LEGO and DQ Institute for Safer Internet Day
As a key part of the partnership, the LEGO Group today launched a new interactive, fun and safe learning experience based on the DQ framework developed by the DQ Institute. The experience was co-designed by the institute and the LEGO Group, to convey fundamental skills of digital empathy to children at a time when, like never before, they are spending more time online.
The interactive experience can be found at www.LEGO.com/kids-saferinternetday, and will help children explore the meaning of digital empathy and why it is so important, helping them to be aware, sensitive and supportive of their own feelings and those of others , but also to online needs and concerns. During this fun and accessible learning experience, LEGO Minifigures will present children with a series of issues they may encounter in the digital world: cyberbullying scenarios, online mobs and the spread of disinformation, explained in a simple and immediate way. Based on their answers, children will be awarded the status of hero of online empathy. The experiment makes the subject of digital empathy easy and accessible to understand.
Digital citizenship skills, including digital empathy, are very important for having positive experiences in the online world. Digital empathy is one of the fundamental skills of digital citizenship: in fact, it helps children understand how their online communication could impact others. It has been shown, thanks to DQI research, that children with high digital intelligence (DQ) scores are less likely to be involved in cyberbullying incidents or face other types of cyber risks.
Cause restrictions, children spend more time online, and this year's Safer Internet Day is incredibly important in drawing attention to these issues, especially in light of the 45% of children ages 8-12 who report have been affected by cyberbullying in the past.
Yuhyun Park, founder of the DQ Institute and international expert in digital skills and children's online safety, says:
“We and the LEGO Group share hope that children can be good digital citizens, that they can minimize cyber risks and maximize their potential in the digital world. This is why we are so happy to work with the LEGO Group, great experts in communicating with children. We hope that the playful experience we design together will help empower children to make the internet a better place for them in the future ”
The LEGO Group is the first toy manufacturer to partner with the DQ Institute to promote learning digital empathy among children. The company has worked closely with the DQI to create an experience in line with the DQ framework, the first global standard for digital literacy, digital skills and digital readiness (IEEE 3572.1-2020).
For example, each of the four new heroes of Safer Internet Day is closely linked to the digital empathy skills that the DQ Institute recommends children to develop:
Sir Hug-A-Lot (which sounds in Italian hugging-a-lot type), which embodies online empathy Butterclops (in Italian Ranuncolo, flower known for the characteristics of elegance in simplicity), chosen to represent online self-awareness AeroVision, designed to help children recognize the point out of sight of other people Admiral Highfive (Admiral give me-the-five in Italian), a character created to talk about kindness online
So says Kathrine Kirk Muff, VP of social responsibility from the LEGO Group:
“Helping children understand how to stay safe and be kind to others online has never been more important. We at the LEGO Group know that children learn best when they play and we believe we are in the ideal position to help them explore important topics such as digital empathy in a playful and engaging way. This new experience is only the beginning of our collaboration with the DQ Institute. Together we share the ambition to provide children, and also parents, with the knowledge, tools and skills necessary to build a generation of responsible digital citizens "
