As use of the internet becomes more acceptable in schools and expected at younger ages, cyber safety education is a necessity. While tablets, computers and smart devices are the norm at home and school for children, many students are not taught about the potential dangers faced while using technology. Shockingly, 40% of students in fourth through eighth grades have chatted with a stranger online, of those, 53% gave out their phone number to the stranger and 11% met with a stranger according to Children’s Internet Usage Study .

Statistics like these are the impetus behind the mission of the Center for Cyber Safety and Education and its city-wide educational event “Cyber Safety Day.” This one-day event, created by the nonprofit, educates elementary students to be responsible digital citizens.

On January 28, 2020, known globally as Data Privacy Day , the Center, along with generous business sponsors, provided free internet safety education via Garfield’s Cyber Safety Adventures Educator’s Kits to 105 schools and more than 10,500 third-grade students during Cyber Safety Day Tampa 2020 .

Each participating classroom received an educator kit which includes: a USB with cartoon lesson, comic books with activity pages, stickers, trading cards, pledge stickers, and parent letters for each student as well as a classroom pledge poster, Garfield poster and teacher lesson plan making it easy for teachers to provide a consistent message.

Growing each year, the same city-wide event was previously held in Orlando in 2019 and New Orleans in 2018 and positively impacted more than 6,500 and 2,300 children respectively.

As a cybersecurity professional, you can positively impact your community by volunteering (and receiving CPEs) to teach students the importance of cyber safety and order an educator kit .

Special thanks to Sponsors: AWS, KnowBe4, ColorFast, ComplyUp, Yum! Brands, Discrete Digital Forensics, LinkedIn Local Tampa, and Tampa Bay Tech.