Hartlepool youngsters taught how to 'Google' by the experts

A team of staff from Google went along to the town's Brougham Primary School to talk about going online and how the pupils can Be Internet Legends.

Children at the Hartlepool school were shown Interland – a fun-filled adventure game to make learning about online safety fun and informative.

The town children learned about avoiding hackers, phishers and bullies practising the skills learnt with the programme.

This is a free online tool and any other parents or schools interested in using it should visit beinternetawesome.

Rosie Luff, online safety public policy manager at Google, said: "We were delighted to visit Brougham 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.”

The five key pillars, which children at Brougham Primary School were taught during the workshop, are:

1. Be “internet sharp” – think before you share

2. Be “internet alert” – check it’s for real

3. Be “internet secure” – protect your stuff

4. Be “internet kind” – respect each other

5. Be “internet brave” – when in doubt, discuss

Vicki Shotbolt, founder of Parent Zone, said: "It is essential that, from a young age, children learn to think carefully and critically about what they see and do online.

"Parent Zone has teamed with Google to teach children the tools they need to keep them safer, spot scams and unkind behaviour and to understand how their online actions can affect others.

"These are vital skills for being more confident in the digital age."

Last year, Google conducted research with more than 200 teachers to learn about their experience with online safety in the classroom.

It found that teachers believe children should start learning about online safety as early as the age of seven and that 99% felt that this should be a part of the curriculum.

To help teachers educate their pupils about staying safe online, Google Be Internet Legends in partnership with family internet safety experts Parent Zone, and is accredited by the PSHE Association.

Be Internet Legends is an educational programme aimed at 7-11-year-olds to help them be safe, confident explorers of the online world – through online platforms, teaching resources, face-to-face workshops and assemblies, and free training resources to over 19,000 UK teachers.

The programme has reached over a million children across the UK.