K-12 Cyber Awareness Month – Week #1 – Social Media, Gaming and the Metaverse (Transcript)
The K-12 Cyber Awareness Month campaign logo for 2022 appears.
The logo is inspired by a comic book design with lively colours, yellow, blue, pink, green and white. The black text “2022 K-12 CYBER AWARENESS MONTH” appears just below the centre and slightly to the left of the screen. The white text “BE A CYBERHERO!” appears at the centre of the screen and the white text “October 2022” appears at the bottom of the screen at the same time, followed by white stars and yellow lightning images surrounding the texts.
A different comic book background appears with the lively colours of purple, turquoise, yellow, green, red, orange, and blue. The white text “Week 1: Social Media, Gaming and the Metaverse” appears in the centre.
On the same background the previous text is replaced with “Starring: Niko”.
Scene 1 – Check/verify your social media and gaming connections
Scene – Niko is in his room playing on his tablet. He is wearing a headset with a mic.
<Narration> Niko enjoys playing interactive games with others online. In this game, he is able to confirm two of the players as his friends from school, by recognizing their avatars, pseudo name and voice.
Scene – The tablet screen shows three players with different avatars (Niko and his two friends) playing in an open public group. A fourth avatar of a young girl named Akon appears.
<Narration> A new player, Akon, has joined the game and proceed to interact with Niko and his friends.
Scene – Screen from above is split in two with a new screen appearing on the right of Akon (an adult) in a hood on his computer in his basement (it is the individual behind the young girl’s avatar). A thoughts bubble appears next to Akon’s head “Let me try to connect with Niko”. Akon’s computer screen shows the four avatars.
<Narration> Akon is actually not who she says she is.
Scene – Niko’s tablet screen receives a friend request popup from Akon. It says “Hi Niko, I’m Alex’s sister. Friend me so we can play together”
<Narration> Hi Niko, I’m Alex’s sister. Friend me so we can play together
Scene – Niko looking puzzled and a thoughts bubble appears with question marks
<Narration> Niko is puzzled. He doesn’t recognize the name. He knows an Alex from school but isn’t sure if he has a sister.
Scene – Page showing Niko as a super hero and on screen it says “What should Niko do?” The following text also appears ‘Accept Akon’s friend request or reject it?’
<Narration> Should Niko accept or reject Akon’s friend request? If you said reject it, that is the right thing to do.
Scene – Show a screen with the following text “Tip 1: Do not accept friend requests from strangers”
<Narration> If you receive a friend request from someone you do not know or you cannot confirm their true identity, do not accept it. If in doubt seek help from an adult you trust.
Scene 2 – Be careful what you post online including pictures
Scene – Niko in his room. His mother walks in.
< Niko’s mom> Niko are you packed yet to go visit grandma for the weekend?
<Niko> Yes. I just need to finish this game.
Scene – Niko’s tablet screen in a group chat. Niko writes “Guys, I have to leave soon, we’re leaving for the weekend”.
Scene – The screen splits again with Akon in his basement appearing on the right. A thought bubble appears “The home will be empty… perfect opportunity”
Scene – Page showing Niko as a superhero and on screen it says “Should Niko have announced his weekend getaway in a public forum?”
<Narration> Should Niko have announced that his family will be away for the weekend? If you said no, you are correct.
Scene – Show a screen with the following text: “Tip 2: Beware of what you share online”
<Narration> Be careful what you share online or post on social media. It could be used by people with bad intentions.
Scene 3 – Beware of fake appearances and how it may affect you
Scene – Niko at his grandma’s house looking through his smartphone. He is going through Instapic and comes across posts his friends made.
<Narration> Niko is at his grandma’s house on Instapic when he comes across posts his friends made.
Scene – A thought bubble from Niko “I wonder if I can lift a car myself.”
<Niko> I wonder if I can lift a car myself
Scene – Niko scrolls down to another image of a kid who appears to do a lot of traveling.
Scene – A thought bubble from Niko “He’s so lucky travelling to all those places!”
<Niko> He’s so lucky travelling to all these places. I wish I could do the same”.
Scene – Page showing Niko as a superhero and on screen it says “Should Niko believe these images?”
<Narration> Should Niko have believed these images to be real?
<Narration> Images on social media and the web can sometimes be fake and altered through filters. This can create unrealistic expectations in people seeing those images.
Scene – Show a screen with the following text: “Tip 3: Don’t believe everything you see on social media”
Narration> What you see on social media may not be real. If you feel that what you see affects you negatively, speak to a trusted adult.
Scene 4 – Virtual Reality and the Metaverse
Scene – Niko walks into his older brother’s bedroom and tries on his brother’s VR headset.
Niko – Wow, this is cool.
Scene – Niko accessing an App that says “Must be 18 years or older” He ignores the message and proceeds to play. He comes across different avatars interacting with one another.
Scene – One of the avatars approaches him and starts using inappropriate language making Niko uncomfortable. Add comment bubble to avatars like this:
<Narration> Niko is approached by a stranger who starts to use inappropriate language, making Niko uncomfortable and not knowing what to do.
Scene – Page showing Niko as a superhero and on screen it says “What should Niko do?”
<Narration> What should Niko do?
<Narration> If you said – exit the game and seek advice on how to use VR safely, you are correct.
Scene – Show a screen with the following text: “Tip 4: Beware of safety risks associated with VR headsets and the Metaverse”
<Narration> Virtual Reality headsets and the Metaverse can be fun but be cautious of safety risks. Follow health and safety guidelines, respect age restrictions, and set privacy settings. If unsure, seek help from a trusted adult. Also, parents can find privacy and safety information on manufacturers’ website.