Written by the cyber team at Allstate NI
How do we protect children from dangers on the internet?
Recognising children are exposed to the dangers of the internet, we decided to GET INVOLVED! A group of passionate members of Allstate Northern Ireland's cybersecurity team were determined to make a difference by answering the call to action — 'How do we protect children from dangers on the internet?' They devotedly came up with an answer by developing a comprehensive and interactive training program 'Allstate Cyber Safety for Kids' to help teachers and parents educate children on how to stay safe online.
Our goal is to give every child the knowledge and tools they need to navigate their online world safely. Our mission is to provide cybersecurity education to empower those in our communities to be safe online - beginning with our youth.
Debuting in Northern Ireland in 2018, Allstate Cyber Safety for Kids has since been rolled out across the US (May 2019) and India (May 2020), with Allstate employees volunteering their time. This year we were thrilled to have taught 10,000 kids across the globe.
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We are ecstatic to report based on post-session surveys the program is highly successful. The program was rated a 4.85 out of 5 with 100% of respondents saying that the pupils have learned something valuable about internet safety. All respondents said they are highly likely to recommend Cyber Safety to other schools.
Since its introduction, the industry-leading initiative has received wide-spread recognition - winning numerous accolades for its commitment to the responsible business agenda and its dedication, innovation and enthusiasm to utilize their safeguard communities against cybercrime.
Building on the success of 2019 (Cybersecurity Project of the Year from Belfast Telegraph, Digital DNA - Best Tech for Good award) Allstate Cyber Safety for Kids has since been named Responsible Business Champion 2020 by Business in the Community Northern Ireland.
Allstate also received the award for Cyber Business of the Year at The National Cyber Awards 2020 (hosted by the Major of Greater Manchester and the National Police Chief’s Council, UK).
On the evening, Allstate wascommended for leading the way in Northern Ireland, and for their dedication to cyber innovation, cyber-crime reduction, and protecting citizens online through initiatives such as Allstate Cyber Safety for Kids.
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Online safety has never been more important for kids. Due to increasing social distancing measures and lockdown restrictions children have been spending even more time online. Increasingly children have been using the internet for entertainment, education, and as a way to stay in touch with family and friends. That’s why Allstate Cyber Safety for Kids’ mission is more important than ever before, and why we’ve adapted the program to be presented virtually.
For us, keeping communities secure is top of the agenda, so we moved quickly to provide virtual packages for online delivery, and we were thrilled to launch virtual sessions this year in September. Not much has changed – they still last between 30 to 45 minutes and feature the same content and interactive activities designed to help teach children how to stay safe online, such as ‘Friend of Pretend’ and Don’t be mean on screen’.
There has never been a better, or more important time to get involved sosign up your school or community group today!
If you are interested in registering your class for a session contact the team at AllstateCyberSafety@allstate.com
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For more information visit our website at https://www.allstate.com/cybersafetyforkids.aspx
