The Blue Peter presenter’s participation in the long-running BBC Teach series is particularly pertinent.
He himself has been the victim of multiple scams.
As Joel explained: “I have had bank accounts hacked and money taken out. I regularly receive phishing emails trying to access my social media passwords. We feel embarrassed and ashamed, but we shouldn’t. Scams are clever. The reason that they work is because they are smart. The best thing you can do to make it better is to tell someone.”
The lesson was part of a wider BBC Teach initiative to support primary and secondary school teachers with online safety. This has included bringing together a collection of over 100 resources covering all aspects of online safety including scams, bullying, and screen time.
BBC Teach also commissioned a Censuswide survey of primary school teachers which suggested that online safety, often considered an issue for teenagers, is a growing problem amongst younger children.
Asked about online scams, a third of primary teachers indicated that at least one child in their class had reported being a victim of an online scam. A third (35%) also felt that the number of children being scammed each year was increasing.
And the same number thought artificial intelligence could contribute to making children more vulnerable to scams.
Helen Foulkes, Head of BBC Education, said: “Teachers play a key role in keeping children safe online. But the pace of change, for instance with scams, means it’s incredibly hard to stay up to date.”
To access the BBC Teach collection of Safer Internet Day resources, visit: www.bbc.co.uk/teach
