Online financial harms

Free lesson materials and on-demand CPD for teachers, developed through our work with the Child Financial Harms consortium.

 

Protect pupils from a range of online financial harms that pose safeguarding as well as financial risks. 

Free lesson materials Free on-demand training
Child financial harms lp version

Online financial harms are increasingly complex. And the overlap with other safeguarding concerns increasingly evident.

With such harms linking to online safety, toxic influences, safe relationships, mental health, digital/media literacy and more, the PSHE education curriculum is uniquely suited to protecting children and young people.

Our new lesson plans start at key stage 2 then build in complexity as students progress to secondary school and post-16/key stage 5 (see full lesson summary below and watch trailers).

There are also dedicated materials for pupils with SEND, and an accompanying on-demand CPD course for PSHE leads and teachers, which includes practical steps for embedding learning on financial harms within your PSHE curriculum.

This is all part of our work as a partner on the Child Financial Harms programme — a Nominet-funded, Parent Zone led consortium bringing together leading organisations involved in researching and providing solutions to financial harms.

Learn about the rise in online financial harms affecting children and young people, and how we can protect them through high quality PSHE education.  
online financial harms 1600x900
Lesson summary [watch trailers]
  • Lesson title and learning objective

    PSHE Association Programme of Study

    DfE statutory guidance

    Key stage 2:

     

    Lesson 1: Spending influences

    To learn about what influences young people to spend money online.

     

    Lesson 2: Wellbeing and support

    To learn how spending money online can affect someone’s wellbeing.

     

     

    H18. about everyday things that affect feelings and the importance of expressing feelings

    H37. reasons for following and complying with regulations and restrictions (including age restrictions); how they promote personal safety and wellbeing with reference to social media, television programmes, films, games and online gaming

    R15. strategies for recognising and managing peer influence and a desire for peer approval in friendships; to recognise the effect of online actions on others

    L11. recognise ways in which the internet and social media can be used both positively and negatively

    L13. about some of the different ways information and data is shared and used online, including for commercial purposes

    L17. about the different ways to pay for things and the choices people have about this

    L18. to recognise that people have different attitudes towards saving and spending money; what influences people’s decisions; what makes something ‘good value for money’

    L24. to identify the ways that money can impact on people’s feelings and emotions

     

    Relationships education: Online relationships

    • the rules and principles for keeping safe online, how to recognise risks, harmful content and contact, and how to report them.
    • how to critically consider their online friendships and sources of information including awareness of the risks associated with people they have never met.
    • how information and data is shared and used online.

     

    Health education: Internet safety and harms

    • how to consider the effect of their online actions on others and know how to recognise and display respectful behaviour online and the importance of keeping personal information private.
    • why social media, some computer games and online gaming, for example, are age restricted.
    • how to be a discerning consumer of information online including understanding that information, including that from search engines, is ranked, selected and targeted.
    • where and how to report concerns and get support with issues online. 
  • Lesson title and learning objective

    PSHE Association Programme of Study

    DfE statutory guidance

    Key stage 3:


    Lesson 1: Click and pay: Phones and financial risk

    To learn about potential financial harms when using phones and in other online contexts.

     

    Lesson 2: Gaming, social media and algorithms: The pressure to spend online

    To learn about influences, effects and potential risks of online spending, and strategies to minimise these.

     

    Lesson 3: Money matters: Seeking help and support

    To learn about how to manage emotions, seek support and overcome barriers to seeking support, in relation to online spending.

