It's cool to be kind
Interland:
Kind Kingdom
Vibes of all kinds are contagious, for better or for worse. In the sunniest corner of town, aggressors are running amok, spreading negativity everywhere. Block and report the aggressors to stop their takeover and be kind to other Internauts to restore the peaceful nature of this land.
Discussion topics
Have your children play Kind Kingdom and use the questions below to prompt further discussion about the thematics learned in the game.
- What scenario in Kind Kingdom do you relate to most and why?
- Describe a time when youʼve taken action to spread kindness to others online.
- In what situation would it be appropriate to block someone online?
- In what situation would it be appropriate to report someoneʼs behavior?
- Why do you think the character in Kind Kingdom is called an aggressor? Describe this characterʼs qualities and how their actions affect the game.
- Did playing Kind Kingdom change the way you plan to behave toward others? If so, how?
Search engines have a safe search filter to prevent children coming into contact with inappropriate content. Only search results that are appropriate for the whole family are shown. This filter is enabled as follows:
Bing: in the upper right corner, click Settings and then Safe Search to enable the filter (you can choose “moderate” and “strict”).
Google: click Settings > Search settings in the lower right corner. Select Turn on SafeSearch.
Yahoo: in the upper right corner, click Settings > Search Preferences and choose SafeSearch mode ("moderate "or "strict").
YouTube also has a mode to filter inappropriate content. Click your account icon in the upper right corner > Restricted Mode and activate. Or you can download the YouTube Kids app on your smartphone, tablet or smart TV. This app is aimed at children aged between 3 and 12 and contains child-friendly videos only.
Your mobile device and computer have built-in features to make your children's internet use safer. Parental controls are enabled as follows:
Android: Settings > Users > Add user or profile > Restricted profile.
iPhone: Settings > General > Restrictions > enable Restrictions.
Mac OSX: Apple menu > System preferences > Parental controls.
Windows 10: Start > Settings > Update & Security > Windows Defender > Windows Defender security centre > Family options.
Monitoring tools also exist (software for parental controls such as Net Nanny, Screen Time or Norton Family) which help you to monitor (or restrict) the time your children spend online and which sites they visit. These tools allow you to restrict access to certain sites or content. Bear in mind they are not a miracle cure for parents, the most important thing is to explain to your children how and why you use these tools, so that it doesn't feel as if you don't trust them or worse still, are violating their privacy.