Google introduces Be Internet Awesome, an initiative that teaches kids the fundamentals of digital citizenship and safety so they can explore the online world with confidence. It comes with materials for parents and educators, as well as an online adventure called Interland which teaches kids key lessons of digital safety through four challenging games in four virtual worlds:
- Tower of Secrets to protect themselves from hackers
- Kind Kingdom to highlight why it’s cool to be kind while using the internet
- Reality River to make them aware about fake things they can find online
- Mindful Mountain to teach them how to be mindful with the things they share online
Access the game by visiting beinternetawesome.withgoogle.com/interland.
Teach your kids the following Internet Codes of Awesome as part of their journey to becoming Internet awesome:
- Be Internet Smart: Share with Care
- Good and bad news travels fast online, and without some forethought, kids can find themselves in tricky situations that have lasting consequences. The solve? Learning how to share with those they know and those they don’t.
- Be Internet Alert: Don’t Fall for Fake
- It’s important to help kids become aware that people and situations online aren’t always as they seem. Discerning between what’s real and what’s fake is a very real lesson in online safety.
- Be Internet Strong: Secure Your Secrets
- Personal privacy and security are just as important online as they are offline. Safeguarding valuable information helps kids avoid damaging their devices, reputations, and relationships.
- Be Internet Kind: It’s Cool to Be Kind
- The Internet is a powerful amplifier that can be used to spread positivity or negativity. Kids can take the high road by applying the concept of “treat others as you would like to be treated” to their actions online, creating positive impact for others and disempowering bullying behavior.
- Be Internet Brave: When in Doubt, Talk It Out
- One lesson that applies to any and all encounters of the digital kind: When kids come across something questionable, they should feel comfortable talking to a trusted adult. Adults can support this behavior by fostering open communication at home and in the classroom.
For more information, visit beinternetawesome.withgoogle.com/.