Dutch municipality asking kids to help fight cybercrime

The municipality of Krimpenerwaard asked children between the ages of 8 and 12 to help in the fight against cybercrime. The kids play a computer game that teach them about the dangers of the internet, with the idea that they will pass that knowledge on to their parents and grandparents, Omroep West reports.

The initiative emerged from a survey among residents, which showed that Krimpenerwaard residents are afraid of online scams and want to be better informed on this. Early this year, the mayor and police invited pupils from groups 5 to 8 to play the game. The children play cyber agents and have to answer questions about cyber crime and complete assignments.

According to mayor Roel Cazemier, the game was received with great enthusiasm. "Children learn faster and are more focused on using the internet., so we hope they can make their parents and grandparents streetwise," he said to Omroep West.

The current best player of the game is 11-year-old Keano. "Maybe because I want to become an IT specialist and I did my presentation about hacking," he said to the broadcaster. "My father already knows everything, but I can still teach my mother something. Like to avoid clicking on strange links."

8-year-old Lieve is also playing. "You can really learn something from it, for example what hackers do and how you can stop them," she said to the broadcaster. Her mother added that Lieve regularly points out suspicious things to her parents. "When I open a link on my phone, she says: that is not allowed, you shouldn't do that."