The Internet and Staying Safe

What is the internet?

The internet is a huge network of computers all over the world, joined together so they can send information to each other.

Your phone, a laptop in a Kumasi school, a bank's computers in Accra, a video server in America: all of them can talk to each other through the internet.

The word comes from inter (between) and network (computers linked together). It is a network of networks.

Nobody owns the internet. No single company or country controls it. It is made of millions of pieces owned by different people, all agreeing to use the same rules so that messages get through.

In this book you will learn how the internet works, how to use it well, and, most important, how to stay safe on it.

Try this: Name three things you or your family have done on the internet this week.

How the internet reaches Ghana

How does a video from London reach a phone in Tamale?

1. The video sits on a server, a powerful computer in a building called a data centre.
2. It travels along fibre-optic cables, thin glass threads that carry data as flashes of light. Huge cables lie on the sea floor and come ashore in Ghana at Accra and other landing points on the coast.
3. From the coast, cables and masts carry the signal across the country.
4. Your phone picks it up by mobile data (from a mast) or Wi-Fi (from a router at home or school).

All of this happens in less than a second.

Ghana is linked to the world by several undersea cables, including ones that run along the West African coast to Europe.

Try this: Look for a mobile phone mast near your home. That is one link in the chain.

Packets: how data travels

When you send a photo to your cousin, the internet does not send it in one piece. It chops it into small pieces called packets.

Each packet carries:

• a bit of the photo,
• the address of the computer it is going to,
• the address it came from,
• a number saying which piece it is (1 of 50, 2 of 50…).

The packets may travel by different routes, like trotros taking different roads to Circle. When they arrive, the receiving computer puts them back in order. If one is missing, it asks for it again.

Every device on the internet has an address called an IP address, a set of numbers like 196.201.45.10. It works like a house number for computers.

Try this: Write a short message, cut it into five strips, shuffle them, and ask a friend to put them in order. That is what a computer does with packets.

Internet and World Wide Web

People often say "the internet" when they mean "the web". They are not the same.

The internet is the network: the cables, masts, routers and computers.

The World Wide Web (or just "the web") is one thing that runs on the internet: the pages you open in a browser, with text, pictures, links and videos.

Other things run on the internet too: email, WhatsApp messages, video calls, online games, mobile money.

Think of the internet as the roads and the web as the shops along them. Email and WhatsApp are other kinds of traffic on the same roads.

The web was invented in 1989 by a British scientist, Tim Berners-Lee, who gave it away free to the world.

Try this: Which of these use the web, and which use the internet without the web: watching a video in a browser; a WhatsApp voice note; a video call; reading a news site?

Websites and addresses

A website is a collection of pages kept on a server. Each page has an address called a URL.

Take https://www.ghana.gov.gh/news:

• https:// — the way the page is sent (the s means it is secure).
• www.ghana.gov.gh — the domain name: the name of the site.
• /news — the page within the site.

The ending tells you something about the site:

• .gh — Ghana
• .gov.gh — a Ghana government site
• .edu.gh — a Ghanaian school or university
• .com — a company (anywhere in the world)
• .org — often a charity or organisation

Domain names are easier for people than IP addresses. A system called DNS turns the name into the number, like a phone book.

Try this: Look at the address of a website you use. What does its ending tell you?

Browsers

A browser is the program you use to look at web pages. Common ones are Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge and Opera (popular in Ghana because it uses less data).

The parts of a browser:

• Address bar at the top, where you type a URL or a search.
• Tabs, so you can have several pages open.
• Back and forward buttons.
• A padlock icon that shows the page is secure.
• Bookmarks to save pages you want to return to.

A web page is written in a code called HTML. The browser reads the code and draws the page on your screen.

Try this: Open a browser. Find the address bar, the tabs and the back button. Open two tabs and switch between them.

Links

A hyperlink (or just link) is a word, picture or button that takes you to another page when you click or tap it. Links are usually blue or underlined, and the pointer changes to a hand over them.

Links are what make the web a web: every page connects to others, like threads.

A link can lead anywhere, including to pages that are unsafe. So before you click:

• Read the link text. Does it match what you are looking for?
• Hover over it (on a computer) to see the real address at the bottom of the screen.
• Be careful with links in messages from people you do not know.

If a link takes you somewhere unexpected, use the back button straight away.

Try this: Open a page you know. Count the links on it. Follow three and use the back button to return each time.

Searching

With billions of pages, you need a search engine to find anything. Google is the best known; others include Bing and DuckDuckGo.

You type keywords, and the search engine shows a list of pages that match.

