Meta wants to teach kids how to spot predators online

Meta has partnered with the nonprofit organization Childhelp to create a curriculum that will teach middle schoolers how to recognize forms of online exploitation, such as sextortion scams and grooming. The curriculum was “fully funded” by Meta and is free for any school, parent, or organization to access.

Meta says the curriculum consists of lesson plans, interactive classroom activities, and videos to help kids “navigate both the online and offline world safely.” It was developed with child safety experts from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, the Department of Homeland Security, the nonprofit organization Thorn, Purdue University, and the Crimes against Children Research Center.

Childhelp is an organization that assists neglected and abused children. It also aims to increase awareness about child abuse.

“At Meta, we continue to do all we can to protect young people on our apps,” Antigone Davis, Meta’s global safety head, said in the press release. “Those protections will be even more effective if teens also feel confident in spotting potential harms and know where to go for help.”