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Building good habits sets learners up to use QR codes safely and confidently. For learners who already scan QR codes habitually, this is a chance to ground and sharpen an existing skill.

>>> About QR Codes

QR codes are widely used in public and commercial environments, but not all QR codes are safe or trustworthy. It’s important that learners take steps to understand where a code has come from and where it leads.

• Genuine QR codes can be powerful tools that help us connect more effortlessly with people and things.

• Malicious QR codes can expose us to harmful websites, trigger unwanted downloads, or collect personal information without consent.

Most modern smartphones and tablets can read a QR code with their built-in camera. For devices that can’t, there are QR code scanning apps available.

• Reading a code with a camera happens offline and is your device recognising and decoding a pattern.

• Opening a link requires internet connection and is your device accessing content online.

>>> General Guidance

• Frame QR codes as encoded data that connects with real content, not just funny things to scan.

• Frame awareness as a tool and information-gathering as a skill.

  • “We check before we scan” is a habit, not a fear.

  • We control our decisions and actions, not the content QR codes connect with.

• Maintain a clear boundary between learning environments and uncontrolled digital spaces.

  • Reinforce that not all codes should be trusted or tested blindly.

  • Avoid inviting or encouraging learners to scan random codes they find on their own in public spaces.

>>> Before the Activity

• Check that devices have working cameras and reliable internet connection, or consider running the activity without the internet to show how devices recognise QR codes, rather than interact with external content.

• Use only pre-selected QR codes that lead to school-approved content, and preview every code you plan to use, to confirm that each code works.

• Make sure all linked content is age-appropriate and supports learning objectives rather than distracts from them.

>>> During the Activity

• Supervise device use throughout to make sure devices are supporting learning.

• Reinforce the pause-before-tapping habit in the moment, to support meaningful experience with best practice.

• If a learner discloses a real experience, acknowledge it and bring the group discussion back to the general framework rather than focus on their specific situation. See the If a Learner Discloses Something guidance for more on this.

>>> If a Learner Discloses Something

Talking openly about digital risk can prompt learners to mention something that they’ve heard about or that’s even actually happened to them.

• In the Moment:

  • Acknowledge and validate kindly and calmly. You don’t need to resolve anything on the spot. Your job in the moment is to make the learner feel heard. “Thanks for sharing. That sounds like it was confusing/frustrating/a bit scary” goes a long way, without needing to draw out further detail in front of the class.

  • Keep the focus general rather than personal. “That’s a great example of the kind of thing our framework is designed to catch” helps bring things back to the objective rather than examining a personal situation in front of the class.

• Handling vs Redirecting:

  • Many disclosures are OK to handle within the lesson by contextualising how the framework itself is designed to address them. These kinds of more commonplace issues, like a confusing website address, an odd pop-up, or other moments of uncertainty, are worth acknowledging and then checking in on privately afterward.

  • Some disclosures are worth treating as a cue to redirect to more appropriate counsel rather than risk mishandling a more serious issue. Trust your instincts and your understanding of your school’s processes to identify signs of real distress, risks to safety, and what to do next.

  • When in doubt, redirect. You don’t have to make the call alone or immediately. A private follow-up conversation is always available as a next step, and your school will have processes and people to support you and your learners in this.

• Next Steps:

  • Follow up privately with the learner, even briefly, so they know it wasn’t just brushed past.

  • Reach out for help, if a disclosure or follow-up conversation meets any signals for concern, by looping in whoever your school’s process points to that can provide the appropriate care and assistance.

>>> After the Activity

• Reflect on what makes a QR code feel trustworthy or not, reinforcing that making informed decisions is what we can control to keep ourselves safe, not the content itself.

• Reinforce a clear boundary between learning environments and uncontrolled digital spaces, including that not all QR codes should be trusted or tested.

• Consider clearing browser history, or other data created during the activity, from shared devices.