A new program to build online safety and awareness among young people is launching in the U.S. and Canada, and it’s offering some cyber-security education tools for educators, students and parents.
The Digital Safety Program, from Intel Security in partnership with Discovery Education, is a three-year initiative designed to teach kids to make safer decisions online and “Think Before You Link”.
Among other things, that’s a concerned nod to the tons of material young people post about themselves on social media sites these days, and the digital portrait that’s painted by all those links to their online photos, selfies and giffies, personal plans and group activities, favourite locations, friends and other often very personally identifying information.
Young people are encouraged to choose the “close friends only” settings on any social site they’re using, for starters. Mobile device users are told to guard their location by disabling the GPS function, and the program reminds everyone to update their passwords and create even stronger ones.
More crucially, it gets students to understand why and how to protect themselves on the Internet, with materials to help teachers, parents and kids talk about appropriate online behaviour.
“In this ever changing digital world, it is vital that we prepare our students to act responsibly and protect themselves online,” said Sandy MacDougall, a Technology Integration Leader at the Halifax Regional School Board.
He says the resource and reference materials that Intel Security and Discovery Education are providing will help; as one of only five educators from across North America to be elected as a Discovery Educator Network (DEN) guru, he’s active in a global network of educators looking at how teachers and students can best use digital media and online technology.
In another nod to the realities of today’s mobile and online lifestyle, it’s the sooner the better.
The program’s designed for students ages 8-11; in the second year, programmers plan to expand to reach ages 11-14, and in its third year the program is expected to roll-out its resources in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
There are printable and downloadable resources for in-class use, with structured and self-paced lessons on Internet safety and security, how to deal with cyber-bullies, and more.
(Sections on the Canadian site still to come include a section on cyber-ethics, as well as other topics.)
There’s even a cyber-security certificate for students as a reward for completing the program and promising to act as responsible cyber-citizens.
The first module looks at cyber-safety, offering kids advice on how to keep their devices and that personally identifiable information (PII) safe and private – they surely need it.
According to a McAfee “2014 Teens and the Screen” report (McAfee is now a part of Intel Security, which conducted the study), 14 per cent of youth between the ages of 10 and 18 – nearly one in five kids – have posted their home address online. Only 61 per cent – barely two out of three – have enabled the privacy settings on their social profiles.
“Canadian youth have some potentially risky habits when it comes to their digital activities,” Brenda Moretto, Canadian consumer manager at McAfee, said when the program was announced. “They would clearly benefit from a program that teaches them how to use the Internet more securely.”
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submitted by Lee Rickwood