Good searching means good keywords:

• Be specific. Not rivers but longest river in Ghana.
• Use important words only. Leave out the, a, please.
• Put quotation marks around an exact phrase: "Tetteh Quarshie".
• Add a word to narrow it: cocoa farming Ghana for kids.

Results near the top are not always the best. Some are adverts (marked "Ad" or "Sponsored"). Skip those and look at what comes next.

Try this: Search for Akosombo Dam. Then search for when was Akosombo Dam built. Which gives a quicker answer?

Is it true?

Anyone can put anything on the internet. Some of it is wrong, some is old, and some is deliberately false. Before you believe a page, check:

• Who wrote it? Is there an author or organisation you can trust? A government, university, museum or well-known news service is usually reliable. A page with no name is not.
• When was it written? Old information may be out of date.
• Why was it written? To inform, or to sell something, or to make you angry?
• Does another site say the same? Check two or three sources.
• Does it look careful? Many spelling mistakes and shouting capital letters are a warning sign.

Pictures can be faked, and videos can be edited. "I saw it online" is not proof.

Try this: Find a fact about Ghana on two different websites. Do they agree?

Using what you find

When you use information from the internet for schoolwork, you must do two things.

Do not copy. Copying someone's words and calling them your own is plagiarism. It is a kind of stealing, and teachers can tell. Read, understand, close the page, and write it in your own words.

Say where it came from. Write the name of the website and the address. This is called citing a source. It shows your teacher you did research, and it lets others check.

Pictures have owners too. Some are free to use (look for "Creative Commons" or "public domain"); many are not.

Try this: Find one fact online about Lake Volta. Write it in your own words, then write the website name and address beneath it.

The internet at school and home

Ghana's ICT in Education policy aims to give every school access to computers and the internet. Some schools have a computer lab; some use tablets; many pupils use a parent's phone.

The internet is useful for school:

• looking up facts and pictures,
• watching lessons on video,
• practising maths and reading on learning apps,
• emailing a project to a teacher,
• finding past exam questions.

But it also eats time. A quick search can turn into an hour of videos. Good habits:

• Decide what you need before you go online.
• Set a time limit.
• Close the browser when you have finished.

Try this: Next time you go online for homework, write down the time you start and the time you finish. Was all of it for the homework?

Phones and data

In Ghana most people reach the internet through a mobile phone, not a computer. The phone connects through a mobile network (MTN, Telecel, AirtelTigo) using data.

Data is bought in bundles, measured in megabytes (MB) and gigabytes (GB). 1 GB = about 1,000 MB.

Roughly:

• A WhatsApp text message: almost nothing.
• A photo: 1–5 MB.
• A minute of video: 5–20 MB, more in high quality.
• An hour of video: up to 1 GB or more.

Data costs money, so use it wisely: download videos on Wi-Fi, turn off auto-play, and watch in lower quality when you can.

Mobile money also runs through the phone network, which is one reason phone safety matters so much.

Try this: Find out how much 1 GB of data costs on a network you know. How many hours of video is that, roughly?

Wi-Fi and routers

Wi-Fi lets devices connect to the internet without a cable, using radio waves. A small box called a router sends out the Wi-Fi signal and links it to the internet through a cable or a mobile signal.

A Wi-Fi network has a name and usually a password. Only people who know the password can join.

Safety points:

• At home, the Wi-Fi should have a password. Without one, strangers nearby can use it and even see what you are doing.
• Public Wi-Fi (at a café, bus station or hotel) is handy but less safe. Do not log into your bank or mobile money on public Wi-Fi.
• Do not join a Wi-Fi network you do not recognise, even if it is free.

Try this: Does your school or home have Wi-Fi? Does it have a password? Who knows it?

Why safety matters

The internet is like a big city: full of useful places and kind people, but also a few who want to cheat, bully or harm. Online you cannot see who you are talking to, and anything you post can travel further than you ever meant.

The main dangers for someone your age:

• Strangers who pretend to be friends.
• Scams that trick you or your family out of money.
• Bullying through messages or posts.
• Unsuitable content: violence, adult material, dangerous "challenges".
• Sharing too much about yourself.
• Weak passwords that let others into your accounts.

Each of these has a simple defence, and the next pages teach them. None of them means you should be afraid of the internet. They mean you should be smart.

Try this: Which of these dangers have you heard about from friends or the news?

Personal information

Personal information is anything that tells someone who you are or where to find you:

• your full name
• your home address or school name
• your phone number
• your date of birth
• photos of you, your house or your school uniform
• your parents' names and jobs
• passwords and PINs

Rule: never share personal information online with anyone you do not know in real life, and never on a public page where anyone can see it.

