Helping young people recognise manipulation, coercion and unsafe influence
What do you need today?
Something I can teach
Choose a classroom activity or media-literacy discussion.
I’m worried about a pupil
Find safeguarding guidance, BITE and specialist support.
Understanding online influence
Recognise recruitment, private groups and unsafe direct contact.
Start with a classroom activity
Choose the age group and format that fit your class. Each card keeps the key information visible; open “Details and source” for age ranges, access requirements and background. External resources open in a new tab.
Digital Matters: Introduction to Thinking Critically Online
Internet Matters; listed by Educate Against Hate
A ready-to-use pack for checking online information, with a lesson plan, slides and worksheets.
Details and source
Teaching resource
- For
- Key Stage 2, Years 5–6
- Format
- ZIP pack: PDF lesson plan, worksheets and PowerPoint slides
- Time
- 50–120 minutes (lesson plan)
Free direct ZIP download; no account required. Extract the ZIP to open the lesson plan, slides and worksheets.
The Managing Online Information module includes a lesson plan, companion guide, assessments, slides and offline worksheets about checking online information.
Covers: Information evaluation, fact and opinion, online safety
Red Flags & Chatting Online
Common Sense Education
A short discussion lesson about boundaries and uncomfortable feelings in online conversations.
Details and source
Teaching resource
- For
- Grade 6 (US); select for your class context
- Format
- Lesson with dilemma discussion; account required
- Time
- 20 minutes
Free Common Sense Education account required to unlock the full lesson. The public page shows objectives, vocabulary and duration; full materials were not accessed while signed in.
A specific lesson about setting boundaries in online conversations and recognising uncomfortable or worrying feelings.
Covers: Online conversations, boundaries, red flag feelings
Media and Information Literacy and Misinformation — UNESCO Unit 5
UNESCO
A fact-checking exercise with learning objectives and suggested teaching activities.
Details and source
Intergovernmental guidance
- For
- Teacher background; adaptable across secondary ages
- Format
- Online curriculum unit with fact-checking exercise
Free full-text unit; no account required. The main button opens the activities, rather than the curriculum catalogue.
Includes learning objectives and a group exercise in checking claims, documenting research and discussing misleading information.
Covers: Fact-checking, misinformation, information evaluation
Fake News: How can we recognize fake news?
Council of Europe
A one-page lesson about spotting and checking fake news. Uses coronavirus-era examples.
Details and source
Intergovernmental guidance
- For
- Teacher-led media-literacy discussion; adapt to your class
- Format
- One-page lesson plan (PDF)
Free English PDF; no registration. PDF contents verified through web retrieval; publisher blocks some automated server requests.
A lesson plan with discussion prompts and a news-checking assignment. Its examples concern coronavirus misinformation; check or replace dated supporting links before teaching.
Covers: Checking news, misinformation, responsible sharing
Conspiracy Theories in the Classroom
Association for Citizenship Teaching; listed by Educate Against Hate
Guidance for teachers approaching disinformation and conspiracy theories with pupils.
Details and source
Teaching resource
- For
- Teacher background; Key Stages 2–5
- Format
- Teacher guidance PDF
Publisher registration/login step required to download the guidance. The public page identifies the document and authors; the gated PDF was not downloaded.
Teacher guidance on approaching disinformation and conspiracy theories in schools; the listing identifies two University College London lecturers as authors.
Covers: Conspiracy theories, disinformation, classroom discussion
Access guidance — registration required (opens in a new tab)
Teaching online safety in schools
UK Department for Education
Guidance on teaching online safety through existing school subjects.
Details and source
Official guidance
- For
- School staff and leaders
- Format
- Full online government guidance
Free
Guidance for school leaders, staff and governing bodies on teaching online safety within existing curriculum requirements.
Covers: Online safety, curriculum, school practice
Five questions young people can learn to ask
Use a published media-literacy activity rather than asking children to assess whether someone is a cult member. These five prompts are shortened from Common Sense Education’s 5 Questions to Ask About Media, which draws on NAMLE’s work. They retain the worksheet’s five topics; the original wording and teacher guidance are available in the linked PDF.
- Who made it?
- Why was it created?
- Who is funding it?
- What is grabbing my attention?
