deletion in one place may not remove every copy.
Ask a teacher to review the decisions. You may use a different invented scenario or a private alternative if needed.

Do not include real login information, family details, screenshots of personal accounts or accounts of distressing experiences in a public portfolio. The school can confirm the appropriate support route without publishing a learner's private circumstances.

Reflect positively: Privacy is about choosing a suitable audience and keeping control where possible, not avoiding every creative or social activity. A useful learning community can share artwork, ideas and feedback while leaving unnecessary identifying details out. Good decisions, respectful treatment of other people and trusted help all contribute.

Interactive Tasks

Quiz: Test Your Knowledge

What contributes to a digital identity? (Information and activity associated with someone online) (!Only the colour of a device) (!Only information a person deliberately typed today) (!Nothing another person could ever share)

Why can several small details reveal more together? (They may combine to identify a person or a routine location) (!Combining information always makes it anonymous) (!A nickname automatically erases every other clue) (!A school badge can never reveal anything)

What does the art-gallery audience need in the fictional task? (The artwork explanation and an appropriate display name after review) (!The learner's home address and exact routine) (!A password so everyone can view the work) (!An inbox sign-in code in the picture caption)

Which statement about privacy settings is accurate? (They can reduce exposure but cannot prevent every copy or later disclosure) (!They guarantee nobody can take a screenshot) (!They make every personal detail necessary to publish) (!They remove the need to think about the audience)

What does deleting your own post prove? (It may remove it in one place but does not prove every copy has disappeared) (!Every screenshot everywhere is automatically erased) (!No one could have seen it before deletion) (!Other people can no longer share any information about you)

An unknown account asks for a school timetable and waiting location as a secret prize requirement. What is the safe immediate choice? (Do not share those details, stop engaging and tell a trusted adult) (!Send the timetable to see whether the prize is real) (!Ask classmates to forward the request widely) (!Keep chatting until the sender admits wrongdoing)

What is the role of a platform report in a concerning-contact scenario? (It flags a concern through the service's proper process and can be used with adult support) (!It guarantees every future approach will stop) (!It replaces the need for trusted-adult help in every case) (!It requires posting the harmful content publicly first)

If someone already replied to an unwanted request, what should they understand? (They can still seek help and do not need to manage the problem alone) (!It is now too late to tell any adult) (!They must send more information to undo the first reply) (!They are responsible for the other person's harmful behaviour)

Does a familiar logo prove that a messaging account is official? (No, an account's claim needs an independent trusted check) (!Yes, any copied school logo proves identity) (!Yes, if it also promises a prize) (!Only if the message requests a sign-in code)

What evidence should learners submit for this course? (Fictional profile choices and a model help-seeking plan without real secrets) (!Screenshots containing real login codes) (!Public copies of upsetting messages from classmates) (!A real timetable and routine-location list)

Memory Game

Digital identity	Information and activity associated with a person online
Digital footprint	A trail left by online activity and shared information
Audience	The people intended to receive a piece of content
Privacy setting	A control that can limit certain kinds of access or contact
Trusted adult	An appropriate person who can help with an online concern
Reporting route	The approved way to flag a concern to a school or service

Drag and Drop

Artwork explanation	May suit the approved gallery after the agreed review
Routine location request	Do not answer an unknown account and seek trusted help
Login code in a message	Do not send it to claim a prize
Restricted audience	Reduces some exposure without guaranteeing no copies
Concern already shared	Ask for help even if a reply was sent earlier

Crossword Puzzle

PRIVACY	Making thoughtful choices about access to information
PROFILE	A presentation of information associated with an account
AUDIENCE	The intended people who receive shared content
REPORT	Flag a concern through the appropriate process
CONSENT	Agreement that should be respected when sharing someone's image
SUPPORT	Help available from a trusted adult or appropriate contact

LearningApps

Optional extra practice. Choose an appropriate activity with your teacher. If the external collection is unavailable, use the native activities and independent tasks in this course.

Cloze Text

Open Tasks

Easy

Fictional digital identity: Name two things that could contribute to RiverSketch's digital identity. Solution examples: the display name, posted artwork, caption or another person's shared comment. Do not describe your real account.
Audience and purpose choice: Identify what the fictional art-gallery audience needs. Solution: the drawing and a suitable explanation or display name after review; routine location and login details are unnecessary.
Privacy-setting limit: Give one reason a restricted audience is not a complete guarantee. Solution: an authorised viewer may copy or forward information, or someone else may share details.
Help-seeking vocabulary: Explain the difference between asking a trusted adult for help and posting a concern publicly. Solution: a trusted adult can use the appropriate support route; public reposting can spread private or upsetting information further.