A stranger who knows your school and your route home is a danger. A scammer who knows your date of birth and your mother's name can guess passwords.

Try this: Look at a photo of yourself. What personal information could a stranger learn from it (uniform, street sign, house number)?

Strangers online

In the street, you know not to go off with a stranger. Online, the rule is the same, but the stranger is harder to spot.

Online, a person can be anyone. A profile that says "Ama, 12, Accra" with a picture of a girl could be a 40-year-old man anywhere in the world. Some people do this on purpose to make friends with children and then harm them. This is called grooming.

Warning signs:

• Someone you do not know wants to be your friend or follow you.
• They are very friendly, very quickly, and give compliments or gifts.
• They ask to chat privately, or to move to another app.
• They ask for photos, or ask you to turn on your camera.
• They say "don't tell your parents" or "this is our secret".

Any one of these: stop, block, and tell an adult.

Try this: Why is "keep it a secret" the biggest warning sign of all?

Never meet, never send

Two rules that must never be broken.

Never meet an online-only friend in real life. However long you have chatted, however nice they seem, you do not know who they are. If someone asks to meet, tell a parent or teacher at once.

Never send photos or videos of yourself to anyone you have not met in real life, and never any photo of yourself that you would not want your whole school, your grandmother and your headteacher to see. Once a picture is sent, you cannot take it back. It can be copied, shared and used to threaten you.

If someone pressures you, or says they already have a picture of you, do not panic and do not pay. It is not your fault. Tell a trusted adult. The police can help.

Try this: Practise saying "No, I don't do that" out loud. It is easier to say when you have said it before.

Talking to people you know

Most of what you do online is with people you do know: classmates, cousins, friends from church or mosque. That is fine, but some care is still needed.

• Write only what you would say to someone's face. Words on a screen can hurt more, because they stay.
• Do not share a friend's secret, photo or number with others without asking.
• Think before forwarding. A joke about a classmate can go around the whole school in an hour.
• If a friend's account sends you something strange ("I'm stranded, send money"), it may have been hacked. Phone them to check.
• Group chats can turn into bullying fast. Do not join in. Leave if you need to.

Try this: Before your next message, use the test: would I say this to their face, in front of my teacher?

Cyberbullying

Cyberbullying is bullying through phones or the internet: cruel messages, nasty comments on photos, spreading rumours, leaving someone out of a group on purpose, or sharing an embarrassing picture.

It can feel worse than bullying in the playground, because it follows you home and never switches off.

If it happens to you:

1. Do not reply. Bullies want a reaction.
2. Save the evidence. Take screenshots.
3. Block the person.
4. Report it in the app.
5. Tell a parent, teacher or older relative. You are not telling tales; you are keeping yourself safe.

If you see it happening to someone else, do not laugh or forward it. Support the person and tell an adult. Silence helps the bully.

Try this: Where is the "report" or "block" button on an app you use? Find it now, so you know when you need it.

Passwords: your first lock

A password is the key to your accounts: your email, your games, your mobile money. If someone gets it, they can be you.

A weak password is easy to guess: 123456, password, your name, your birthday, your football team. Hackers try these first, using computers that test millions of guesses a second.

A strong password is:

• long (at least 12 characters),
• a mix of capital and small letters, numbers and symbols,
• not a word from the dictionary or anything about you,
• different for every account.

Good trick: make a passphrase from a sentence. My grandmother sells kenkey at Jamestown! becomes Mgsk@Jt!2026. Easy for you to remember, hard for anyone to guess.

Try this: Make a passphrase from a sentence only you would think of. Do not write it where others can see.

Keeping passwords safe

A strong password is useless if you give it away.

• Never share your password, not with your best friend, not with someone who says they are from the phone company. Real companies never ask for it.
• Do not reuse one password everywhere. If one site is hacked, all your accounts fall.
• Do not write it on a sticky note on the computer.
• Log out on shared computers, such as at school or an internet café.
• Use two-step verification when you can: the site sends a code to your phone as a second lock.
• Your mobile money PIN is a password too. Cover the keypad. Never tell anyone, even if they say they are from the network.

If you think someone knows your password, change it straight away and tell an adult.

Try this: How many of your accounts use the same password? Plan to change them one by one.

Scams and phishing

A scam is a trick to get your money or your information. The internet is full of them.

Phishing is a message that pretends to be from a bank, a phone company or a prize draw, to make you type in your password or PIN. "Your MTN account will be closed! Click here to confirm your PIN."

Signs of a scam:

• It says you have won something you never entered.
• It creates panic: "act now", "account blocked".
• It asks for your password, PIN or money.
• The sender's address is slightly wrong: mtn-ghana-support@gmail.com.
• Bad spelling or odd grammar.
• A link that does not match the real site.

