Day of action reminds us to help young gamers stay safe online

Where would we be without the internet? Us mobile gamers know the value of being online. It's an essential tool for education, information, community, and creation. But the darker side of the internet does exist, no matter how much we don't think about it, and there's a special event running nationwide today to remind young tech users to stay safe.

With the help of Into Film, The Industry Trust for IP Awareness has launched a short educational animation titled "Stay Safe Online – Meet The Malwares" for UK Safer Internet Day (Tuesday, 6th February).

The animation is meant for educational usage in schools, helping teachers to promote internet safety to children in a time when the internet is arguably at its most dangerous. It teaches kids how to identify different kinds of malware when finding film and TV content online and what that malware can do to a computer.

Internet safety is an important thing to teach kids nowadays. When I was a kid on the internet, no one taught me about malware and how it could infect my computer. I downloaded tons of stuff off Limewire and Pirate Bay. I never once thought about how some MP3 download might contain spyware or anything that could suddenly get access to all my passwords.

"Staying Safe Online – Meet The Malwares" doesn’t cover all the frightening toxicity and harassment that festers online, but the animation does mention types of viruses like Ransomware which can get into your webcam and cellphone cameras to record or take photos of you in private moments. The spreading of these images can do irreparable damage to someone’s reputation.

For all that we love video games and this wonderful vibrant scene, the gaming community has more than its fair share of deep-seated toxicity issues. Kids love games and they deserve a safe space to play them in. It’s on us to help make those safe spaces a reality. Whether that's through education tools like The Industry Trust’s animation or simply calling people out for inappropriate behaviour when you spot it online.

UK Safer Internet Day is an important day for educating ourselves and others for the greater common good and to make our online communities safer and better than before.

To learn more about UK Safer Internet Day, visit the official website. Into Film is an educational charity that helps kids learn through film. The Industry Trust for IP Awareness is the UK’s consumer education group keeping folk informed about copyright infringement and IP protection. 

You take care of yourself out there, y'hear?