    H30. how to identify risk and manage personal safety in increasingly independent situations, including online

    H32. the risks associated with gambling and recognise that chance-based transactions can carry similar risks; strategies for managing peer and other influences relating to gambling

    R44. that the need for peer approval can generate feelings of pressure and lead to increased risk-taking; strategies to manage this

    L15. to assess and manage risk in relation to financial decisions that young people might make

    L16. about values and attitudes relating to finance, including debt

    L17. to manage emotions in relation to money

    L18. to evaluate social and moral dilemmas about the use of money, including the influence of advertising and peers on financial decisions

    L19. to recognise financial exploitation in different contexts e.g. drug and money mules, online scams

    L20. that features of the internet can amplify risks and opportunities, e.g. speed and scale of information sharing, blurred public and private boundaries and a perception of anonymity

    L27. to respond appropriately when things go wrong online, including confidently accessing support, reporting to authorities and platforms

    Health education: internet safety and harms

    • how to identify harmful behaviours online (including bullying, abuse or harassment) and how to report, or find support, if they have been affected by those behaviours
    • the similarities and differences between the online world and the physical world, including: […] the risks related to online gambling including the accumulation of debt, how advertising and information is targeted at them and how to be a discerning consumer of information online.

    RSE: Online and media

    • what to do and where to get support to report material or manage issues online.
    • their rights, responsibilities and opportunities online, including that the same expectations of behaviour apply in all contexts, including online.
    • not to provide material to others that they would not want shared further and not to share personal material which is sent to them.
    • how information and data is generated, collected, shared and used online.

    Key stage 4

    Lesson 1: Making money online: Rights, risks and cryptocurrencies

    To learn about the risks involved with making and spending money online.

     

    Lesson 2: Wanna bet? Controlled and uncontrolled online spending

    To learn about controlled and uncontrolled spending online, and strategies to avoid uncontrolled spending.

     

    Lesson 3: Financial exploitation online: Factors, strategies and support

    To learn about ways people might be financially exploited online and how to seek support.

    H22. ways to identify risk and manage personal safety in new social settings, workplaces, and environments, including online

    H25. to understand and build resilience to thinking errors associated with gambling (e.g. ‘gambler’s fallacy’) the range of gambling-related harms , and how to access support for themselves or others

    R35. to evaluate ways in which their behaviours may influence their peers, positively and negatively, including online […]

    R38. factors which contribute to young people becoming involved in serious organised crime, including cybercrime

    L17. how to effectively make financial decisions, including recognising the opportunities and challenges involved in taking financial risks

    L18. to recognise and manage the range of influences on their financial decisions

    L19. to access appropriate support for financial decision-making and for concerns relating to money, gambling, and consumer rights

    L20. the skills to challenge or seek support for financial exploitation in different contexts including online

    L25. how personal data is generated, collected and shared, including by individuals, and the consequences of this

    L26. how data may be used with the aim of influencing decisions, including targeted advertising and other forms of personalisation online; strategies to manage this

  • Lesson title and learning objective

    PSHE Association Programme of Study

    Key stage 5:

    Lesson 1: Worth the risk? Identifying high-risk online spending

    To learn about high-risk online financial choices.

     

    Lesson 2: The cost of love online: Financial implications of online relationships

    To learn about the risks of online relationships for data protection and financial security.

    H14. to assess and manage risk and personal safety in a wide range of contexts, including online; about support in place to safeguard them in these contexts and how to access it

    R5. to manage personal safety in new relationships, including online activity or when meeting someone for the first time whom they met online

    R19. to recognise and manage negative influence, manipulation and persuasion in a variety of contexts, including online

    R20. to recognise and manage different forms of abuse, sources of support and exit strategies for unhealthy relationships

    L16. to exercise consumer rights, including resolving disputes and accessing appropriate support

    L20. to set and maintain clear boundaries around personal privacy and to manage online safety in all its forms, including seeking help when appropriate

    L24. to be a critical consumer of online information in all its forms, including recognising bias, propaganda and manipulation

  • KS2

    Lesson objective

    Learning outcomes

    Planning Framework for pupils with SEND

    We are learning about spending money online.

     

     

    Pupils will be able to:

    Core: identify examples of how people spend money online, and how that can make them feel

    Development: identify common purchases online, and how feelings can influence what we buy

    Enrichment: describe differences between necessary and luxury items online, and strategies to manage luxury purchases

    Enhancement: explain risks associated with overspending or buying things we can’t afford, and the feelings someone might have in this situation

    All: identify strategies to help us with spending decisions online, and who to ask for help

    The world I live in 6

    Core: Recognise some different ways to pay for things (e.g. coins, notes, bankcards, online, phone payment)

    Development: Identify things we (or adults we know) might spend money on, such as food, clothes and things we need to help us to live.

