KPMG cyber security professionals from 45 countries around the world led classroom sessions aimed at educating young students about the importance of cyber security and internet risk. The sessions were held during October and November and reached 80,000 students, including over 1,500 children in Jersey.
The learning sessions in Jersey were aimed at 11-16-year olds and provided students and their parents with vital tools to stay safe and secure online. The lessons were delivered by KPMG’s Jersey digital team and, in particular, the young digital apprentices who are currently employed by and training with KPMG whilst studying for digital degrees at Exeter University.
Seven secondary schools in Jersey benefitted; VCJ, JCG, Haute Vallée, Le Quennevais, De La Salle College, Grainville, and Beaulieu. The team found that the majority of children were competent at identifying spam and fake applications, however approximately a quarter did not have their privacy settings active on their social media profiles and more than a third admitted to knowing their parents’ passwords.
In a digital age where many young people are logging long hours of screen-time, KPMG believes it is critical that government bodies, parents, teachers, organisations and industry experts all work together to arm them with the information they need to stay safe online and offline.
According to the Children’s Internet Study, conducted by The Centre for Cyber Safety and Education, 40 percent of kids have connected or chatted with a stranger online; with 53 percent of those kids having revealed their phone number to a stranger. Alarmingly, the same study found that of those that admit to chatting with strangers online, 11 percent met with a stranger and 6 percent revealed their home address.
Robert Kirkby, Head of Digital, KPMG in the Channel Islands, says:
“Cyber security is something that everyone in business or in their personal life needs to be very aware of. The KPMG cyber security lessons provided a real opportunity for young students to engage with individuals who have deep skills and knowledge about the issues facing this generation. We all play a role in helping to ensure the business leaders of tomorrow are cyber safe and aware.”
Ozzy Parkes, teacher of Computer Science at Victoria College, says:
“In the technological world we live in, it is essential that young people are equipped with the skills to safely utilise all types of technology without the fear of having their data or devices compromised. The session run by the cyber security experts from KPMG has provided evidence of real world applications to many of the theoretical lessons students will also receive as part of their education at Victoria College.”
