Internet giant Google has made a visit to a Maidenhead school to promote internet safety for 7 – 11-year-olds.
The ‘Be Internet Legends’ educational programme, set up in partnership with internet safety experts Parent Zone, gave children at Riverside Primary School and Nursery advice on how to be safe, confident explorers of the online world.
Five key points of internet safety were taught to the children:
1. Be “internet sharp” – think before you share
2. Be “internet alert” – check it’s for real
3. Be “internet secure” – protect your stuff
4. Be “internet kind” – respect each other
5. Be “internet brave” – when in doubt, discuss
Since its launch, the programme has reached over one million children across the UK.
The youngsters were also show Internland, an online adventure game which aims to make learning about online safety both fun and informative.
Playing the game teaches children how to avoid hackers, phishers and bullies practicing the skills taught in the programme.
Rosie Luff, online safety public policy manager at Google, said: “We are delighted to visit Riverside Primary School and Nursery today to help teach children about how to Be Internet Legends. By getting acquainted with what we believe are the five core areas of online safety, we want to prepare children to have a safe and positive experience online,”
Vicki Shotbolt, founder and CEO of Parent Zone, added: “It is essential that, from a young age, children learn to think carefully and critically about what they see and do online.
“Parent Zone has teamed with Google to teach children the tools they need to keep them safer, spot scams and unkind behaviour and to understand how their online actions can affect others. These are vital skills for being more confident in the digital age”.
