VK and ANO "Digital Economy" launch a new season of the "Digital Educational Program" on security in messengers

VK and ANO "Digital Economy" with the support of the Ministry of Education of Russia and the Ministry of Finance of Russia are launching a new season of the educational project "Digital Educational Program". A lesson on "Safe communication in messengers" will be held for students of grades 1-11 from all over Russia and the CIS countries. The project materials are available on the official website: Digital Library.rf

The main characters of the lesson are the characters of the underwater city of Nizhneforetsk — blogger Anton Koryushkin and his classmate Belukha Olya. Together with them, students will learn how to set up secure login to the messenger using two-factor authentication, what the "Safe Mode" is for, as well as how the "Family Protection" set of settings helps parents ensure privacy for their children.

The lesson materials were verified by the Institute for the Study of Childhood, Family and Upbringing. A set of methodological materials has been prepared for teachers, which will allow them to conduct a lesson on "Safe communication in messengers" in classrooms with any level of technical equipment, both with and without computers.

For the new season of the "Digital Educational Program" in the educational space of Spheres, MAX has developed a quest in the mini-application "Path in the Network", which helps to develop information security skills among schoolchildren. Students can choose a hero and complete tasks based on real-life situations. Game mechanics will help them find out what consequences any action on the web leads to.

"The educational project "Digital Educational Program" is part of the systematic work of the Ministry of Finance of Russia to improve the level of digital literacy of the population and create a culture of safe behavior in the digital environment. In the context of the rapid growth of online communications, messengers often become a tool for fraud and the dissemination of false information. The new season of the project, dedicated to the rules of security in messengers, will help users learn how to protect personal data and master the basic principles of secure communication in the Internet space," comments Tatiana Trubnikova, Director of the Department for the Development of Digital Competencies and Education at the Ministry of Digital Affairs of Russia.

"Students need to know about modern technologies, digital security and literacy. In the new season of the Digital Educational Program, using the example of MAX messenger technologies, we introduce students to tools such as Safe Mode, Family Protection, and two-factor authentication. It is important that such projects are interactive: students will be able to consolidate their knowledge in a playful way in the Spheres app at MAX, completing tasks and checking how well they have learned the material," comments Anna Stepanova, VK's Deputy Vice President for Educational Projects.

"Today, messengers have become a key communication channel for millions of citizens, including children and teenagers. That is why it is so important to form a culture of informed and safe communication in the digital environment from an early age. The Digital Educational Program project helps to speak the same language with the younger generation, explain complex topics simply and instill sustainable digital hygiene skills that will be useful to children in their future professional activities and in everyday practice," says Yulia Goryachkina, Director of the Personnel for the Digital Economy department at ANO Digital Economy.

Digital Educational Program is an all—Russian educational project that helps children and adults improve digital literacy and learn more about cybersecurity on the web. It combines a series of educational animated videos and teaching materials for teachers that can be integrated into the learning process. The project is being implemented by the Ministry of Finance of Russia, the Ministry of Education of Russia and ANO Digital Economy in support of the federal project "Personnel for the Digital Economy" of the national project "Digital Economy", as well as the new national project "Data Economy".