Rule: real organisations never ask for your PIN or password by message. When in doubt, do not click. Ask an adult, or call the company on its real number.

Try this: Write your own fake scam message, then list the clues that give it away.

Mobile money scams

Because so many Ghanaians use mobile money, scammers target it.

Common tricks:

• "Wrong transfer." A message says money was sent to you by mistake; please send it back. No money was ever sent. Check your real balance first.
• "Prize winner." You have won a car; send a small fee to claim it.
• "Network staff." A caller says they must "update" your account and need your PIN. They do not.
• Fake traders. Pay first for goods on social media and the seller disappears.

Protect yourself and your family:

• Never give your PIN to anyone.
• Check your balance through the real app or code, not through a link.
• Pay for goods on delivery, not before.
• If in doubt, wait and ask.

Try this: Tell someone at home one of these tricks. Scammers rely on people not knowing.

Secure sites: the padlock

When you see https:// and a padlock in the address bar, the connection between you and the website is encrypted: scrambled so that nobody in between can read it.

Always look for the padlock before you type anything private: a password, a PIN, a card number.

But be careful: the padlock means the connection is private. It does not mean the website is honest. A scam site can have a padlock too. So you need both checks:

1. Is the connection secure? (padlock)
2. Is this really the site I think it is? (check the address spelling carefully: ghana.gov.gh, not ghana-gov.com)

If a site asks for your password and there is no padlock, close it.

Try this: Open three websites. Which have the padlock? Click it to see what it tells you.

Downloads, apps and viruses

A virus or malware is a harmful program that gets onto your phone or computer and steals information, shows unwanted adverts, or locks your files.

It usually arrives because someone downloaded it, thinking it was something else: a free game, a "video player", a file from a message.

Stay safe:

• Install apps only from the official app store (Google Play, Apple App Store), not from links.
• Do not open files sent by people you do not know.
• Say no to pop-ups that say "Your phone has a virus! Click to clean."
• Keep the phone's software updated; updates fix security holes.
• Do not plug in a USB stick you found.

If a device starts acting strangely (slow, strange adverts, apps you did not install), tell an adult.

Try this: Look at the apps on a phone you use. Does each one come from the app store?

Privacy settings

Every social app has privacy settings. They decide who can see your posts, who can message you, and whether your location is shown.

For someone your age, set them tight:

• Account private: only people you accept can see your posts.
• Messages from friends only.
• Location off. An app does not need to tell the world where you are.
• Do not let apps use your camera or microphone unless you know why.

Many apps have a minimum age of 13. If you are under 13 you should not have an account at all, and a parent should decide. There is no shame in waiting.

Try this: With a parent, open the settings of one app and look at who can see your profile.

Your digital footprint

Everything you do online leaves a trace: posts, comments, photos, searches, likes. This is your digital footprint. Unlike footprints in the sand, it does not wash away.

A photo you post today can still be found in ten years, by a teacher, a future employer or a scholarship board. Deleting a post does not delete the copies others have made.

So:

• Think before you post. Would you be happy for your future self to see it?
• Be kind in comments. Cruel words are part of your footprint too.
• Post nothing about others that they would not want shared.

Your footprint can also be a good thing. A record of your school project, your drawings, your football club, can show the world what you can do.

Try this: If someone searched your name in ten years, what would you want them to find?

Screen time and health

The internet is designed to keep you looking. Videos auto-play, feeds never end, games reward you for coming back. That is not an accident; companies earn money from your attention.

Too much screen time can mean:

• poor sleep (light from screens tells your brain it is daytime),
• sore eyes and neck,
• less time for play, homework and family,
• feeling low after comparing yourself with others' perfect pictures.

Healthy habits:

• No screens for an hour before bed, and none in the bedroom at night.
• Follow the 20-20-20 rule: every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds.
• Agree a daily limit with your parents.
• Put the phone down when someone is talking to you.

Try this: Count the hours you spent on a screen yesterday. Was any of it time you wish you had spent differently?

Respect online

The internet connects you with people from every country, tribe, religion and background. Online you should show the same respect you show in your community.

• Do not post or share things that mock someone's tribe, religion, disability or family.
• Do not spread rumours or fake news. Check before you forward, especially during elections.
• Give credit when you use someone's picture or words.
• Disagree politely. "I see it differently because…" not insults.
• Remember there is a real person on the other side of every screen.

Ghana has laws about what you may post. Insults, threats and false information that causes fear can get adults into trouble with the police.

Try this: Think of a message you saw forwarded recently. Was it true? How could you have checked?

