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Google aims to reach 1 million children with its online safety programmes: Be Internet Legends and Be Internet Citizens
To further help children navigate the online world, Google is committing to reaching 1 million children through its Be Internet Legends and Be Internet Citizens programmes. Be Internet Legends is an educational programme aimed at 7 - 11 year olds to help them be safe, confident explorers of the online world – through online platforms, teaching resources, face-to-face workshops and assemblies, and free training resources to over 19,000 UK teachers. Be Internet Legends was created in partnership with family internet safety experts at Parent Zone and is accredited by the PSHE association. It consists of five key pillars to help children learn the essentials of how to stay safe online:
- Be Internet Sharp - Think Before You Share
- Be Internet Alert - Check it’s For Real
- Be Internet Secure - Protect Your Stuff
- Be Internet Kind - Respect Each Other
- Be Internet Brave - When in Doubt, Discuss
As part of the Internet Legends programme, Google is launching Interland, an adventure-packed online game that makes learning about internet safety interactive and fun. In Interland, children can learn about avoiding badly-behaved hackers, phishers, and bullies by practising the skills that they need to be confident online explorers. Parents and teachers can explore Interland with their children at: beinternetlegends.withgoogle.com
Be Internet Citizens is an education programme aimed at 13 - 15 year olds designed to teach media literacy, critical thinking and digital citizenship; with the aim of encouraging young people to be positive voices online. The programme builds the foundation to give children the confidence to be empowered producers of online content to express their identities, share their stories, make social impact, and bring communities together. Be Internet Citizens resources for secondary schools are also accredited by PSHE.
Google also announces the launch of Family Link in the UK, an app which can help parents set online guidelines for their children. Navigating technology can be particularly tricky for families with children, which is why Google has developed the Family Link app: to help parents stay in the loop while their child explores and enjoys the benefits of the internet on their Android device or iPhone.
Family Link connects your Android or iPhone to your kid's Android phone or tablet, to help parents set and tailor certain digital ground rules that work for their family, such as:
- Manage the apps their child can use
- Approve or block the apps the child wants to download from the Google Play Store
- Keep an eye on screen time
- See how much time their child spends on their favourite apps with weekly or monthly activity reports, and set daily screen time limits for their device
- Set device bedtime
- See their child’s location
- Remotely lock their child’s device when it’s time to play, study, or sleep.
To use Family Link, a child would need a device that runs at least Android Nougat (7.0) or iPhone iOS 9. Then, a parent downloads Family Link onto their own device and creates a Google Account for their child through the Family Link app.
Commenting on the launch, Saurabh Sharma, product manager for Family Link said: “We believe deeply in technology’s ability to unlock creativity and engagement but we also work hard to ensure parents have the right tools to make the right choices for their children.
With Family Link, parents and children can explore the digital world together, making it easier for them to discover, create and share as a family. And with our internet safety programmes, we aim to help children get the necessary skills to explore and have positive experiences online.”
Margot James, Minister of State for Digital and the Creative Industries, said: “We want the UK to be the safest place in the world to be online. I'm pleased that Google is supporting the government's work in this area by providing the tools and education to help parents, teachers, and children make the best decisions as they explore the online world together."
Barnardo’s Chief Executive Javed Khan said: “Google Family Link is an important step to keeping children safe while they enjoy the online world. We know from our services how children can be vulnerable online and so welcome these practical tools for parents. We hope Family Link will encourage two-way conversations between parents and their children when deciding what apps and games to download, building children’s digital resilience over time.
We encourage Google to keep working with Barnardo’s and others to ensure Family Link reaches the vulnerable parents whose children may benefit most from it. More broadly, we would urge the tech industry to collaborate more to give parents and children detailed advice on how to keep their children safe online.”