In 2020, ESET UK became an official partner of AFC Bournemouth’s successful Community Sports Trust programme. Working together through Safer Kids Online, we’ve been busy making a joint effort to educate and protect children online, engaging and inspiring the youth in our local community.
Over the course of this year, ESET (through Safer Kids Online) and AFC Bournemouth have been visiting local schools and running online workshops, with the aim of educating young people on how to stay safe whilst using the internet, so they can enjoy all the great opportunities our online world has to offer.
The sessions cover topics including:
· The children and young people’s most common uses of the internet, applications and websites – touching on privacy, what should / shouldn’t be included in profiles on social media and gaming sites
· Differences between personal and non-personal information, and the implications of sharing personal information – group discussions encouraged
· The dangers of having an ‘open profile’ on the internet – looking at prevention methods and privacy settings
All of these sessions are attended by Jake Moore, ESET’s Cybersecurity Specialist and dad of two, and a AFC Bournemouth senior squad player. Jake says: “Teaching young children about how to stay safe online is more important than ever. Internet dangers and even misconceptions can often be overwhelming to both children and parents alike, so it is vital that we are able to offer advice and awareness in an easy-to-digest format. Working with AFCB has not only been great fun but it has acted as the perfect starting ground, focussing on our local area first before reaching our interactive sessions out further afield to other parts of the country. Engaging and often lively sessions has also helped bring the advice to life which will equip the children with lifelong skills in how to stay safer online.”
In the light of COVID-19 and school closures, SKO & AFCB have been running online workshops and developed a downloadable workbook for children to complete. You can download this to work through with your little one here.