
Google designed a project called Be Internet Awesome to teach children how to stay safe on the internet
Now that the internet is overtaken by fake news and dozens of phishing attempts, everybody finds it hard to stay safe online, so it must be even harder for children to distinguish between what is harmful and what is not. Therefore, Google decided to start a project and help children make smart decisions while online.
Google teaches children to stay safe on the internet via games
Be Internet Awesome is Google’s project which teaches children how to identify potential threats while browsing the internet. The project contains a teaching online game for children, a curriculum to be used by schools and teachers, and a series of videos for parents and children to watch together.
The game, Interland, is in fact some sort of puzzle which leads children through four mini-games. Tower of Treasure is the first one, which teaches children how to come up with strong passwords, and that these passwords contribute to your safety against hackers.
The second one, Reality River, is devised like a quiz. With the help of 10 multiple choice questions, children find out who is to trust while online. Kind Kingdom educates kids on trolling, and teaches them to be nice not only in real life, but also on the internet. In the end, Mindful Mountain tells children not to share their private info unless they trust the person they are sharing it with.
Be Internet Awesome is supported by many organizations
To develop the Be Internet Awesome project, Google collaborated with several organizations which deal with internet safety, such as Keep Safe Coalition, ConnectSafely, and Family Online Safety Institute. Therefore, the lessons they developed together meet the standards imposed by the Society for Technology in Education.
Be Internet Awesome is a clever idea of Google’s to teach kids the basics of the internet safety in the most enjoyable way. The company has already started promoting this project among schools and parents, so that children can gain access to the games and enjoy a more fun way to learn.
Image Source: Flickr
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