- Whose views appear, and whose are missing?
The publisher recommends the worksheet for middle and high school. For younger children, start with a familiar advert or video and use Common Sense Education’s “Media: What’s the Purpose?” activity. Keep individual concerns about secrecy, threats or unsafe contact within adult safeguarding procedures.
I’m worried about a pupil
Follow your school’s safeguarding procedures and raise concerns with the designated safeguarding lead or local equivalent. Listen without blame, record observations and disclosures accurately, and avoid confronting a suspected recruiter or asking a pupil to investigate. Individual signs are not proof of abuse; look at the pattern, the context and the child’s wellbeing.
Safeguarding and grooming guidance
Start with the guidance that applies where your school is located. The jurisdiction and access information for each resource are under “Details and source”.
Keeping children safe in education 2026: part one
UK Department for Education
The full staff guidance on recognising safeguarding concerns and following school procedures.
Details and source
Official guidance
- For
- All school and college staff
- Format
- Full part-one statutory guidance (PDF)
- Applies in
- England
Free PDF for England; September 2026 edition (50 pages).
The full staff guidance covers safeguarding responsibilities, recognising concerns and following school procedures. The publisher’s short overview is a companion to this document, not a replacement.
Covers: Safeguarding, reporting concerns, school procedures
Grooming
NSPCC
Guidance on grooming, possible signs and responding when a child discloses abuse.
Details and source
Specialist NGO guidance
- For
- Teacher and safeguarding professional background
- Format
- Online guidance
- Applies in
- United Kingdom
Free
Explains grooming, online and in-person contexts, possible tactics and what to do when a child discloses abuse.
Covers: Grooming, online contact, disclosure response
What should I do if I have a concern about a child?
Educate Against Hate / UK Department for Education
Advice for education staff concerned about radicalisation, including school safeguarding routes.
Details and source
Specialist safeguarding guidance
- For
- Teachers and school staff in England
- Format
- Online guidance and contact information
- Applies in
- England
Free
Tells education staff concerned about radicalisation to follow school safeguarding procedures and consult their designated safeguarding lead; sets out England-specific support routes.
Covers: Safeguarding, radicalisation concerns, referrals
Recognising high-control environments: BITE and the Influence Continuum
Steven Hassan’s BITE Model brings together signs of Behavioural Control, Information Control, Thought Control and Emotional Control. The publisher’s BITE page offers the current download; the card below also provides an older direct English PDF. The Influence Continuum helps adults consider whether influence supports autonomy or undermines it.
Examples to consider when a pupil describes their experiences include:
- Behaviour: someone else tightly dictating friendships, leisure, food, clothing or hairstyle, backed by pressure or punishment.
- Information: discouraging independent reading, news or online sources, and forbidding contact with former members or critics.
- Thought: using group-specific slogans to shut down reflection, or forbidding questions about a leader, teachings or rules.
- Emotion: fear of disagreeing, or pressure to suppress doubt, anger or homesickness rather than discuss those feelings safely.
Some patterns may emerge in classroom conversations or playground interactions. A single rule, phrase, religious belief or change of appearance is not enough to identify abuse. Consider coercion, loss of choice and harm together, and share concerns through safeguarding channels. BITE and the Influence Continuum are adult practitioner frameworks, not diagnostic tests or questionnaires to administer to children.
BITE Model — English handout (2016 version)
Steven Hassan; Freedom of Mind Resource Center
A comprehensive list of behavioural, information, thought and emotional control patterns to help adults recognise a high-control environment. Direct English handout (2016 version).
Details and source
Practitioner framework
- For
- Teacher background; not a pupil assessment
- Format
- Two-page practitioner handout (PDF; older version)
Free direct English PDF; no registration. This is the older 2016 handout, not the publisher’s latest download offered through its form.
Steven Hassan describes the BITE Model as a way to describe methods used to recruit and maintain control, organized under Behavior, Information, Thought and Emotional control. The publisher recommends using it with the Influence Continuum and notes that not every group or relationship uses every tactic.
Covers: Behavior, information, thought and emotional control
Influence Continuum — English chart (2022 version)
Steven Hassan; Freedom of Mind Resource Center
A chart contrasting healthy, constructive influence with coercive and destructive influence. Read alongside BITE. English chart (2022 version).
