Avoid catfishing, trolling or fake news – Telenor’s Digiworld teaches children to stay safe
The internet can be a challenge to all of us. Who can you trust online? Is it ok to post that picture of your friend on social media without asking? Where is the line between humour and hurtful comments? Who can help when things go wrong? Being online provides boundless opportunities, but also some real threats.
“We see that many young people are more tech-savvy than their parents, but that does not always mean that they know how to stay safe. This is why Telenor has worked with Parent Zone, the experts in digital family life, to develop Digiworld, an online curriculum that teaches children, teenagers and their parents how to get the most out of the internet, while avoiding danger,” says Mai Oldgard, Head of Sustainability in Telenor Group.
Digiworld builds digital resilience
Every child should be safe online. That is unfortunately not always the case. Between 14% and 36% of internet users aged 9-17 have had an upsetting experience online, according to a study done by Global Kids Online.
To combat the challenges posed online, Digiworld aims to foster young people’s digital resilience, helping them:
understand when they are at risk online
know how to seek help
learn from the experiences of being online
recover when things go wrong*
Children who are resilient are less likely to experience harm, and more likely to benefit from the opportunities online.
Developed by Parent Zone
The organisation Parent Zone specialises in digital family life, and has created the curriculum exclusively for Telenor. Digiworld is designed to help children aged 5-16, their families and schools. It is an online world with an interactive game and downloadable resources. We follow a day in the life of Lil’ Blue, who faces temptations, bullies and fake news online. In the interactive game, the player answers questions to navigate Lil’ Blue safely through the digital world. Part of the curriculum is designed to be used in an offline environment, to accommodate schools without internet connection.
“We are delighted to be working on this global project with Telenor, helping young people and their families develop the knowledge, skills and digital resilience they need to navigate the online world in a safer and more enjoyable way,” says Vicki Shotbolt, CEO of Parent Zone.
Digiworld is launched on telenor.com on Stop Cyber Bullying Day. All Telenor markets in Asia and Europe will localise the game and make it available to children and young people. The curriculum is part of Telenor’s commitment to the UN Sustainable Development Goal number 10, which speaks of reduced inequalities. Telenor aims to educate 4 million children globally in online safety by 2020, and only completed trainings in Digiworld will count towards this goal. Digiworld will be a supplement to the physical outreach programmes that Telenor is already conducting.
*The UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS) Resilience Working Group’s definition.