Exploring online safety for kids with LEGO® bricks

Learning about online safety has never been more important, and that’s why we’re committed to ensuring play is fun and safe for everyone, especially online. From cyberbullying to privacy, from security to screen time, talking to your child about the ever-growing internet can be tough, but that’s where building with LEGO® bricks comes in.

Teach your child the skills they need to be digitally smart by learning through play. Kids are more likely to open up and talk when playing in a comfortable environment. It’s a great opportunity for you to explore deeper feelings with them, and chat about challenging topics such as emotions, friendship, inclusivity, and in this case, online safety.

So, gather your box of LEGO bricks, grab your kids’ favorite minifigures, and let’s build together to find out how to interact and play safe online…

Online security: Let’s build a house

When you leave your home, do you lock your front door? Yes? Then let’s build a house to help teach your child about security at home and how that also applies to the online world. Explain to your child that just like how you lock your front door at home, they need to keep their online information locked up too.

Encourage your child to build the most eccentric house you’ve ever seen. While their creative juices are flowing, you can start the conversation of privacy and security online. Find out how they’d feel if a stranger walked into their house and started taking their stuff without permission.

Let your minifigures act out scenarios where the door is left open vs. the door securely locked. Discover their understanding of what they should and shouldn’t share online and the potential dangers of sharing private information.

Privacy and responsible online behavior: Let’s play ‘detectives’

Not everything we’re exposed to online is true, so familiarize your child with the idea of being digitally savvy by playing a game of detectives. Encouraging your child to think carefully, fact-check and ask questions before sharing information online is a great lesson – and is perfect for teaching through play.

Minifigures at the ready; create a scene such as a police station, and take turns either as the detective asking the questions or the criminal answering. Use this moment to quiz your child on their online privacy knowledge. From how to act responsibly and respectfully to others online, to questionable pop-ups and emails they should avoid clicking on.

Reporting and sharing: Let’s build an obstacle course

Like an obstacle course, your child will face numerous challenges when playing and interacting online. They’ll have to learn how to dodge pop-ups, bypass scams and avoid phishing emails, to name but a few. This is where you come in – with build and play.

Encourage your child to build a LEGO brick obstacle course with tunnels, walls, tower blocks and more. Let their imaginations run wild and have fun together trying to complete the challenges ahead.

When your child’s minifigure gets into a jam, prompt them to share their dilemma and how you can help. Relate these obstacles to online predicaments and remind them how important it is to talk and share with you, especially when uncertain. When in doubt, shout it out.

So, if you’re looking for a fun, interactive way to start talking to your child about online safety, get building with LEGO bricks and discover what your child really knows about being digitally savvy. Who knows, maybe they’ll surprise you…

Online interactions and cyberbullying: Let’s build a monster

Prompt your child to build a monster out of LEGO bricks – big, small, cute, scary – it’s up to them! This monster represents that unknown person on the other end of the online messages or the hateful words and comments that may come your child’s way through cyberbullying.

Take this opportunity to talk to your child about cyberbullying; what they think it means and if they’ve ever encountered this malicious behavior before. Reenact with your LEGO minifigures and monster, and let your child take the lead. Work and play together to find positive solutions on how to deal with online trolls.

Try to address a variety of potential online dangers – for example, people pretending to be someone they know to steal personal information. It sounds deep, but now is the chance to get these complex topics out in the open while embracing the fun of play.