Details and source
Practitioner framework
- For
- Teacher background
- Format
- Practitioner chart (PDF; 2022 version)
Free direct English PDF; no registration. This is the older 2022 chart, not the latest version offered through the publisher’s form.
The publisher describes the Influence Continuum as a framework spanning healthy persuasion and education through undue coercion and manipulation, and says it is designed to be used with the BITE Model.
Covers: Influence, persuasion, coercion
Specialist advice for helping someone leave
ISAJO’s leaving and specialist support directory lists organisations experienced in high-control groups and in supporting people who are helping someone leave. Several offer free information, peer support or initial advice; check each organisation’s age remit, location, fees and current availability. Use specialist advice alongside your school’s safeguarding process.
Why online influence deserves attention
A controlling group no longer needs a local meeting place to reach a child. Social media, livestreams, gaming communities and messaging apps allow recruitment to begin online and cross national borders from the outset. Cultic and extremist recruitment can begin in these digital spaces, before a young person has ever met anyone involved in person.
Recruiters can approach young people through interests, humour, self-improvement, identity or a promise of belonging, concealing their aims while building trust. Children are still developing the skills and experience to assess persuasive messages and unequal relationships. A group’s international reach or polished presentation does not establish its trustworthiness.
A public audience and a private inner circle
An influencer’s public posts may look ordinary while a private group, paid community or direct-message channel introduces more extreme ideas, secrecy or demands for loyalty. Treat this as a possible route of escalation, rather than assuming harmless public content makes every private interaction safe. Pay attention when a young person is encouraged to move conversations into closed channels, cut off other viewpoints, keep secrets or prove commitment.
Unexpected personal contact from a high-profile influencer or an account claiming to be them deserves particular care. Young people should pause before replying or moving to a private app, avoid sharing personal information or images, and speak to a trusted adult. A large follower count is not a safety check; the account may also be an impersonator. Adults should respond calmly so that a child can disclose concerns without feeling blamed.
The NSPCC explains online trust-building, secrecy and isolation. For the specific risk of recruitment into terrorism, see the Department for Education’s safeguarding guidance; this has a distinct scope and does not define every high-control group.
Additional practitioner reading and optional paid training
These resources present the publisher’s perspective and complement the practical guidance above. The introductory reading and optional paid course are shown separately; neither replaces school safeguarding procedures.
The Cult: the Meaning of Undue Influence
Steven Hassan; Freedom of Mind Resource Center
The publisher’s explanation of undue influence and questions about group behaviour.
Details and source
Practitioner framework
- For
- Teacher background
- Format
- Online explainer
Open web resource
Freedom of Mind’s account of undue influence and its approach to assessing control in groups. Read as the publisher’s framework, not as a universally agreed scientific definition.
Covers: Undue influence, control, group assessment
The BITE Model of Authoritarian Control: Introduction, History, Inspiration, and How to Use
Steven Hassan; The BITE Model course
Optional paid practitioner training about the BITE Model.
Details and source
Practitioner framework
- For
- Optional teacher background
- Format
- Online course; one chapter and four lessons
Paid course; enrolment and payment required. Listed at US$9.95 during this check; price may change. Lessons were not accessed.
A paid online course presented by Steven Hassan about the BITE Model of Authoritarian Control.
Covers: BITE Model, authoritarian control
View sources and references
- Common Sense Education: 5 Questions to Ask About Media — original worksheet and teacher guide, based on NAMLE. Prompts above are shortened, not verbatim.
- Common Sense Education: Media: What’s the Purpose?
- NSPCC: Grooming — recognising concerns and responding to disclosures.
- Freedom of Mind Resource Center: BITE Model of Authoritarian Control.
- Freedom of Mind Resource Center: Influence Continuum.
- Department for Education: The Prevent duty — safeguarding learners susceptible to radicalisation (England).
- Original publishers, access requirements and further background for every resource are linked in the card’s “Details and source” panel.
ISAJO curates educational resources and does not provide direct safeguarding or exit services. Follow your school’s safeguarding procedures when concerned about a pupil. Resources differ in purpose and evidential basis; inclusion does not imply endorsement of every claim or approach.