Understanding AI: Rights, safety and wellbeing

Teach about chatbots, deepfakes and manipulated images with confidence using our KS2-4 lesson materials and accompanying on-demand CPD course.

Note: the ‘Teaching about AI’ on-demand course is available to all PSHE members who download the ‘Understanding AI’ lesson plan materials — but you must first download the materials on this page in order to enrol.

Understanding Ai lesson pack (800 x 600)

AI touches on various aspects of children and young people’s lives and futures — from careers and relationships to mental health and misinformation — so it’s crucial they have a foundational understanding of how it works and what risks it might pose.

It’s also crucial that teachers know how to teach about this topic with confidence.

Our KS2-4 Understanding AI: Rights, safety and wellbeing lesson pack and Teaching about AI: Chatbots, deepfakes and manipulated images on-demand CPD course will give you and your school everything you need to teach this topic effectively and cover all relevant requirements from the new statutory RSHE guidance (in force from September 2026).

Understanding AI: Rights, safety and wellbeing (KS2-4)

These lessons introduce different forms of Artificial Intelligence (AI), including generative AI, and examine their impact on rights, careers, relationships and our understanding of the world.

As with our other packs, each of the lesson plans are accompanied by classroom-ready PowerPoints and pupil facing resources (learn what makes our lesson plans different).

The teacher guidance for this pack includes an additional section on ‘demystifying AI’ and a handy glossary of key terms.

Lesson summary

Learning objectives

Programme of Study

DfE statutory guidance

Key stage 2

Lesson 1

To learn about what artificial intelligence (AI) is and how it is used in our daily lives.

Lesson 2

To learn about children’s rights and how they can be impacted by AI.

Lesson 3

To learn about AI chatbots and how they are different from humans.

Online life and safety

11. about rights and responsibilities online; to recognise their rights online, in relation to sharing personal data, privacy and consent

12. how content on the internet is ranked and targeted at specific individuals and groups; the different ways information and data is shared and used online, including for commercial purposes; how to make safe, reliable choices about search results or the content they see

13. how text and images in the media and online can be manipulated or fabricated; strategies to critically engage with what they see, read or hear online and identify misinformation and disinformation

14. what AI is (including generative AI) and where it might be encountered in everyday life

15. reasons for following rules and age restrictions; how rules and age restrictions for some apps, streaming services, films, computer games, online gaming and gambling sites help protect personal safety and promote wellbeing

16. the minimum age requirement for social media; how this protects children from inappropriate content or unsafe contact with other social media users

17. about the benefits of limiting time spent online and choosing online activities carefully; how to assess the impact of online content, behaviours and habits on their feelings and wellbeing

18. how AI chatbots work; similarities and differences between interacting with an AI chatbot and a human, and the implications for wellbeing

22. similarities and differences between communicating with someone online and offline; the importance of meaningful in-person relationships; that while online communication might enhance some relationships, purely online relationships may be less fulfilling

29. the importance of telling a trusted adult and getting support with anything that worries, scares or concerns them online; when, why, and how to report concerns online

Wellbeing online

(1) That for almost everyone the internet is an integral part of life. Pupils should be supported to think about positive and negative aspects of the internet.
(2) Pupils should be supported to discuss how online relationships can complement and support meaningful in-person relationships, but also how they might be in tension, and the reasons why online relationships are unlikely to be a good substitute for high quality in-person relationships, looking at the pros and cons of different ways of using online connection.
(7) How to take a critical approach to what they see and read online and make responsible decisions about which content, including content on social media and apps, is appropriate for them.
(9) How to understand the information they find online, including from search engines, and know how information is selected and targeted.
(10) That they have rights in relation to sharing personal data, privacy and consent.
(11) Where and how to report concerns and get support with issues online.

Caring friendships

(3) That not every child will have the friends they would like at all times, that most people feel lonely sometimes, and that there is no shame in feeling lonely or talking about it.

