How to Teach Children the Basics of IT Security

In the SuperCyberKids project, funded by the European Union as part of Erasmus+, an innovative cybersecurity game for children aged 8 to 13 will be developed. A professor of Economic and Business Education of the University of Mannheim has developed the competency model which is the basis of the project.

The European project SuperCyberKids aims at teaching children the competencies enabling them to be careful with their own data online and learn more about the downsides of social media. Four partners are working on the project. Professor Dirk Ifenthaler, holder of the chair of Economic and Business Education, contributed to the first phase of the project. Ifenthaler’s task was to develop a so-called competency model specific to the age group of 8 to 13-year-old children. The subproject was completed at the beginning of June and the results were forwarded to industry partners.

The competency model developed by Ifenthaler defines the knowledge, proficiency, and skills children should have at this age to stay safe in the digital world. “For this target group, such a competency model did not yet exist”, Ifenthaler explains.

In the next step, the model is validated by external experts. Industry partners will then develop a game which will be made available to schools all over Europe. The term of the SuperCyberKids project is three years. The project is scheduled to be completed in 2025.

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