For many children and young people, mobile phones, apps and games are a constant presence. While technology can be a powerful force for good – unlocking creativity, fostering expression, and developing skills – online apps and games can carry risks such as exposure to misinformation or abusive or upsetting material. Keeping people safe online is at the heart of everything we do at Google, and we continue to innovate as new challenges emerge. We’re also committed to working in partnership to foster media literacy and digital wellbeing.
Our resource Be Internet Legends is a free multifaceted programme designed to teach younger children (age 7-11 year olds) about online safety and help them to develop media literacy. To make the most of the internet, children need to make smart decisions. Be Internet Legends empowers younger children to use the web safely and wisely, so they can be confident explorers of the online world. There are family guides for parents and lesson plans for teachers that can be used in class and at home and also includes Interland, an interactive game that allows children to apply what they have learned in a fun and creative way.
We have been working with Ireland’s largest children’s charity, Barnardos, since 2019, when our CEO Sundar Pichai unveiled a €1 million Google.org grant to support their online safety programme in schools. This grant continues to support Barnardos Online Safety Programme bringing its workshops to more than 82,000 Irish children over 5 years signposting to Google’s Be Internet Legends. Barnardos also delivers workshops and webinars to teachers, parents and professionals on online safety and digital wellbeing.
More recently we have begun working with A Lust For Life, the multi-award winning mental health charity which uses content, campaigns, events, and programmes to facilitate young people to be effective guardians of their own mind. A Lust for Life Schools Programme was launched in 2020 and aims to build resilience, increase wellbeing and to enhance the emotional literacy of 3rd to 6th class school children. To date, the programme has reached over 500 schools and 21,500 pupils across Ireland. A range of digital wellbeing tools are being brought into Irish classrooms through the programme and their use of Be Internet Legends content and Google´s Family Hub and Safety Centre.
Our Family Hub site, launched last year, is a one-stop resource for children and parents, with all Google’s programmes and materials that support online safety and wellbeing. We also launched our Irish Safety Centre, where guidance on specific privacy and safety settings and decisions for users are clearly laid out.
Our commitment to Media Literacy and Digital Wellbeing continues to evolve. We continue to work to find ways to help children make smart choices and protect themselves online, and help parents find the right balance for their families.
