Helping Educators Bring Cyber Safety into the Classroom
If there’s one thing that parents, caregivers and teachers can likely agree on, it’s that students spend a lot of time online. Social media and gaming apps give young people new ways to connect, create and play, but they also come with their fair share of risks. And in a threat landscape that’s constantly evolving, it’s important for students to know what to look out for as they begin to navigate the digital world on their own.
At Gen, we’re doing our part to empower young people with the Cyber Safety skills they need to conduct their digital lives securely and confidently. One of the ways we do this is through My Digital Life, which provides educators with lesson plans, videos and interactive tools aligned to learning standards and meant to address common issues young people face online, from cyberbullying and privacy risks to misinformation and scams.
The program is the result of a partnership between Norton, one of Gen’s trusted Cyber Safety brands, and Discovery Education, a worldwide leader in education technology. Together with the National Afterschool Foundation, we launched My Digital Life in September 2023. As the program celebrates its first anniversary, we’re thrilled to share some of the highlights from its inaugural year.
Building Students’ Cyber Safety Skills
Throughout the 2023-2024 school year, My Digital Life reached more than 214,000 students in 1,100 school districts across 49 states, far surpassing the program’s initial goal to reach 100,000. 63% of these students were from Title I schools, which are districts allocated federal funds for educational programs and services that close achievement gaps. 70% were from underrepresented ethnic/racial backgrounds.
“Knowing that so many of my students interact online even at the elementary level, these resources offer great ways for us to have discussions about how to stay safe and friendly when conversing and playing games online,” one teacher said.
Equipping Educators with Cutting-Edge Tools
Getting these resources into educators’ hands remains one of the program’s top priorities. Through the combination of its dedicated website, placement on Discovery Education Experience, the company’s award-winning K-12 learning platform, and outreach campaigns to educators on social media, we make sure teachers are aware of the numerous free, ready-to-use tools that are at their fingertips.
“We don’t have a dedicated technology class anymore, so digital citizenship largely falls on the subject teachers,” said one school administrator. “The Educator resources lay everything out for them, so they don’t have to do a lot of legwork to give great lessons!”
Forecasting the Program’s Future
In its second year, My Digital Life plans to launch in multiple new languages, greatly expanding the program’s reach both within the United States and internationally. In addition, Gen employees will volunteer as part of Discovery Education’s Career Connect, through which they’ll speak directly with the classrooms where My Digital Life is used and discuss the wider technology industry.
For more on how we provide Cyber Safety education and training, check out our 2024 Social Impact Report. These grants were awarded from the Gen Foundation, a corporate advised fund of Silicon Valley Community Foundation.
