Kingston Police advise of activity sheets for kids regarding privacy issues
After a number of advisories about child safety with regard to online gaming and social media platforms, Kingston Police are advising parents of a new series of activity sheets to help children and youths understand privacy issues.
Created by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada in collaboration with its provincial and territorial counterparts, the activity sheets are designed to “help young Canadians understand various privacy issues by presenting them in a visually appealing, easy-to-understand format.”
“Kingston Police feels that this series of activity sheers could prove to be a useful tool when speaking with children within our community in regards to their own personal privacy,” Kingston Police said in a press release on Friday, Sept. 6, 2019.
“It is important that youth become savvy digital citizens who are able to enjoy the benefits of being online. Young people need to be equipped with the knowledge necessary to navigate the online world and participate in the digital domain while protecting their privacy,” the press release continues.
“Because children go online earlier than ever before, parents and guardians should start talking to them about the digital world and online privacy much sooner than they used to.”
Privacy Snakes and Ladders is a twist on the classic children’s game that helps players learn how to make smart privacy choices by climbing up a ladder when they make a good decision or sliding down a snake because they have shared a password with a friend, for example.
About the activity sheets:
- Connect the Dots has kids complete the picture of a family with a checklist of rules they can use at home to practice good online privacy.
- Privacy Snakes and Ladders is a twist on the classic children’s game that helps players learn how to make smart privacy choices by climbing up a ladder when they make a good decision or sliding down a snake because they have shared a password with a friend, for example.
- Learning About Passwords / Colour the Tablet challenges kids to create their own strong, eight-character password by filling in the blanks. It also asks them to draw a lock on a tablet, representing how password protects an electronic device.
- Word Search introduces children to privacy vocabulary by having them comb through a puzzle to find words such as “post,” “click” and “footprint.”
To download the activity sheets or for more activities and information, visit youthprivacy.ca. Paper copies can be obtained by sending an email to [email protected].
as a 25-year-old who spends 80-120 hours a week online, I do not believe the ladders have any practical purpose. A parent should know what the child is doing to the point they’re playing on the computer together. Children(13and under) should not be left alone with electronics. Teens 14 and older should have spent the last 5+ years learning about a Gameboy/xbox/computer/tablet from their parent playing with them. If you don’t have time, Ask nephews or nieces that are older. By the time a 14-year-old is using technology alone they should have a solid understanding that there are bad people online out to steal, manipulate, and harass children. Your child and you should have full understanding of any blocking feature on websites they use. If you don’t know how to block someone learn, if you can’t block someone don’t use that site.