Key Messages

People can make decisions about what they share and who they share it with online. Once images are shared it is hard to control who gets to see them.

Learning Intention

Students will:

  • Demonstrate how easily photos can be shared beyond intended audience.
  • Explore decision making process and ethics of sharing a picture.
  • Explore responsibility of receiving an image.

Time

20 minutes.

Required Resources

  • Class set of ‘Typically' Male and ‘Typically’ Female reproductive system” worksheets.
  • Teacher reference sheets.
Download Required Resources

Teaching Notes

This activity is designed to help young people understand the ethics around sharing images online. It highlights the importance of asking for permission before sharing an image that belongs to or contains
another person.

Students will quickly see that images that they consider ‘private’ have the potential to be shared with people that they didn’t intend.

Be prepared to challenge students if they make decisions that are unrealistic because they are trying to show what would be the ‘correct’ decision.

This can be an opportunity for an educator to learn about the online practices of their students and identify if there is potential for harm

Procedure

Get everyone up to high five as many other people as they choose. Everyone in the room is to imagine that they have a phone and a social media account set to ‘private’. The people they have high fived
are their friends/ followers. Unpack what ‘private’ settings do on different platforms.

Reflect on the choices that people made when selecting their friends / followers. Some students may approach everyone, some may only choose a select few. Discuss how it might feel if a friend request is
rejected. Some may approach the teacher. Explain that this would not be allowed.

Give 1 person a photo at the front of the group without anyone else seeing it. This is now their photo that they have taken. Students might imagine that they know the people in the photo. Ask if they are going to share it. They could share with 1 person by direct message, a few people or with all of their friends/ followers. They could also keep image for themselves.

The person with the photo can show it secretly to the person/ people who they would like to share with.
Ask how the people who haven’t seen the photo feel. Did anyone sneak a look over another person’s shoulder?

Ask how the people who have seen the photo feel (e.g. cool, popular, part of the ‘in-group’ or in-joke).
The people who have seen the image now have it on their phones. Ask if any of these people are going to share it.

If they are going to share the photo means more people will get to see it. Once the photo has been viewed, that person has the option to share or not. Depending on the choices of the group, this could take 3 or 4 shares for everyone in the group to see the image.

Repeat with other photos. Photos include a range of images which may lead to different choices depending on the content or context of the image. Students may decide that sharing a photo with no people in it is an easier decision than one with a family.

Further discussion:

  • Imagine the account is set to ‘public’. Who sees the image? Does this change the experience or behaviours of anyone?
  • If the image was an intimate or sexual picture, would it ever be OK to share?
  • If an image was digitally altered to look like an embarrassing or sexual image, is it OK to share?
    Conclude by listing reporting and help seeking pathways including immediate support networks at the school or community group as well as esafety.gov.au.

Questioning

  1. How does someone decide to share a photo?
  2. How is context important when deciding to share an image?
  3. Does the photo say anything about the person?
  4. If an image was sexual would people make different decisions about sharing?
  5. How often do people share photos on social media?
  6. What would different accounts show about a person? (eg: interests, friends, willingness to share)
  7. What are the responsibilities of sharing?
  8. What are the responsibilities of receiving a photo?
  9. Is there potential for adults such as parents or teachers to see images that a young person might share on social media?
  10. Should people give credit if they are resharing an image?
  11. What is the best way to ask for permission to share?
  12. How do you feel about your photos being shared?
  13. Where could someone go for help if they felt bad about their pictures being shared?

Curriculum Information