Years 9–10 students’ online lives are closely tied to friendships and belonging, and group chats, posts and screenshots can make actions highly visible and hard to undo. When cyberbullying or online harm happens, many students want to help but don’t act because it feels risky — fear of becoming the next target, social pressure, “telltale” stigma, uncertainty, or assuming someone else will handle it. New Zealand schools need more than “just stand up” messages; learners need safe, realistic options that work in real life, online and offline.
In this session, help ākonga to name the barriers that get in the way of acting as an active bystander and plan practical ways around them. Students explore a range of safer response pathways (from low-visibility to more direct), and practice help-seeking behaviours. Part of the Netsafe Cyberbullying Prevention Toolkit.
This session
Theme: Recognising why it can be hard to act when harm happens, and exploring safe, realistic ways to respond both online and offline.
Learning outcomes: In this session, students will learn to:
- Explain the difference between reacting and responding in harmful situations
- Identify common barriers that make it hard to act and describe how at least one differs online vs offline
- Use the Hazard → Barrier → Pathways process to design three safe response options (low-visibility, supported, direct)
- Decide when to report and where to go for help (school, platform, or Netsafe)
Activities:
- Class discussion, 5 mins: React vs respond
- Small group activity, 8 mins: Spot the barriers
- Small group activity, 12 mins: Barrier stations
- Small group activity, 15 mins: Pathways builder — PDF Scenario cards, PDF worksheet
- Wrap-up, 5 mins: Action Ticket close
- Extensions:
- Pulse check
- Strategy bank
- Mini campaign
Key messages:
- Barriers are real; naming them is step one.
- Safety first-indirect or delayed responses are valid.
- You have options: private support, evidence, reporting, boundaries, adult help.
- Reporting is a strong, protective response-especially for serious/ongoing harm or power imbalance.
- It doesn’t matter when you act-what matters is that you do, safely.
Classroom resources:
- PDF worksheet (Hazard – Risk – Pathway)
- PDF Scenario cards (Hazard – Risk – Pathway)
Teacher support:
- Facilitator guide – with context, research, and learning progression.
- Activity plan – with step by step instructions.
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Related Tools and Resources
- Year 9-11
- Cyberbullying
- 50-60 mins
Years 9-10 build practical consent-seeking skills for sharing online content and building stronger relationships online and offline. A Cyberbullying Prevention Toolkit session.
Years 9-10 explore the Harmful Communications Act and how it applies to online behaviours, how to save evidence and who can help. A Cyberbullying Prevention Toolkit session.
- Year 5-6
- Year 7-8
- Year 9-11
- Year 12-13
- Cyberbullying
- 20-40 per session
The Student Spark Kits help teachers support ākonga to lead practical actions that make their school communities kinder and safer - both online and offline. Part of the Cyberbullying Prevention Toolkit.