ESA Foundation Helps Distribution Of Internet Safety Game

Youth focused nonprofit Web Wise Kids has announced plans to provide materials outlining internet safety to California elementary students, thanks in part to a grant from the Entertainment Software Association's ESA Foundation. The age-appropriate internet safety packets will be distributed to approximately 600 students at the Citrus Heights Elementary School near Sacramento, CA. The school requested assistance from the California Coalition for Children's Internet Safety to provide internet safety education for their students over summer break, given that most of these children will be spending more time unsupervised. Included in the materials, designed for children ages 11 and older, will be the game Missing, the flagship program from Web Wise Kids, which is “dedicated to empowering today's youth to make wise choices online.” The game casts players as a detective with the goal of finding a young boy named Zack, who “spent hours in chat rooms and then disappeared.” According to Web Wise Kids, the game has already “reached millions of youth across the country.” In addition, the package will also offer parents an e-learning program called Wired With Wisdom, which they can use to download information to assist them in protecting themselves and their children online. "June is Internet Safety Month, and we are pleased to be part of a program that will help kids recognize the warning signs of danger in the digital age. We look forward to helping Web Wise Kids protect children and seeing online predators brought to justice," commented newly elected ESA president Michael D. Gallagher. "Games can be powerful teaching tools and we are honored to support projects like this that use games to teach, educate, and prepare kids to succeed in the real world game of life."