Safer Schools has produced a resource to support your school’s response to online challenges and harmful content. This resource explains why online challenges are popular, providing top tips on how to identify a hoax versus a trend, includes a classroom discussion-based activity and outlines the practical steps you can take in developing an appropriate safeguarding response.
Schools can face significant pressure to issue online safety warnings and guidance when news circulates about online challenges, trends, and hoaxes.
When a viral challenge is reported in the news or on social media, it’s often easier to consider the risks than to establish the facts. Making the decision to issue guidance or warnings about challenges and hoaxes are often informed by the principle of ‘better safe than sorry’.
Download the guidance below:

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