Standard

Revise a fictional profile safely: Rewrite the supplied RiverSketch profile for the approved art task. Solution guide: keep a suitable display name and drawing explanation; remove routine location, real-name caption and the invented login-code detail. Explain why the audience does not need them.
Combined identifying clues: Explain how a school badge, a regular place and a precise time can reveal more together than a nickname alone. Solution: combined clues may identify a person and their routine; a nickname does not remove the background information.
Unknown timetable request: Use only the fictional request to rehearse a safe response plan. Solution: do not send the timetable or location, stop engaging, tell a trusted adult and use approved block/report routes with support. Do not contact a real account or collect harmful material.
Deletion and copying explanation: A fictional learner deletes a post and says no copy can exist. Explain the limitation without claiming every post always lasts forever. Solution: deleting can remove one visible instance, but earlier copies or shares may remain; there is no universal guarantee either way.

Advanced

Fictional gallery settings review: Annotate the model settings for audience, contact, profile details and location. Explain one benefit and one limit. Solution guide: match access to the approved class purpose, minimise identifying details and acknowledge copying or later disclosure; do not alter a real account.
Verify a claimed official message: A fictional account displays a school logo and asks for an inbox sign-in code to award an art trophy. Explain a safe decision. Solution: do not send the code or follow the request; ask a trusted adult to verify independently through a known approved route. A logo is not proof of account identity.
Support after a mistaken reply: Explain what a fictional learner can do after already replying to an unwanted message. Solution: tell a trusted adult promptly, do not send more, use the proper support route and try another appropriate adult if the first cannot help. Avoid blame and public reposting.
Privacy and creative participation: Design a short fictional gallery participation plan that keeps the benefits of sharing art without unnecessary exposure. Solution guide: suitable display name, reviewed artwork and captions, agreed audience, respectful treatment of others, appropriate settings and a known help route. No real account or personal disclosure is needed.

Learning Check

Digital-footprint scenario assessment: Identify unnecessary information in RiverSketch's fictional profile and give a safer version for the art task.
Privacy-control assessment: Explain one benefit and two limits of restricted audience settings.
Concerning-contact assessment: An unknown account asks for a school timetable and location and demands secrecy. Give a safe plan.
Supportive response assessment: A fictional learner already replied and is worried about telling an adult. What should the course advise?
Identity claim assessment: Explain why a familiar logo or prize claim is insufficient reason to submit a sign-in code.
Safe evidence portfolio assessment: Submit a fictional profile revision, model setting annotations and a help-seeking plan.

Worked checks and assessment guidance

Remove routine place/time, real full-name caption and login-code detail; keep a suitable display name and artwork explanation after review. Explain the audience's actual need and consider clues in captions or backgrounds.
They can reduce who directly sees or contacts the account through that service. Permitted viewers may still copy or forward information, and other people can share details independently. Settings do not make unnecessary identifying information appropriate.
Do not send the details or follow unfamiliar links; stop engaging and tell a trusted adult promptly. Use appropriate block/report tools with support and the school's approved route. Do not continue contact to investigate or spread the message publicly.
Help remains available. Tell a trusted adult, do not send more information, and seek another appropriate adult or school contact if necessary. The learner is not responsible for the sender's harmful behaviour; public disclosure is not required.
Visual branding and claims can be copied. The request does not establish identity or a legitimate need for a code. Do not send it; use trusted-adult help and an independently known official route.
Assess justified choices, context, limits and an appropriate support route. Accept a different fictional example or private alternative where needed. Do not require actual account changes, real private information, harmful images, passwords or a learner's personal incident history.

Learning evidence

Knowledge: Explain digital identity, footprint, intended audience, combined identifying clues and limits of privacy settings.

Decision artefact: Revise an invented profile and annotate the fictional gallery's sharing controls with reasons. No actual account changes are required.

Scenario response: Rehearse a safe response to an invented unwanted request: do not disclose, stop engaging, seek a trusted adult and use the appropriate reporting route with support.

Reflection: Explain why deletion and restricted audiences do not guarantee the removal or prevention of every copy.

Safe assessment: Use only invented material and accept a different fictional or private alternative when needed. Never require real secrets, personal account screenshots, harmful content, contact with an unknown person or disclosure of a learner's own incident. A quiz result is learning evidence, not a guarantee of personal online safety.

OER and Wikipedia

Department for Education: Computing programmes of study, key stage 2, for responsible use, personal information and reporting concerns. The Year 6 allocation and RiverSketch profile/gallery/prize scenarios are original editorial teaching examples. This course does not replace a school's safeguarding process.

Primary online-safety guidance: Childnet: SMART rules, Childnet: STAR toolkit introduction, privacy and digital footprint and Childnet: Family Agreement. These support careful sharing, known help routes and awareness of settings' limits. Their activities are not reproduced here; all course scenarios and tasks are original. The actual school support contact must be confirmed locally and privately.

Photograph, unmodified: Close-up of a Master Lock padlock on a rusty fence, Ivan Radic, CC BY 2.0. An access analogy only, with no product endorsement or claim of online security.

Diagram, unmodified: Computernetwork, Joshap, public domain as declared on the file page.

Video: Personally Identifiable Information (PII), Common Sense Education, original 2025 publisher video embed. This is the updated film linked in place of the older Private and Personal Information video. Only the original video is embedded; the publisher's separate lesson is not adapted, copied or relabelled as open course content.