SAN ANTONIO – It’s never too early to teach your children about online safety and spotting scams to prevent them from falling victim, but the available information is usually at a reading level only adults and older teens may understand. The Federal Trade Commission is working to change that by offering its Youville program, which teaches kids ages 8-12.
The program offers educational materials and even classroom-based tools to help kids understand privacy and online safety, advertising, spotting scams, and digital citizenship.
Recommended Videos
The free program offers 12 lessons that teach children “what information is personal, what to do if someone uses bullying language online, how to understand the advertising techniques that target them, and how to spot free offers that aren’t really free.”
The good news is the lessons stand alone, so they can be learned at any pace and in any order.
“Working together, students complete a series of activities to help the Youbies defeat The Claud, a sinister, chaos-causing energy — and develop real-life skills,” the FTC said on its website.
The FTC offers lesson plans, educational slides, activity sheets and a curriculum standards matrix for educators who want to incorporate the lessons into their classrooms.
To find more information and learning material about the Youville program from the FTC, click here.