Online safety and awareness

(1) That people should be respectful in online interactions, and that the same principles apply to online relationships as to face-to-face relationships, including where people are anonymous. For example, the importance of avoiding putting pressure on others to share information and images online, and strategies for resisting peer pressure.
(4) The importance of exercising caution about sharing any information about themselves online. Understanding the importance of privacy and location settings to protect information online.

Learning objectives

Programme of Study

DfE statutory guidance

Key stage 3 and 4

Lesson 1

To learn how different forms of AI affect our daily lives and work.

Lesson 2

To learn about the challenges AI presents to people’s rights and experiences online.

Lesson 3

To learn how generative AI can spread mis- and disinformation online.

Lesson 4

To learn how AI chatbots can affect our wellbeing and relationships.

Key stage 3

Online life

1. about rights, responsibilities and opportunities online, including on social media; how to establish personal values and clear boundaries around aspects of life that they want to share and keep private

6. how to approach online and social media content critically, including identifying bias, mis- and disinformation, and assessing the likelihood that content is untrue, manipulated or created by AI; the importance of seeking a variety of perspectives on issues and strategies for fact-checking online information

9. how persuasive design features affect the time people spend online; strategies for managing the effects of persuasive design features, and how to recognise when and why they need to come offline

Online harms

4. how generative AI works and is used; the ethical considerations related to generative AI, including regarding people’s rights and the environment; about the impact and possible harms of generative AI tools, such as chatbots, on wellbeing, relationships and advice seeking

Key stage 4

Online life

11. how to critically assess and manage their online habits and when online activity can have both positive and negative impacts on their own and others’ wellbeing

13. strategies to critically assess bias, reliability and accuracy in online content, including how to analyse and fact check content produced by generative AI

15. how mis- and disinformation are spread online, including conspiracy theories; how to manage emotional responses to these and evaluate content, narratives and interactions online

16. ways in which AI chatbots are designed to mimic human interaction and companionship; the potential risks and consequences of frequently engaging with AI chatbots; strategies for critically assessing the risks of new types of technology

Mental health and wellbeing
13. how mental health and wellbeing can be affected positively and negatively by relationships; skills to discuss feelings with others; ways to safely manage feelings of loneliness

Careers education: aspirations, learning and work
14. the nature of the labour market, including the impact of AI and other influences; local, national and international employment opportunities

Online safety and awareness:

(1) Rights, responsibilities and opportunities online, including that the same expectations of behaviour apply in all contexts, including online
(12) How information and data is generated, collected, shared and used online
(13) That websites may share personal data about their users, and information collected on their internet use, for commercial purposes (e.g. to enable targeted advertising)
(15) That AI chatbots are an example of how AI is rapidly developing, and that these can pose risks by creating fake intimacy or offering harmful advice. It is important to be able to critically think about new types of technology as they appear online and how they might pose a risk

Wellbeing online

(1) About the benefits of limiting time spent online, the risks of excessive time spent on electronic devices and the impact of positive and negative content online on their own and others’ mental and physical wellbeing
(5) How advertising and information is targeted at them and how to be a discerning consumer of information online, understanding the prevalence of misinformation and disinformation online, including conspiracy theories

Mental wellbeing

(1) That happiness is linked to being connected to others. Pupils should be supported to understand what makes them feel happy and what makes them feel unhappy, while recognising that loneliness can be for most people an inevitable part of life at times and is not something of which to be ashamed

Teaching about AI: Chatbots, deepfakes and manipulated images [On-demand course]

We have a growing library of on-demand interactive CPD courses available exclusively to School Plus members, but our latest ‘Teaching about AI’ course is available to any type of member who downloads the ‘Understanding AI’ lesson plan materials.

Hear from our Subject experts, watch animations and complete quizzes to check your understanding along the way. You'll also gain a certificate upon completion, which you can print or save for your records.

This course will help you and your team to:

Understand the statutory RSHE requirements and wider importance of teaching about chatbots, deepfakes and manipulated images
Deepen your subject knowledge and learn how to teach about AI chatbots and deepfakes in a safe and age-appropriate way
Gain practical tips to support you when teaching about this topic in the classroom

Download the materials on this page and enrol using the link below:

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