Technology · Unit 5

Staying Safe Online

Passwords, privacy and being kind and careful online

Most compromises are not technical break-ins. They come from someone being persuaded to hand something over, which is why this unit is as much about judgement as about settings.

It covers passwords, keeping personal information private, spotting scams and manipulation, being decent to other people, and healthy screen time.

This unit breaks down into 23 short steps and 118 questions, starting at difficulty 1 and building to 5. Below you can see exactly what it covers, how the path is structured, and worked examples with explanations.

Steps: 23
Questions: 118
Difficulty: 1-5

What this unit covers

Being Kind Online
Spotting Tricks and Scams
Keeping Personal Info Private
Passwords
Healthy Screen Time

Where this fits

Follows The Internet. Cybersecurity is the advanced treatment.

Where people slip

A long password beats a complicated short one. Length is what defeats guessing, and reusing one across sites undoes any strength it had.

How the unit is structured

Staying Safe Online runs as 23 short steps that unlock in order. 17 are practice rounds and 6 are challenge rounds that pull together everything before them. Questions start at difficulty 1 and climb to 5 as you progress.

Step 1 · easierStep 23 · harder

Challenge rounds

Example questions

30 real questions from this unit, with the answer and the reason behind it, grouped by what they practise. There are 118 in the unit altogether.

Being Kind Online

Multiple choiceLevel 2
1. Before posting a comment, a kind rule to follow is to ask yourself what?
- Would I say this to their face?correct
- Can I type this the fastest?
- Will this use lots of data?
- Is my battery full?
Asking 'would I say this to their face?' helps you keep your words kind and fair.
Odd one outLevel 2
2. Which of these is NOT a kind thing to do online?
- Posting a mean comment about a classmatecorrect
- Saying well done on someone's drawing
- Cheering up a friend with a nice message
- Thanking someone for their help
Posting a mean comment hurts someone, so it does not belong with the kind actions.
True or falseLevel 2
3. Most apps and games have a button to report or block someone who is being unkind.
Answer: True
Report and block buttons are common tools that help you stay safe from unkind people online.
Put in orderLevel 3
4. Put these steps in a sensible order for handling a cyberbully.
Answer: Do not reply to the mean messages -> Take a screenshot to keep as proof -> Block the person -> Tell a trusted adult
First do not reply, then keep the evidence, then block them, and finally tell a trusted adult.
Choose all that applyLevel 4
5. Which of these are respectful ways to handle a disagreement in an online chat? (Pick all that apply.)
- Stay calm and explain your point politelycorrect
- Listen to the other person's viewcorrect
- Step away for a bit if things get heatedcorrect
- Get a crowd to gang up on them
Staying calm, listening and stepping away are respectful, while name-calling and pile-ons are not.
Fill the blankLevel 4
6. A person who steps in to support someone being bullied, rather than staying silent, is called an ____.
- upstandercorrect
- installer
- uploader
- browser
An upstander chooses to help the person being targeted instead of ignoring the problem.

Healthy Screen Time

Guess the numberLevel 2
7. In the popular 20-20-20 eye rule, how many minutes of screen use go by before you should take a short look into the distance?
Answer: 20 minutes
The 20-20-20 rule says every 20 minutes, look 20 feet away for 20 seconds to rest your eyes.
Put in orderLevel 2
8. Put these into a healthy bedtime order, from first to last.
Answer: Finish your game or video -> Put the screen away for the night -> Read or relax quietly -> Go to sleep
Finishing your game, then putting the screen away, then relaxing helps you fall asleep more easily.
Choose all that applyLevel 3
9. Which of these tools or habits help you keep screen time healthy? (Pick all that apply.)
- Setting an app timer that reminds you to stopcorrect
- Turning on Do Not Disturb at bedtimecorrect
- Having screen-free times each daycorrect
- Removing every clock so you lose track of time
App timers, Do Not Disturb and screen-free times all help you keep a healthy balance.
Multiple choiceLevel 3
10. Many phones show a weekly report of how long you used each app. What is this useful for?
- Noticing your habits so you can find a healthy balancecorrect
- Making the battery bigger
- Getting free games
- Speeding up downloads
Seeing your screen time helps you notice your habits and choose a healthier balance.
Fill the blankLevel 4
11. A short buzz or ping from an app that pulls your attention back to your phone is called a ____.
- notificationcorrect
- firewall
- password
- keyboard
Notifications are designed to grab your attention, so turning off the ones you do not need helps you focus.
Sort into groupsLevel 4
12. Sort each habit into Helps Balance or Hurts Balance for screen time.
Answer: Setting an app time limit = Helps Balance; Charging the phone away from your bed = Helps Balance; Scrolling with autoplay for hours = Hurts Balance; Watching bright videos right before sleep = Hurts Balance
Timers and screen-free sleep help balance, while endless scrolling and bedtime screens hurt it.

