Helping your military kids navigate the online world

It takes a village of trusted adults to help military kids adapt to new cities and overcome being the new kid in class again. Kids often need that same village of parents, coaches, and teachers to help them navigate safely online. If you’re looking for tools to talk with kids about privacy and online safety, digital citizenship, spotting and avoiding scams, and understanding advertising, Youville can help!

Parents decide their family’s code of conduct for technology. But there are some rules most adults can agree on for 8–12-year-olds — like not clicking links in unexpected text messages and not sharing personal information with strangers in an online game. Whether you run afterschool programs, lead a youth group, or just enjoy spending time with the kids in your life, Youville’s downloadable lessons can help you bring these conversations to life. Turn reading time into a trip to the Youville Aquarium and learn about phishing scams. Too rainy for the playground? Take a walk through Youville’s Privacy Park to learn how to avoid sharing personal information.

Wondering how Youville’s downloadable materials work?

• Lesson plans help guide the conversation and lead discussions about things like phishing scams and personal information,
• Slide decks give your kids visual examples that look a lot like scam messages they might see in real life, and
• Activity sheets encourage kids to explore imaginary places — like an aquarium or skatepark — and work in groups to practice using their newly earned skills, like spotting phishing scams and protecting their personal information.

And in case you’re interested, the curriculum standards matrix outlines how each lesson meets different education standards. Whether you pick and choose individual lessons or use the whole unit, you’re helping the military kids in your life become just as resilient online as they already are in real life. Learn more about protecting kids online at ftc.gov/kidsonline.

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