Google Australia and Life Ed have launched a new initiative aimed at boosting online safety education for Australian parents, teachers, and students.
The partnership, featuring Life Ed’s iconic Healthy Harold, will see the Be Internet Awesome program rolled out across homes and classrooms, providing free tools, resources, and interactive games designed to teach digital citizenship and online safety skills.
Life Ed’s 2024 Parent and Teacher Digital Safety Survey highlights the need for such initiatives, revealing that only one in three parents feel well equipped to educate their child on cyber safety, and just 26% of teachers feel confident providing digital safety lessons without external support.
Rachel Lord, Senior Manager of Public Policy at Google, said: “At Google and YouTube, we’re committed to creating a safer online experience for kids and teens. Through Be Internet Awesome and our partnership with Life Ed, we’re empowering young Australians to make smart choices online and protect themselves from harm.”
The Be Internet Awesome program focuses on five key areas: sharing information carefully, identifying fake content, protecting personal information, promoting kindness online, and knowing when to seek help.
Karen Robertson, Head of Education and Impact at Life Ed Australia, said the initiative aligns with Life Ed’s existing curriculum-based online safety programs. “What we have learnt from our more than 45 years of empowering children, is that the best way to embed education is by involving trusted adults in the process,” she said.
The initiative is in response to strong demand from the community, with 88% of teachers saying they would appreciate more support to guide the online experiences of young students, and a shared belief among parents and teachers that schools and families should work together on digital safety education.
As part of the launch, Google has also introduced Interland, a free, web-based game that helps students build digital skills like creating strong passwords and responsible information sharing in a secure environment.
Parents and teachers can access the Be Internet Awesome resources through Google’s dedicated page and Life Ed’s website.