Students to learn the ABCs of IDK, OMG

Students will learn about everything from emoji etiquette to internet scam artists, as well as the difference between sexting and sextortion, as part of a provincewide overhaul of health class.

Manitoba’s new phys-ed and health curriculum pilot puts an emphasis on a child’s online habits and experiences.

“It is really good to see online privacy being recognized as a health and wellness skill,” said Matthew Johnson, director of education at MediaSmarts, a national charity that designs resources for teachers to build digital literacy.

“It has an effect on so much of our lives. At the bare minimum, the content that we see online is determined by data that companies have on us… the algorithmic shadow we cast.”

Government officials sought input from MediaSmarts, the Canadian Centre for Child Protection and other tech-savvy organizations to redesign lessons that should be required in school gyms.

Johnson called it “gratifying” and “validating” to see the influence internet safety experts had on the draft curriculum published ahead of back-to-school season.

The province published 26 documents with new learning goals related to exercise, nutrition and mental and sexual health.

A voluntary pilot involving more than 100 schools is underway. The final version will be mandated as of September 2028.

New to the curriculum is the early years exploration of how “excessive screentime” can negatively impact one’s physical and mental health.

Grade 3 teachers are being tasked with introducing cyberbullying, the implications of sharing information online and different types of media, including commercials, video games and artificial intelligence-generated materials.

The following year focuses on helping students develop specific strategies to protect their privacy online, use search engines in an appropriate manner and spot unsafe content that should be reported to a trusted adult.

Also in Grade 4, students are studying online messaging and how words and emoji choices can impact their delivery.

The Canadian Centre for Child Protection’s Elizabeth Hammond said Grade 3 and 4 is when kids typically start to engage with others on Minecraft, Snapchat and other popular platforms.

Hammond said prevention education can be as simple as making sure a child knows about privacy settings, is advised not to add people they do not know and can tell an adult if they feel uncomfortable about something they’ve seen.

It’s important that students know they are not to blame if they’re being cyberbullied or a victim of other inappropriate behaviour online, said the former principal who now oversees the centre’s education initiatives.

The way some children are lured online or in-person — whether it be by requesting help, offering gifts, showing familiarity, creating fake emergencies — are being investigated in Grade 5.

Conflict resolution, how media influences self image, and what consent can look like in different contexts are all recurring themes.

Looking at healthy and unhealthy group dynamics and how students can promote a positive culture is a new part of Grade 6.

“It all sounds very forward thinking — to have (students) consider these things before something terrible happens,” said Katie Szilagyi, an associate professor who studies the intersection of law and technology at the University of Manitoba.

Szilagyi said she was happy to learn that, in Grade 8, pornography and how viewing sexually explicit media can affect a person’s beliefs, actions and relationships is addressed.

“Recognize that pornography is not reality,” it states. It calls on students to consider this type of content’s contribution to gender- and sexual-based violence, stereotypes and unrealistic expectations.

“What I’m most excited about and I think what Manitobans are most exited about is this refocus on physical education and putting down the screens,” Education Minister Tracy Schmidt said.

At the same time, the mother of three said social media and AI use is a risk-filled “reality of the day” and schools need to deliver digital literacy lessons.

On the subject of sex-ed, the minister said she believes having open, honest, age-appropriate and scientifically accurate conversations are important to reduce stigma.

The curriculum repeatedly explores the importance of obtaining consent to share content online or engage in a sexual activity.

Grade 7 students are being asked to compare and contrast sexting and sextortion. Teachers are expected to discuss the legalities and consequences of both and how to deal with unwanted images.

Johnson touted the province’s approach to discussing sexting “through a lens of consent” instead of “a lens of fear.”

“It is as far from being fear-based as a health curriculum could possibly be,” the former teacher said, adding that research repeatedly shows that students who are entirely shielded from risk online are less safe than their peers because they don’t know how to manage it.

“It strikes a good balance between recognizing the opportunities of digital media, particularly, the opportunities to participate in communities, along with the risks that come with it.”

maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca