As use of the internet becomes more acceptable in schools and expected at younger ages, cyber safety education is a necessity. While tablets, computers and smart devices are the norm at home and school for children, many students are not taught about the potential dangers faced while using technology. Shockingly, 40% of students in fourth through eighth grades have chatted with a stranger online, of those, 53% gave out their phone number to the stranger and 11% met with a stranger according to Children’s Internet Usage Study.
Statistics like these are the impetus behind the mission of the Center for Cyber Safety and Education and its city-wide educational event “Cyber Safety Day.” This one-day event, created by the nonprofit, educates elementary students to be responsible digital citizens.
On January 28, 2020, known globally as Data Privacy Day, the Center, along with generous business sponsors, provided free internet safety education via Garfield’s Cyber Safety Adventures Educator’s Kits to 105 schools and more than 10,500 third-grade students during Cyber Safety Day Tampa 2020.
Each participating classroom received an educator kit which includes: a USB with cartoon lesson, comic books with activity pages, stickers, trading cards, pledge stickers, and parent letters for each student as well as a classroom pledge poster, Garfield poster and teacher lesson plan making it easy for teachers to provide a consistent message.
Growing each year, the same city-wide event was previously held in Orlando in 2019 and New Orleans in 2018 and positively impacted more than 6,500 and 2,300 children respectively.
As a cybersecurity professional, you can positively impact your community by volunteering (and receiving CPEs) to teach students the importance of cyber safety and order an educator kit.
Special thanks to Sponsors: AWS, KnowBe4, ColorFast, ComplyUp, Yum! Brands, Discrete Digital Forensics, LinkedIn Local Tampa, and Tampa Bay Tech.