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This activity is device-free, but the subject it explores is digital privacy, so it's a great opportunity to build accurate understanding of how websites use data, to make sure private browsing isn’t mistaken for invisibility, and to ground safe, confident habits that apply on real devices online.

>>> General Guidance

• Frame cookies as a tool, not a threat. Keep the tone curious rather than worrying. Many cookies are helpful, such as keeping you logged in or remembering what’s in a shopping cart. The aim is awareness and informed choices, not fear.

• Treat private browsing as a tidy-up, not an invisibility cloak. It clears cookies and history from that device when the window closes. Websites, the school network, and internet providers can still see the visit, and signing in to an account still identifies you.

• Talk about kinds of sites, not personal experiences. Keep discussion on patterns, such as “a shopping site might remember…”, rather than inviting learners to name the sites they visit.

• Treat wanting privacy as normal and healthy. Just like we value privacy elsewhere in our lives, learners who value private browsing are valid in doing so. They’re not automatically doing something suspicious, and the conversation should never make them feel that way.

• Model the habits you’re teaching. Read cookie banners rather than clicking “Accept all”, and sign out of shared school devices. Link learning to your school’s online safety and digital citizenship guidelines, so learners see how it connects to everyday expectations.

>>> Before the activity

• Establish a safe space for discussion. Set the expectation that the conversation will be about browsing in general terms (“someone might…”) rather than expecting or encouraging learners to share their real, specific experiences online.

• Expect different starting points by age. Y4-6 learners often use shared whānau devices and may have few accounts of their own. Y7-8 learners are more likely to have accounts, sometimes on apps or games with a minimum age above their own.

• Plan how you’ll respond to disclosures. Some learners may mention using private browsing to hide activity at home or experiences with content that upset them. Decide in advance on a calm, neutral response.

>>> During the activity

• Catch the “invisible” idea when it appears. When an Incognito card comes up, point out that the learner still ate the cookie: the site knew they visited, even though no crumbs were left behind.

• Acknowledge disclosures, then move on. Respond briefly and without judgement, avoid probing in front of the group, and follow up privately afterwards. See the If a Learner Discloses Something guidance for more on this.

• Keep examples fictional. If learners offer real usernames, passwords, or details about friends, redirect to the activity’s template sites.

• Watch for worry. If a learner seems anxious about being tracked, bring the focus back to the choices they can make.

>>> 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 it means for a website to remember things about us, reinforcing that making informed decisions is what we can control to keep ourselves safe, not content itself.

• Reinforce a clear boundary between learning environments and unmediated digital spaces, including that this activity and discussion are only an introduction to the complexity of cookies online.

• Encourage learning together. Rather than change settings alone, encourage learners to look at cookie and privacy settings with a whānau member if they’re curious beyond the lesson.

• Point to support beyond the classroom. If a disclosure suggests a learner may be at risk, or has been exposed to harmful content, follow your school’s process to safeguard and support them. Netsafe (netsafe.org.nz) offers free online safety advice for learners, whānau, and kaiako.