10 million children trained: what we've learned about delivering impact at scale
In November 2024, Be Internet Legends trained its 10 millionth UK primary-aged pupil. That's almost 70% of a generation reached with essential online safety and media literacy skills since 2018.
This milestone didn't happen by accident, it's the result of sustained investment and experience. The lessons we've learned aren't just about one programme but what makes scalable impact possible.
Here's what seven years of delivering Be Internet Legends has taught us about building programmes that work at scale.
Building Scalable Programmes
Reaching 10 million children required more than good intentions. It required focusing on four central foundations.
Evidence-Based Design
Be Internet Legends started with expert input from a consortium including the National Crime Agency's CEOP command and NSPCC, mapping the programme to Key Stage 2 curriculum requirements in computing and RSE from day one. But evidence-based design doesn't stop at launch - it requires continuous evaluation and iteration.
Independent research by Ipsos validates the approach. Children who received Be Internet Legends training are twice as likely to show improved understanding of internet safety. Their ability to spot suspicious, misleading or scam content increased threefold. And 7 in 10 children now know how to spot phishing online, up from just 2 in 10 before training.
The Institute for Strategic Dialogue's impact report confirms that Be Internet Legends "improved the fundamental digital citizenship capacities of participating young people, increasing their knowledge and confidence on key digital issues." Crucially, 83% of primary school children said they would behave differently online as a result.
Evidence doesn't just validate impact - it guides iteration. The ISD evaluation showed that the lesson model was most effective, with longer sessions and deeper engagement leading to greater knowledge gains. The dual approach of curriculum resources and assemblies created the most consistent engagement. We adapted accordingly.
Investing in People
Scalable impact multiplies through people, not just programmes. Be Internet Legends invested in presenters who delivered over 3,000 interactive assemblies - including 1,000 in 2019 alone - reaching school halls across the country. It invested in operations teams who built relationships with schools, creating the personal touch needed for initial momentum. And it invested in studio infrastructure and digital expertise that would later prove essential.
The most powerful investment, however, was in the teachers. Throughout the programme we brought teachers along with us: hosting consultation sessions, delivering teacher training on best practice and providing localised support for parental engagement.
People deliver programmes. Investment in people delivers scale.
Built for Adaptability
Sustained investment doesn't mean static programmes. It creates the foundation for rapid adaptation when new challenges emerge.
When COVID-19 hit, Be Internet Legends pivoted to digital delivery within weeks. New studio technology. Online assemblies. Digital curriculum resources. The programme delivered over 50 sessions with teachers and local authorities during 2020, giving them breathing room during an impossibly difficult time. Over 11,000 curriculum and wellbeing resources were downloaded that year alone.
The programme could only provide that support because years of investment had already built the brand recognition, developed the content and established the relationships. When families needed it most, Be Internet Legends was there and ready to adapt.
Post-COVID, the programme continued to evolve. An AI assembly for 7-11 year-olds responding to emerging risks. Updated assemblies reflecting new evidence. A hybrid virtual and in-person approach extending reach. The curriculum itself was digitised, following a Welsh translation in 2019. Yearly tours across Scotland and Northern Ireland making it truly UK-wide.
It's much easier to adapt and change approach whilst moving forward than from a standstill. That's what sustained investment enables.
Sustained Partnership
None of this would have been possible without Google's sustained commitment since 2018. Not a one-year grant or a short-term pilot. Seven years of partnership that allowed investment to compound.
Brand recognition builds over years. Expertise deepens through repeated delivery. Relationships strengthen through sustained engagement. The compounding effect is what makes 70% reach possible and it's only achievable through partnerships built for the long term, not the grant cycle.
Beyond Be Internet Legends
These four foundations aren't just theory. We're actively applying them across all our programmes, proving the foundations work in different contexts.
Everyday Digital
The Everyday Digital programme puts the same principles into practice for families navigating digital life. It's evidence-based, people-focused, and built for scale.
The programme now operates through over 20 local champions across Kent's districts, demonstrating the model scales across local authority structures. Digital innovation multiplies reach: the Everyday Digital widget generated 50% more impressions (36,030) than direct website views (21,572), showing how smart design extends impact beyond traditional channels. (ED Evaluation Report)
But the real proof is in the people. Teachers like Dan Veal, a computing lead at Brickhill Primary School in Bedfordshire, exemplify why the train-the-trainer model works. As an Everyday Digital practitioner, Dan shifted his school's approach from "shock and scare tactics" to practical empowerment. The widget sits on the school homepage. Fortnightly updates reach families. Teachers who were previously wary of tech now lead classroom discussions. One parent, hesitant about TikTok alternatives, responded positively to a YouTube Kids resource.
One trained teacher. Dozens of families reached. The multiplication effect in action.
Be Internet Citizens
Our secondary age programme applies the same framework to teenagers and the evidence validates the approach.
Developed by YouTube and the Poynter Institute’s MediaWise, with input from an international team of media literacy experts, including Parent Zone, the programme was designed with credibility built in from the start. That expert foundation shows in the results: 82% of pupils are more likely to check multiple sources before believing something online and 100% of teachers said the delivery of the event was engaging and exceeded expectations.
The programme has been mentioned in Parliament as a standout media literacy initiative - recognition that evidence-based, people-focused, scalable approaches deliver results.
Child Financial Harms
Our partnership with Mental Health Innovations (MHI) demonstrates how the framework adapts to entirely new contexts. Working together, we developed insight sessions to understand the financial risks facing young people, then helped them to create bespoke training to equip MHI volunteers and clinical teams to recognise and respond to financial harms.
The training is integrated into existing systems and development opportunities, meaning results will be sustained beyond the grant lifetime. Through data-driven insight, youth engagement, and service innovation, the partnership is laying foundations for systemic improvements in how digital mental health services respond to financial vulnerability.
Same methodology. Different context. Sustained impact.
Why This Matters Now
The sector needs this model.
Government is calling for scalable media literacy initiatives. Ofcom emphasises the need for educator support infrastructure. Policymakers recognise that one-off interventions don't create lasting change - sustainable programmes delivered by trained professionals in their own settings do.
We've proven the model works. 10 million children trained. Measurable behavior change. Independent evaluation validation. Transferable methodology already working across multiple contexts.
But scalable impact requires sustained investment, not short-term grants. It requires partnerships built for years, not grant cycles. It requires patience for the compounding effect - brand recognition, deepening expertise, strengthening relationships - that makes 70% reach possible.
We've spent seven years learning how to deliver at scale. We're ready to apply those learnings to new challenges.
It's Always Been About the People
Ten million is an extraordinary number. But behind it are people: teachers who deliver sessions in their classrooms. Youth workers who facilitate difficult conversations. Parents navigating impossible decisions. Partners like Google who sustain investment over years, not months. Team members past and present who built the infrastructure, adapted to challenges, and never lost sight of why this work matters.
Dan Veal, our Everyday Digital practitioner, puts it simply: "This isn't just about digital safety - it's about empowering families and showing that tech can be a force for good."
That's always been the goal. Not just keeping children safe online, but helping families thrive in the digital age. Not just delivering programmes, but building infrastructure that lasts.
Ten million children is the beginning, not the end.
Building scalable impact is timely, important, and achievable - when done right, with the right people, and with partners committed to the long term.