Be Internet Legends reaches 10 million UK children taught

The UK’s largest online safety education programme, Be Internet Legends, has reached a significant milestone, teaching essential online safety and media literacy skills to 10 million UK primary school children.

The landmark was reached during the Be Internet Legends Day assembly on 11 November, which was watched online by 250 UK schools.

Developed and delivered by Parent Zone in partnership with Google, the UK schools programme has achieved unprecedented scale and impact. It has embedded online safety and media literacy learning directly into classrooms through interactive assemblies and a free, comprehensive curriculum.

Partnership and sustained impact

Parent Zone’s expertise in adapting and delivering relevant, age-appropriate educational resources and events to UK primary schools has created a sustained impact model.

The ongoing collaboration with Google has enabled the programme to respond to emerging themes and the needs of educators and children.

In 2024, it launched a new assembly that explains AI to 7-11 year-olds – breaking down complex information into concepts that pupils could understand.

In 2022, media literacy skills were added across the curriculum’s 35 activities. This update – built on the five core pillars of the programme, to Be Sharp, Alert, Secure, Kind and Brave – introduced skills to help children think critically and act thoughtfully online.

In 2020, the programme adapted to deliver during the pandemic, with virtual online assemblies. This ensured that children who were being educated at home, with an unprecedented reliance on technology, continued to learn these invaluable skills.

Be Internet Legends: milestones

2018 – The Be Internet Legends curriculum, in-school assemblies and Interland game launch

2020 – Virtual, interactive livestreamed Be Internet Legends assemblies introduced

2021 – The Legends Family Adventure film series in partnership with Aardman premieres

2022 – Updated and fully-digitised curriculum published, featuring new media literacy learning

2023 – The Safer Internet Day virtual assembly is joined by 150,000 pupils live across the UK

2024 – A new AI assembly, designed to build AI literacy in children, launches in schools

2025 – Programme passes 10 million UK children taught

Effective, evidence-based

The recent landmark shows that it really is possible to reach a generation – with 69% of children within relevant age groups having been taught to be ‘Internet Legends’.

This has been done by bringing together local and global expertise to develop evidence-based, future-proofed resources. Partners in developing the curriculum include the PSHE Association, NCA-CEOP, and leading media literacy specialist Faith Rogow.

The programme is proven to be effective. Independent evaluation found that children are twice as likely to show an improved understanding of internet safety than those who haven’t received the training.*

With the government calling to “arm” young people with media literacy and AI literacy, Be Internet Legends is ready to help the next generation of children become safer and confident explorers of the online world too.

_{*Data based on research commissioned by Google and run by Ipsos from April to July 2021 among 1,638 primary school pupils in years 3-6 at 16 schools in the UK where Google has carried out Be Internet Legends online safety training. For more details, visit}_{http://assets.ipsos-mori.com/cx/beinternetawesome/}