Google and Amber Rudd visit Hastings school to teach pupils online safety

Amber Rudd with pupils at Sandown Primary School SUS-190429-102658001

Hastings MP Amber Rudd hosted Google on Friday (April 26) to educate seven- to 11-year-olds on both the opportunities and dangers of the internet.

She said: “Internet safety is vital to the wellbeing of young children and as Home Secretary I travelled to Silicon Valley to explain to Google and others why it is essential children are given a proper internet education.

“The internet offers so much but can also do tremendous damage to young children if they are the victim of anonymous online abuse.

“I was pleased to be able to help bring this programme to Hastings because children must always be safe online.

“The Google Be Internet Legends scheme is part of a wider drive to make the internet safer which includes events for older children such as the Be Internet Citizens programme which I hosted at the start of this year.

“It is good to see large companies like Google taking their responsibilities seriously by ensuring those who use their services are educated and safe online.”

Kate Tugwell, deputy headteacher, said: “The assembly was interactive and the children completed challenges as they journeyed through ‘Interland‘ learning to be brave, talk to a trusted adult and make good choices about what they share online. Our pupils live in a digital world and need all the tools we can equip them with to become digitally resilient.

“Together, parents, schools and children are learning how to manage their digital lives through a varied diet of social media and real life.”

Rosie Luff, online safety public policy manager at Google, said: “We were delighted to visit Sandown School to help teach children about how to Be Internet Legends. By getting acquainted with what we believe are the five core areas of online safety, we want to prepare children to have a safe and positive experience online.”

Vicki Shotbolt, founder and CEO of Parent Zone, said: “It is essential, from a young age, children learn to think carefully and critically about what they see and do online.

“Parent Zone has teamed with Google to teach children the tools they need to keep them safer, spot scams and unkind behaviour and to understand how their online actions can affect others.”

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