An examination of a gamified approach to delivering cybersecurity and social media education

Young people are growing up immersed in a digital world. The internet shapes their daily lives and identities, offering opportunities for learning, communication, and creativity while exposing them to significant risks. Unlike previous generations, today’s children face online dangers, including privacy breaches, peer pressure, and inappropriate content. As a result, many parents and teachers are not suitably equipped with the appropriate knowledge to support their child or are unaware of what their child is going through. The Scottish Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) outlines digital literacy goals, but current teaching resources often lack engagement and contextual relevance. Teachers, already under strain, require curriculum-aligned tools that promote understanding without increasing workload. This paper reports on a response to that need by developing and evaluating a gamified educational resource that aligns with CfE, due to an absence of resources of this type. The study found that children’s knowledge increased following the use of the gamified resource and that it was preferred to traditional IT lessons.