Andrew Gwynne, MP for Denton and Reddish, joined Abingdon Primary School in Reddish and Ravensfield Primary School in Dukinfield, to learn about why it is so important for young people in the area to stay safe and positive online.
The event was hosted by Google on YouTube live to highlight their Be Internet Legends programme.
To help teachers and parents educate children about online safety during the pandemic, Google and Parent Zone are now virtually delivering their educational programme Be Internet Legends which empowers 7 to 11-year-olds to become safer, more confident explorers of the online world.
Since May 2020, Google and Parent Zone have been delivering hundreds of interactive live assemblies for children at home and in school, as well as teacher training workshops, professional roundtables and sessions for parents.
Be Internet Legends is in partnership with family internet safety experts Parent Zone, and it is accredited by the PSHE Association. The programme has reached over a million children across the UK. It consists of five key pillars, which children from Denton and Reddish were taught, to help them 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
The children were also shown Interland – a free online adventure to make learning about online safety fun and informative. Children find out how to avoid hackers, phishers and bullies and practise the skills they’ve developed from the programme. You can visit Interland at g.co/interland.
Andrew Gwynne said:
“It was a pleasure to take part in the Be Internet Legends assemblies for Abingdon and Ravensfield Primary Schools.
“The Internet is such an important part of everyday life in the 21st century which is why it’s so important to keep children safe online so that they can thrive in the digital age and develop their digital skills.
“Be Internet Legends is a great scheme and I’m very grateful to Google and Parent Zone for the work that they’re doing to equip our children with the skills they need to keep themselves safe online.”
Rosie Luff, Public Policy Manager at Google UK, said:
“We are delighted to virtually visit Abingdon Primary School and Ravensfield Primary School to help teach children about how to Be Internet Legends.
“By getting acquainted with what we believe are the five core areas of online safety, we want to prepare children to have a safe and positive experience online.”
Vicki Shotbolt, founder and CEO of Parent Zone, said:
“Empowering children to be confident online explorers has never been more important.
“We are delighted to work with Google and schools around the UK, supporting communities with essential internet safety messages to help them make the most of the digital world.”