Telling an adult

The single most important rule in this book: if anything online makes you feel worried, scared, confused or uncomfortable, tell a trusted adult.

A trusted adult might be a parent, grandparent, older sibling, teacher, headteacher, pastor, imam or school nurse.

Tell them even if:

• you think it was your fault,
• you broke a rule to get there,
• the person told you to keep it secret,
• it seems small.

Adults would far rather know. You will not be in trouble for being honest about something that scared you. The real danger is keeping it inside.

If you cannot tell someone face to face, write it down and hand it to them.

Try this: Name two adults you would tell if something online upset you. Tell them now that they are on your list.

When something goes wrong

If something has already happened, here is what to do, step by step.

Someone is being nasty to you: Do not reply. Screenshot. Block. Report in the app. Tell an adult.

You shared something you regret: Delete it if you can. Tell an adult at once, before it spreads. The sooner, the better.

You clicked a strange link or typed your password somewhere odd: Change the password now. Tell an adult. Check the account for anything strange.

Someone is threatening you with a photo: Do not pay, do not send more. Tell an adult. This is a crime, and the police take it seriously.

You saw something that upset you: Close it. Tell an adult. You are not in trouble for seeing it.

In Ghana, the Cyber Security Authority runs a reporting line, and the police have a Cybercrime Unit. Your parents or teacher can contact them.

Try this: Which of these do you think happens most often to pupils your age?

Helping younger children

Your younger brothers, sisters and cousins look up to you. You can help keep them safe.

• Show them the block and report buttons.
• Sit with them when they watch videos; auto-play can lead to unsuitable things fast.
• Tell them the two big rules: never share personal information, and always tell an adult.
• Do not show them things that are not for their age, even as a joke.
• Set a good example: if they see you putting the phone down at dinner, they will learn to as well.

Being an older pupil online means being a bit like a lifeguard: enjoying the water, but keeping an eye out.

Try this: Teach one younger child one thing from this book this week.

The internet for good

After all the warnings, remember: the internet is one of the greatest tools ever made.

• A pupil in Bolgatanga can watch the same science lesson as one in London.
• A farmer in Wenchi can check cocoa prices and the weather.
• A nurse in Ho can look up a medicine.
• A trader in Kejetia can sell kente to a customer in New York.
• A family can video-call a relative in Canada for free.
• Ghanaians built mPharma, Hubtel and other apps used across Africa.

Every one of these needs the same skills you have learned: search well, judge what you find, keep your accounts locked, and treat people with respect.

Try this: Think of one problem in your community. How could the internet help solve it?

Quick check

Answer, then check below.

1. What is the difference between the internet and the web?
2. What does the s in https mean?
3. Give three things that make a password strong.
4. Name three pieces of personal information you should never share online.
5. A stranger online asks you to keep your chats secret. What should you do?
6. A message says you have won a prize but must pay a fee. What is it?
7. What does a padlock in the address bar tell you, and what does it not tell you?
8. What is the most important rule in this book?

Answers: 1. The internet is the network; the web is the pages that run on it. 2. Secure. 3. Long, mixed characters, not personal, different for each account. 4. Full name, address, school, phone number, date of birth, photos. 5. Stop, block, tell an adult. 6. A scam. 7. The connection is encrypted; not that the site is honest. 8. Tell a trusted adult.

Summary

• The internet is a worldwide network of computers linked by cables, masts and routers. The web is the pages that run on it.
• Data travels in packets to IP addresses. Domain names and URLs make them readable.
• A browser shows pages; a search engine finds them. Use good keywords and check that what you find is true. Never copy; cite your source.
• Personal information stays private. Strangers online may not be who they say. Never meet, never send.
• Strong passwords are long, mixed, personal to nobody, and never shared.
• Scams ask for PINs, passwords or fees. Real companies never do.
• Look for the padlock, but check the address too.
• Be kind online; your digital footprint lasts.
• If anything worries you: stop, block, tell an adult.

Learn more

• Childnet — a UK charity with clear online safety advice for children, parents and teachers
• Be Internet Awesome — Google's free games and lessons on being smart, strong and kind online
• Thinkuknow — online safety education from the UK's child protection police
• Common Sense Media — reviews of apps, games and websites by age, and advice for families
• Cyber Security Authority, Ghana — Ghana's national body for cyber safety, with ways to report problems

Watch more

Think about it

1. Nobody owns the internet. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? Why?
2. Why is it harder to tell who someone really is online than in the street?
3. Some apps are designed to keep you watching. Who benefits from that, and who pays?
4. If a friend told you they were planning to meet someone they only knew online, what would you say and do?
5. What is one thing you will change about how you use the internet after reading this book?