Celebrate Safer Internet Day with Trend Micro Cyber Academy

Today is Safer Internet Day, a day in which the world unites to raise awareness about online safety. Trend Micro is a proud longstanding supporter of Safer Internet Day, and in celebration of the day we are proud to announce the release of our latest Cyber Academy episode on Camera Safety, as well as the forthcoming releases of 4 more new episodes

Cyber Academy was launched in October 2021 as a powerful tool for teachers and parents to improve children’s safety and awareness online. Aimed at children 7–10 years old, the Cyber Academy initially consisted of five internet safety lessons that focus on passwords, two-factor authentication, security, privacy and healthy habits. All of the lessons can be delivered on-demand by a teacher in the classroom or a guardian at home in just 10–15 minutes and are offered completely free of charge.

“The resources are excellent,” said U.K. teacher Zara Darchambaud. “The follow-up discussion questions, and quiz really embed the learning from each of the videos. It is easy to use but has a big impact on the pupils’ understanding of staying safe online. We add one of the units to our parent newsletter each week for families to use at home.”

Talking about the age-appropriateness of Cyber Academy lessons, Naoimh Riordan, a 3rd grade teacher at Rockboro Primary School in Ireland explained that any doubts she may have had were quickly put to rest. “Initially, I thought that they may be too young and wouldn’t understand the topics, however they were fully engaged, knew a lot more than I had anticipated, and they now know the correct cyber terms for what they did know,” Riordan said. “The lessons are very well put together, and with the video, Q&A Discussion and Kahoot Quiz, the pupils absolutely loved it. It is user friendly, interesting, and very engaging for both pupils and the teacher.”

From the Philippines, parent Diane Ramo captured the mission of Cyber Academy beautifully, saying, “There is a real need for basic digital privacy education. We should teach the kids while they’re young to help them manage their digital lives effectively as they get older.”

Over the next two months we’ll be launching five additional episodes:

• Camera Safety (launched today!): Understand what information is gathered when a photo is taken, what happens when it is shared and 5 skills to use a camera safely while having fun.   
• Time Online: Understand what quality time online means, how time online fits into a typical busy day and 5 skills to make the most out of your time online.  This is essentially a way to encourage kids to view screen time in the context of all other healthy ways they might use their time in a typical day.
• Media: Understand what media is and why it is important. Learn 5 media skills that help you think more carefully about what you see online and figure out what you can and cannot trust. 
• Safety Settings: Understand how safety settings protect you and your personal information and learn 5 safety skills that are important to use.
• Kindness: Understand the importance of kindness online, how to deal with unkindness, and how you can make positive choices online every day.

Trend Micro would like to thank our global community who have joined us in our effort to improve children’s safety and awareness online in a fun, interactive and engaging way.