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Digital Literacy & Well-Being Curriculum

Common Sense Media's Digital Literacy & Well-Being curriculum gives teachers a free, research-backed framework for building students' digital literacy skills. From AI literacy and social media to cyberbullying, screen time, and digital footprint, the curriculum covers the digital challenges students face every day as well as the offline skills they need to manage them.

The curriculum is designed for grades 9-12, with more than 25 lessons that reflect what students are actually encountering today. Whether you're introducing digital literacy and well-being concepts for the first time or updating what you've been teaching for years, this is a good place to start.

K-8 Lessons 9-12 Lessons Implementation
Pathway
Topic
Activities
29 Resources
A young man drifting out to sea in a boat
AI Literacy · Relationships & Communication
Drifting Toward the Chatbot
How does AI earn trust, and how can that change the way you use it?
Activities:
Dilemma Discussion
AI brain made of circuits
AI Literacy · Information & Media Literacy
How Does AI Learn?
What is AI, and how does the data it learns from shape what it can do?
Activities:
Media Creation,
Video
a group of teens gathers around a computer
AI Literacy · Information & Media Literacy
How to SIFT with AI
How do I check whether information is true when AI can make anything look credible?
Activities:
Article,
Researching Skill,
Video
Video game character grabs the in-game item
Financial Literacy · Information & Media Literacy
Loot Boxes and the Cashless Effect
Why is it so easy to spend money in games without noticing?
Activities:
Video
Shopping online clothing store outfit
Financial Literacy · Healthy Habits
Spending Traps
Who is really in control of what you buy online?
Activities:
Dilemma Discussion,
Video
Girls having fun in a piggy back race
Freshman Foundations · Healthy Habits
Tech Habit Challenge
How can I build positive habits around media and tech to support my well-being?
Activities:
Personal Reflection,
Video
Young woman looking out window
Online Harms & Safety · Privacy & Safety
Doxxing: Know Your Risk
How does your PII create a risk for doxxing, and what can you do about it?
Activities:
Researching Skill,
Video
Girl with hands on her head surrounded by talking devices
Media Literacy · Information & Media Literacy
Critical Ignoring: What's Worth Your Attention?
How do you decide what's worth your attention in a world designed to capture all of it?
Activities:
Researching Skill,
Video
A judge's gavel, resting on it's stand
Freshman Foundations · Information & Media Literacy
Does Our AI Policy Work for Us?
What does it take for an AI policy to truly support student learning?
Activities:
Video
A young woman being digitally scanned
Online Harms & Safety · Relationships & Communication
Deepfake Nudes & Consent
How can deepfakes cause harm, and why do they violate consent?
Activities:
Dilemma Discussion,
Video
A young woman staring in the mirror
Health & Wellness · Digital Footprint & Identity
Social Comparison & Social Media
How does social media shape the way we see ourselves and others?
Activities:
Video
An AI voice application on a phone
AI Literacy · Relationships & Communication
Designed to Feel Human
How are AI chatbots designed to make you feel like "they" get you?
Activities:
Card Activity,
Video
Young person holding a notebook and pencil doing research
Media Literacy · Information & Media Literacy
Building Your Own Perspective
What are you really looking for when you search for information?
Activities:
Researching Skill
Young man looking at computer
Media Literacy · Information & Media Literacy
What's Real Online?
Why is misinformation so easy to fall for, and what can we do about it?
Activities:
Researching Skill,
Video
Young teens standing in row using mobile phones
Freshman Foundations · Digital Footprint & Identity
How Your Attention Shapes You
Who decides what you pay attention to online, and how does it shape you?
Activities:
Personal Reflection
A content creator filming himself
Financial Literacy · Information & Media Literacy
Making a Living in the Creator Economy
Can you make a living as a creator, and is it worth what you'd give up?
Activities:
Dilemma Discussion
Young woman playing guitar sitting on floor
AI Literacy · Information & Media Literacy
Creativity: Defining What's Yours
What makes creative work yours?
Activities:
Personal Reflection
human finger extending out to touch robot finger
AI Literacy · Information & Media Literacy
Creativity: Sharing It with AI
What do you gain and what do you lose when you make creative work with AI?
Activities:
Personal Reflection
someones arm chained to gambling online
Financial Literacy · Information & Media Literacy
Wanna Bet? The Betting Playbook
What makes online betting look like such a good deal?
Activities:
Game,
Video
Young couple listening to music together
Health & Wellness · Relationships & Communication
Dating Culture and Recognizing Pressure
What does pressure really look like, and where does it come from?
Activities:
Dilemma Discussion,
Video
Young admirers standing on other side of barricade, seeking autograph and photo memories, looking and gesturing at camera rep
Health & Wellness · Relationships & Communication
Parasocial Relationships: From Fan to Fanatic
When does being a fan turn into something else?
Activities:
Video
a silhouette of a computer hacker
Freshman Foundations · Privacy & Safety
Hacking You: Social Engineering & AI
Why does social engineering work on anyone, and what can you do about it?
Activities:
Dilemma Discussion,
Video
iphone with screenshot of a school app
Health & Wellness · Healthy Habits
Design Tricks
How is tech designed to keep us hooked?
Activities:
Video
young person viewing a video on laptop
Health & Wellness · Healthy Habits
Thinking Traps & Alternative Thoughts
What are thinking traps, and how can we develop alternative thoughts that support our digital well-being?
Activities:
Dilemma Discussion,
Video
young person holding phone with icons on it
Freshman Foundations · Healthy Habits
My Values & Tech
What are my values, and how do media and tech impact them?
Activities:
Personal Reflection
teen on the ground with palm to head
Online Harms & Safety · Cyberbullying & Online Harms
What's the Move? Responding to Online Conflict
When something's wrong online, how do you decide the best way to step in?
Activities:
Dilemma Discussion
Boy looking at laptop with an astonished and concerned expression
Online Harms & Safety · Cyberbullying & Online Harms
Online Disinhibition and Harms
Why is it easier to cross a line online than in person?
Activities:
Video
Stethoscope and health advice shown on a tablet
Health & Wellness · Healthy Habits
Navigating Health Advice Online
When does looking up health information stop being helpful and start getting in the way of your well-being?
Activities:
Dilemma Discussion
Old fashioned typewriter with paper saying Artificial Intelligence
AI Literacy · Healthy Habits
Is AI A Choice or a Necessity?
How do you decide what technology gets a place in your life?
Activities:
Dilemma Discussion,
Personal Reflection