Free digital learning platform for primary school pupils

Internet Matters has launched Digital Matters, a free online safety and media literacy education platform helping pupils deal with the issues they are most likely to face in the digital world.

The platform, created with support from digital security company ESET, will build the critical thinking skills they need to tackle a range of issues such as fake news and misinformation, as well as teach children about cyberbullying, online grooming, peer pressure and keeping their personal information secure.

Specifically aimed at primary school pupils in Years 5 and 6, Digital Matters has been designed to enable parents and teachers to work together to educate and support children at the age they start spending more time in online environments.

The lessons see children being asked to navigate a number of different situations they are likely to encounter online. Based on real-life scenarios, they will be able to discuss the issues in class and learn how to make the right choices in a safe space.

It comes as new research of UK parents shows how there has been significant increases within 12 months in both concerns and experiences of primary school aged children across a range of different online safety issues.

The number of parents of six to 10-yearolds who said their child had been affected by exposure to fake news, misinformation, or disinformation more than doubled compared to the previous year. More than twice as many children of the same age experienced online trolling or abuse from strangers.

There were also significant increases in children aged six to 10 having direct experience of contact with strangers online, peer pressure to do things they wouldn’t normally do and giving away personal information online.

Teachers can share companion resources with parents from the platform so parents can continue the learning at home, supporting a joined-up approach to online safety education between teacher and parent.

It also allows them to teach online safety and media literacy in a digital environment, with the flexibility of having offline materials to suit different teaching styles.

Ghislaine Bombusa, head of Digital at Internet Matters, who led the creation of the platform, said: “There is a growing need to ensure young people not only stay safe online but have the media literacy skills they need to navigate their increasingly complex digital world.

“At a critical time in their development, we hope to help schools teach young people these skills in a supportive environment where they can practice making choices in realistic situations, all on an interactive digital platform.

“We also know the important role that parents play in keeping their children safe online, so the programme encourages their involvement, making sure that they feel empowered to support their children as they stumble across difficult situations online.”

Teachers and parents can access the Digital Matters platform for free, where content will be updated regularly with online safety topics in line with the Relationships Education curriculum and the UKCIS Education for a Connected World Framework.

Julie Berriff, UK Marketing Director at ESET said: “We’re delighted to continue our support for Internet Matters with this new innovative learning platform and are committed to helping as many children as possible. www.internetmatters.org/digital-matters www.eset.com/uk