New interactive video – and related downloads – to help secondary school kids stay safe online
Summary
The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has released CyberFirst Navigators, a free interactive video and accompanying downloadable learning resources aimed at 11 to 14-year-olds. The video follows three characters — Olivia, Raheem and Luca — as they experience the consequences of a cyber incident and encounter common online scams through social media advertising and malicious links.
The resource is designed for use in schools and youth groups, and is supported by lesson plans, curriculum mapping for all four UK nations, and a subject matter factsheet. The learning pack has been quality assured by the PSHE Association and includes classroom activities to help young people make safer online choices. The content was last reviewed on 05/03/2025.
Key Points
- CyberFirst Navigators is a free interactive video resource targeted at 11–14-year-olds to teach safe online behaviour.
- Viewers can make choices for characters in the story and see how those choices affect outcomes, reinforcing decision-making skills online.
- Resource pack includes three lesson plans, curriculum mapping for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and a factsheet for educators.
- Materials are quality assured by the PSHE Association, making them suitable for PSHE lessons and relevant to broader school subjects like ICT.
- The content focuses on realistic risks such as scam links, misleading social media adverts, and online shopping/gaming pitfalls.
- Designed for teachers and group leaders to deliver classroom discussions and activities that build practical online safety skills.
Context and Relevance
As children start secondary school they gain greater digital autonomy — more devices, social media use, online gaming and shopping. This resource addresses that transition by giving pre-teens interactive, scenario-based practice in spotting scams and making safer choices. For educators and youth workers, it provides ready-made, curriculum-mapped materials that save preparation time while aligning with recognised PSHE standards.
The release fits ongoing trends in education and safeguarding: integrating cyber security into broader personal and social education, and equipping young people with resilience against everyday online threats.
Author style
Punchy: This is a tidy, classroom-ready package that schools and youth groups can plug straight into lessons. If you work with 11–14s it’s genuinely useful — PSHE-assured, curriculum-mapped and interactive, so it lands with kids rather than reads like a lecture.
Why should I read this?
Short answer: because it saves you time and gives kids something they’ll actually engage with. The video is interactive, the teacher pack is ready-to-use and PSHE-approved, and it tackles the real-world scams young teens are likely to meet online. Perfect if you’re teaching, safeguarding or running youth sessions.
