It’s important to consider all aspects of your wellbeing when you’re online – from your physical health and wellbeing to online safety and mental wellbeing:

  • As well as thinking about the physical issues of increased online activity (e.g. eyestrain, or poor posture) consider your mental wellbeing. Take regular breaks and exercise and interact with others in the ‘real world’ when you can.
  • It is easy to feel isolated, particularly if you don’t have your normal support network, but there is lots of support available if you need it. The BU Student Health and Wellbeing pages have useful contacts and information.
  • Remember that social media is never private and anything you post can be seen by future employers amongst others. Also make sure that anything you post could not be interpreted as offensive or illegal, even if that wasn’t the original intention as you could be breaching BU’s Social Media Policy.
  • Keep yourself informed of security risks and IT phishing scams in order to protect yourself, your work and your personal information when working online. Take a look at our IT security pages, and the Get Safe Online website for guidance. There is more advice below on understanding the risks involved with other online activities, such as gambling and online radicalisation. 
  • The digital landscape can be a rich source of information to help you in your study - as long as you are using reputable and legal resources. There is a range of study skills guidance available in Brightspace to help you understand the importance of navigating the online space responsibly and to warn against the consequences  of plagiarism, or using online essay mills to cheat.

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