Around the world, parents and teachers are eager for best practices and resources they can trust to help them navigate important conversations about online safety with their children and students. That’s why we created Be Internet Awesome, a program designed in partnership with leading child development and safety experts, focused on topics like how to spot scams, create strong passwords and be cautious about sharing personal information online. Over the years, we’ve educated more than 100 million children globally through this program.
Today, we’re announcing Be Internet Awesome World, a new gaming experience on Roblox that will bring these same safety lessons to life in an interactive and fun way.
Creating an immersive and educational game
Roblox is one of the most popular online gaming platforms, with over 79.5 million daily active users. Working with Roblox helps Google to reach kids where they’re already spending time to teach them the basics of online safety.
In the Be Internet Awesome experience, visitors will explore the magical world of the Internauts and learn how to navigate various real-world scenarios and risks by applying safety tips and critical thinking skills. They’ll have the ability to play multiple games, each based on a specific safety topic, ranging from identifying phishing attempts to practicing kindness online. During the game, players will receive immediate feedback, helping them learn through trial and error.
This game-based learning approach not only reinforces the lessons of Be Internet Awesome, but also reimagines the curriculum in a new and exciting format for kids. Google’s experience is now available on Roblox.
Promoting online safety and youth wellbeing
Expanding Be Internet Awesome to a wider audience on Roblox is just one of the ways we keep more people safer online than anyone else in the world. Here are a few additional ways we’re working to promote online safety and youth wellbeing:
- Partnering with Highlights Magazine: Earlier this year, we teamed up with Highlights to create a special edition of the magazine based on Google’s Be Internet Awesome curriculum. We’ve also partnered with the Boys and Girls club to host a series of events to help walk kids through the lessons and activities inside the magazine.
- Investing in Teen Mental Health: Recently, Google.org launched a $10 million Teen Mental Health Initiative to help more than a million high school students and 10,000 teachers build strong mental health habits across the country. Google partnered with leading mental health and educational organizations on this effort including Selena Gomez’s Rare Impact Fund, DonorsChoose, JED Foundation, Child Mind Institute and The Steve Fund.
- Building AI literacy: We’ve developed tailored resources to help teach teens how to use AI responsibly, including our AI Literacy Guide, and videos focused on the five must-knows of generative AI and how to use AI to uplevel learning.
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