    Enrichment: Identify what is meant by a ‘need’ and a ‘want’ in relation to spending money.

    Enhancement: Explain what is meant by the term ‘afford’ (in the context of money).
    Identify possible consequences of losing money on ourselves or others; whom to go to or how to seek help if this happens to us.

    Identify possible consequences of losing money on ourselves or others; whom to go to or how to seek help if this happens to us.

     

    KS3-4

    Lesson objective

    Learning outcomes

    Planning Framework for pupils with SEND

    We are learning about spending money online and the possible risks of this

     

     

    Pupils will be able to:

    Core: list common ways people spend money online, and identify their reasons for doing so

    Development: describe why people spend money online, and possible risks associated with this

    Enrichment: explain why people might spend money on things they had not planned to buy, when online

    Enhancement: explain why some products online may be scams and some ways to identify these

    All: identify tools to help spend money safely, or delay spending money, online

    The world I live in 5

    Core: Identify some ways that money can be kept safe [online].

    Development: Identify some ways in which we are encouraged to spend money, including online.

    Describe the consequences of losing money or spending more than we have.

    Enrichment: Explain the difference between essential and luxury purchases.

    Enhancement: Describe some simple examples of what is meant by ‘value for money’.

    Identify what we can do if something we buy is faulty or we want to return it (our legal rights).

    We are learning how targeted adverts are used online.

    Pupils will be able to:

    Core: state what a ‘targeted advert’ is and what this might mean for online spending choices

    Development: describe the features of targeted adverts and why they might be more likely to make someone spend money online

    Enrichment: describe or demonstrate how targeted adverts are created for individuals based on their online activities

    Enhancement: explain why and how companies use the data people share online to personalise their online experience, and the risks associated with this

    All: identify who they need to get permission from before they spend money online, and who can help them if they have spent money on a purchase they regret

    The world I live in 2

    Self-care, support and safety 4

    Core: Recognise that advertising online is targeted at individuals.

    Development: Identify some of the techniques that advertisers might use to get our attention or persuade us to believe something is true, and what their motives might be.

    Enrichment: Explain that information from our internet use is gathered, stored and used by external organisations.

    Enhancement: Recognise that data about us can be collected online, and used, for example, to determine what information and advertising we are shown.

    We are learning about how people can lose money online.

    Core: recognise what is meant by online gambling, including what it means to win or lose money

    Development: explain why people might lose money online, and some of the risks of gambling or scams

    Enrichment: explain what might influence people to get involved with gambling or online scams and how to challenge this

    Enhancement: explain how and why young people are encouraged to gamble online and in gaming, and how to resist influences

    All: describe how to access services to help people with gambling troubles or who have experienced a scam

    Self-care, support and safety 7

    Core: Explain what is meant by the term ‘gambling’ and identify places and ways this might take place.

    Identify what it means to ‘win’ or ‘lose’ in relation to gambling.

    Development: Give some reasons why people might choose to gamble.
    Identify the risks associated with chance-based transactions (including in-game purchases) and gambling, including online.

    Enrichment: Describe some influences or pressures on people to gamble (advertising, friends).

    Identify where and from whom to get help with gambling if we are worried about ourselves or others.

    Enhancement: Identify some strategies game apps or advertising might use to encourage online gambling and chance-based purchases (e.g. loot boxes).

    Explain some strategies for managing influences related to gambling.

Download the free lesson materials

Sign in or create a free account to access the lesson materials and on-demand CPD course.

Download KS2 materials

Download KS3-4 materials

Download KS5/Post-16 materials

Download SEND materials

This page content is for registered users only

Create a free account to:

  • Access free PSHE Association resources and guidance
  • Get regular updates on the latest PSHE education news and views, directly to your inbox