72% of families affirm that their sons and daughters spend between 1 and 6 hours a day on the Internet, according to Google data within the framework of Safer Internet Day 2022. In a scenario in which children spend so much time in
front of screens
, YouTube Kids together with El Reino Infantil launched “Bartolito's Adventures on the Internet”, a 5-chapter series that promotes learning healthy habits online for the little ones.
In the series - already available on the channel - the characters from La Granja de Zenón transmit messages, concepts and advice represented in everyday and simple situations so that boys and girls can learn to explore the digital world.
There,
the rooster Bartolito is the protagonist
of situations in which the wolf Beto tries to trick him to obtain photos, or steal passwords.
“The audiences this series is aimed at consume screens.
So, knowing that
the multiplicity of screens is increasing
and that the number of hours that children are exposed to audiovisual content is increasing, we think what can we do to promote safe browsing and encourage alertness to reach those audiences? ?”, Belén Igarzábal, a doctor in Social Sciences and a FLACSO researcher who was involved in the development of the script, tells Clarín.
How Bartolito and Lola the cow teach children to use the Internet better.
Photo: YouTubeKids.
The challenge of this project was
to “download” complex information
such as everything that has to do with online safety into content that children of, for example, 3 years old or older can hear and understand.
With the series they sought to tell relevant information in an
everyday format
for children: "It is not told by an adult, but rather it is in a language that children consume and entertain themselves on a daily basis, with a story that identifies them."
Another challenge was for the characters in question to maintain their personality: “That was very important, because both the cow Lola, Bartolito and the wolf Beto have a very marked personality, with which the children feel identified.
And here you are putting them to give a message;
I think we reached the
right balance
where the message is understood and it is fun,” says Paula Lavinia, Head of Publishing & Operations of the Children's Kingdom.
Also, they say that they had to think about how to
“digitize” the farm
, that is, how to bring electronic devices to that setting without making it strange.
Accompany
In these shorts,
Lola the cow assumes the voice of “responsible adult
. ”
Igarzábal points out that this role is key, because boys and girls must feel confident in consulting with elders how to handle themselves in uncomfortable or difficult situations.
“We seek to ensure
that children are protected
by someone and have someone to talk to.
That is why we seek to open up the family: the recipient is not only the boy or girl watching this, but also opens up to that mother, father, uncle, aunt who is listening and can return to this with questions such as: Is there any situation that concerns you? makes you feel uncomfortable?
Do they ask you for information that you don't know whether to give?”
Lavinia indicates that “from the Kingdom we try to ensure that children feel
identified
without any drop in line from the brand.
We seek to open the doors to reflection and talk to their parents or the responsible adult so that they can talk and think together about the correct path.
We try to give advice, and push them to share with their families all the uncertainties that everyday things generate, in this case, in the field of online security.”
Belén highlights that the message of security and care is present without the need for so much “good/bad” dichotomy: “We tried to reflect everyday life, in which there are
situations that are 'gray'
, and not everything is so dichotomous (as a 'super bad hacker').
These things also happen to older people, maybe you post a photo and maybe you exposed yourself too much, but you don't realize it, and that was sought to be reflected in the series.
So, I highlight these tensions, which happen to adults and children constantly;
And that's where it's key to ask for help, to think about what repercussions that has."
And he illustrates: “It is easy to explain that no one gives you candy on the street, but there are situations that require some questioning, and it is key to teach that in these tensions you have to seek help from a responsible adult.”
Online security
This study showed that the main concern that parents have in relation to the safety of children online is grooming
,
since 22% of those surveyed placed it number one in the ranking.
Furthermore, 82% of those surveyed in Argentina stated that they had had some conversation with their children about this topic.
Karina Szmulewicz, Manager of Strategic Alliances for YouTube Family & Learning, tells
Clarín
that they register greater interest from families in addressing these issues, thinking about
how to accompany the little ones in the safe use of the Internet
and generating healthy digital habits during childhood .
This - they say from Google - was
reflected in Google searches
during the last year (2023), since some of the most popular questions were: "how to control children's screen time", "how to avoid screen time of children” and “what effects does technology have on children”.
5 pillars of digital security
The series was based on the concepts of the five pillars of Be Great on the Internet, Google's platform that provides games and resources to teach children to explore the online world.
These pillars focus on different
digital security
concepts :
Share carefully:
Raise awareness about being careful when sharing information by treating online communications as if they were a face-to-face conversation.
In addition, it focuses on not disclosing personal data of your own, family or friends.
Don't fall into traps:
Highlight that people and situations online are not always what they seem, and it is important to learn to distinguish what is real from what is fake.
Protect your secrets:
focuses on the importance of protecting personal information and creating sufficiently secure passwords.
Being kind is great:
Apply the concept of "treating others how we want to be treated" in all online actions.
If you have questions, ask:
highlight the importance of maintaining an open and trusting dialogue with responsible adults.