Australia’s young people are growing up in an increasingly algorithmic world. From AI-powered apps to social feeds shaped by invisible code, students are navigating digital environments that profoundly influence how they think, interact and learn. That’s why schools must embed AI literacy, digital literacy, and online safety education into the curriculum, not as optional extras, but as critical life skills that sit alongside reading and writing.
The Cyber Safe Classroom™ by Cyber Safety Project answers this call. Grounded in evidence and designed for Australian educators, it equips students with the skills they need to think critically, act responsibly and lead with integrity in their digital lives.
Key Summary
- AI and algorithms are increasingly shaping how students learn, socialise and make decisions
- Research from UNICEF, eSafety, UNESCO and Cyber Safety Project’s own Evidence & Impact Report 2025: New Insights into Effective Online Safety Education underscores the need for curriculum-aligned digital education
- Digital literacy, online safety and digital citizenship must be taught as core competencies
- Child-centred education is vital: students need voice, agency and ethical understanding in digital spaces
- Schools that prioritise digital wellbeing set students up for safer, smarter futures
- Cyber Safe Classroom™ embeds these principles through the RISE values: Responsibility, Integrity, Strength and Empathy
Why Online Safety Education Is No Longer Optional
The digital world no longer exists outside the school gate. Students interact with technology every day, often in unsupervised or algorithmically manipulated environments.
According to the eSafety Commissioner, one in four children had at least one negative online experience in the six months to September 2023 – including exposure to harmful content, cyberbullying, unwanted contact, and privacy breaches.
Yet many schools still approach online safety reactively, often after incidents have occurred.
What’s needed is proactive, curriculum-aligned digital education. One that treats online safety not as a one-off lesson, but a progressive learning journey that begins in primary school and continues through adolescence.
What Does Child-Centred Digital Learning Look Like?
The recent Algorithmic Kids report, published by UNICEF Australia highlights a vital truth: today’s students don’t just consume digital technology, they’re shaped by it.
That’s why learning must move beyond just “how to stay safe online” to focus on student agency, ethical digital participation, and critical engagement with the technologies they use.
Child-centred education means:
- Giving students a voice in how digital tools are used
- Teaching them to question how AI and algorithms influence their choices
- Helping them build resilience and critical thinking when engaging online
This approach aligns directly with the Cyber Safe Classroom™ mission to empower young people as informed, thoughtful digital citizens.
The Rise of AI Literacy in Schools
AI is no longer abstract or futuristic. It’s here, and children are using it daily. From TikTok’s content algorithms to ChatGPT’s generative text, AI tools are influencing how students process information and form opinions.
That’s why AI literacy must become part of every student’s learning journey. It involves teaching:
- How algorithms personalise content (and why that matters)
- Where AI is used in their daily lives and its ethical implications
- The role of human responsibility in designing and using AI tools
This priority is echoed globally. According to UNESCO,
“AI literacy must become a foundational skill — like reading, writing or mathematics — to enable learners to understand, question and meaningfully engage with AI technologies.”
🔗 Source: Artificial Intelligence and Education: Guidance for Policymakers (2021)
Cyber Safe Classroom™ offer a curriculum that helps educators unpack these complex concepts in age-appropriate, accessible ways, giving students the tools to understand and critically navigate the technology shaping their world.
Digital Citizenship: More Than Just ‘Being Safe Online’
At the heart of the Cyber Safe Classroom™ curriculum are the RISE values – Responsibility, Integrity, Strength and Empathy – a framework that redefines what it means to be a digital citizen today.
- Responsibility: Teaching students to own their digital actions, from protecting passwords to thinking before posting.
- Integrity: Encouraging respectful interactions and critical thinking about the content students share, see and believe online.
- Strength: Building resilience to manage online challenges like exclusion, misinformation or peer pressure.
- Empathy: Fostering respectful digital interactions and understanding the human impact behind every screen.
These values go beyond rules and restrictions. They support the development of character and conscience in a digital age. When students learn through the lens of RISE, they don’t just follow safety guidelines they live them.
Cyber Safe Classroom™: A Future-Ready Curriculum
Designed by educators, for educators, Cyber Safe Classroom™ provides a scaffolded curriculum that spans Foundation to Year 10, aligned with the Australian Curriculum and eSafety’s best-practice guidelines.
It includes:
- Ready-to-teach lesson plans and student activities
- Focus areas across AI literacy, digital wellbeing, cyber ethics and more
- Real-world scenarios that spark critical thinking and conversation
Educators and school leaders can be confident they’re choosing a proven, reliable, and impactful curriculum that meets the real needs of today’s students.
“I love the values and themes and the clear lesson plans that are both open ended for people to take where they best fit and prescriptive for those who are less confident. The curriculum alignment is also great.”
– School Leader, ACT
The Cyber Safety Project is recognised as a trusted provider of online safety education, approved NSW Department of Education School Supplier List and featured on ACER’s Wellbeing Menu. It has also undergone independent review through Safe Technologies for Schools (ST4S), supporting its alignment with national frameworks and classroom needs.
Backed by Research: Why Schools Must Act Now
The evidence is clear. The Algorithmic Kids report by UNICEF Australia, and global studies all agree: students need structured, meaningful digital education. But beyond third-party research, the Cyber Safety Project’s own 2025 Evidence and Impact Report offers compelling proof that this curriculum works.
Key findings from the report include:
- Increased student confidence in recognising and managing online risks
- Stronger digital citizenship behaviours across year levels
- Teacher-reported improvement in students’ critical thinking around technology use
When schools act now:
- Students are better equipped to manage risks and thrive online
- Teachers feel more confident integrating digital safety into their lessons
- Parents gain peace of mind knowing their children are being taught by design, not by accident
The alternative? Letting students learn from the internet itself and all the risks that come with it.
Moving from Awareness to Action
AI and online technologies are reshaping how students live, learn and connect and schools must be ready. Cyber Safe Classroom™ offers a research-backed, values-driven curriculum that empowers young Australians to be critical thinkers, ethical participants and safe digital citizens.
Now is the time to shift from reactive digital safety to proactive digital empowerment.
FAQ
Q: Is this curriculum aligned with national standards?
Yes. The Cyber Safe Classroom curriculum and resources aligns with the V9 Australian Curriculum, each State curriculum and integrates eSafety’s recommended Best Practice Online Safety Education framework.
Q: At what year level should students start learning about cyber safety and AI literacy?
Education should begin in early primary and continue through secondary school, with developmentally appropriate scaffolding throughout.
Q: How does the program support teachers?
It provides plug-and-play resources, professional learning, and lesson guides to help educators confidently deliver digital education.
Q: Why focus on values like RISE in a tech curriculum?
Because ethical digital behaviour is driven by character, not just compliance. RISE empowers students to be thoughtful and compassionate online citizens.
This guide is written by Cyber Safety Project, a national education organisation specialising in empowering schools with evidence-based online safety programs, digital and AI literacy education, teacher professional development and parent education.
Learn more about our evidence-based F-8 curriculum Cyber Safe Classroom™
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