Keeping Personal Info Private

Fill the blankLevel 1
13. Your name, address and phone number are examples of ____ information you keep private.
- personalcorrect
- public
- silly
- extra
Details that identify you, like your address and phone number, are personal information.
True or falseLevel 1
14. It is safe to post your full home address on a public website.
Answer: False
Your home address is private, so posting it publicly is not safe.
Choose all that applyLevel 3
15. Which of these help protect your personal information online? (Pick all that apply.)
- Keeping your profile set to privatecorrect
- Thinking before you share a photo or postcorrect
- Asking a trusted adult when unsurecorrect
- Adding your address to your public profile
Private settings, careful sharing and checking with an adult all help keep your information safe.
Match the pairsLevel 3
16. Match each safety action to what it protects you from.
Answer: Setting your profile to private = Strangers seeing your info; Using a strong password = Someone breaking into your account; Thinking before you post = Regretting something later
Private settings hide your info, strong passwords guard accounts, and thinking before posting protects your footprint.
Multiple choiceLevel 3
17. Why should you think before posting something online, even to friends?
- It can be copied and shared and may stay online for a long timecorrect
- It slows down your wifi
- It drains your battery instantly
- It changes your password
Posts can be copied, shared and stay online for a long time, so they are hard to fully take back.
Type the answerLevel 4
18. The hidden data inside a photo file that can reveal when and where it was taken is called ____. What is this word for 'data about data'?
Answer: metadata
Metadata describes a file, and photo metadata can include the time and place it was captured.

Passwords

Type the answerLevel 1
19. A secret word or phrase you type to log into an account is called a ____. What word fills the blank?
Answer: password
A password is the secret you type to unlock your own account.
Multiple choiceLevel 2
20. Which of these makes the strongest password?
- A long mix of letters, numbers and symbols
- The word 'password'
- Your first name
- 1234
A long mix of letters, numbers and symbols is much harder to guess than a short simple word.
Odd one outLevel 2
21. Which of these would make a weak password?
- The word 'password'correct
- A long random passphrase
- A mix of letters, numbers and symbols
- Something no one else knows
The word 'password' is one of the most common and easiest to guess, so it is weak.
Fill the blankLevel 3
22. A tool that safely stores all your different passwords so you do not have to remember each one is called a password ____.
- managercorrect
- printer
- speaker
- browser
A password manager keeps your passwords locked up so each account can have its own strong password.
True or falseLevel 3
23. If a website you use has a data breach, changing your password on that site is a smart thing to do.
Answer: True
After a breach your old password may be exposed, so changing it helps protect your account.
Choose all that applyLevel 4
24. Which of these count as a second 'factor' in two-factor authentication? (Pick all that apply.)
- A one-time code sent to your phonecorrect
- A fingerprint scancorrect
- A code from an authenticator appcorrect
- Typing the same password a second time
A second factor is something you have or are, like a phone code or a fingerprint, not just a password you know.

Spotting Tricks and Scams

Sort into groupsLevel 2
25. Sort each message into Safe or Scam.
Answer: A birthday message from your cousin = Safe; A reminder from your teacher about a trip = Safe; You won a million pounds, send your password = Scam; Click now or your account is deleted = Scam
Messages asking for secrets or promising free riches are scams, while normal notes are safe.
Choose all that applyLevel 4
26. Which clues suggest a friend request or message might be from a fake account? (Pick all that apply.)
- The account was made very recently with few postscorrect
- It quickly asks for personal details or moneycorrect
- The photos look copied from somewhere elsecorrect
- It is your real cousin you have known for years
Brand new accounts, few real friends and quick requests for secrets or money are common fake-account clues.
Fill the blankLevel 4
27. Fooling a person, rather than a computer, into giving away secrets by pretending to be someone they trust is called social ____.
- engineeringcorrect
- networking
- charging
- printing
Social engineering targets people's trust instead of breaking into machines.
Multiple choiceLevel 4
28. Tricking someone into giving up secrets by pretending to be a trusted person is a type of what?
- Social engineeringcorrect
- Battery saving
- Video editing
- Cloud backup
Social engineering fools people rather than computers, by pretending to be someone you trust.
Odd one outLevel 4
29. Three of these are online deception tricks. Which one is NOT?
- Backing up your filescorrect
- Phishing
- Catfishing
- Deepfakes
Backing up your files is a safe habit, while phishing, catfishing and deepfakes are all deceptions.
Put in orderLevel 4
30. Order these steps for safely handling a suspicious link in an email, from first to last.
Answer: Stop and do not click the link -> Check who sent it and the real address -> Ask a trusted adult if unsure -> Delete or report the message
First stop and do not click, then check the sender and address, then ask an adult, and finally delete or report it.

Where these questions come from. Each unit starts as a plan of the concepts it should cover and the difficulty it should span. Questions are written against that plan with AI assistance, then checked by a validator that rejects anything without a single defensible answer, an explanation, or plausible wrong options. How we write questions sets out the whole process, and corrections are fixed in the bank and reach the site and the app the same day.

How you practise

This unit mixes 10 different question formats, so you are recalling and applying rather than recognising the same layout every time.

Choose all that apply
Fill the blank
Guess the number
Match the pairs
Multiple choice
Odd one out
Put in order
Sort into groups
True or false
Type the answer

Practise Staying Safe Online

118 questions across 23 steps. Start with step one and crawl at your own pace.

Play this unit

Read about Staying Safe Online

Explainers from our blog on what this unit covers. Each one ends with real questions from the bank.

What Is an IP Address? How Devices Find Each Other OnlineLearn how Internet Protocol addresses identify network locations, how IPv4 and IPv6 differ, and why public and private addresses matter.August 17, 2026 · 6 min read

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