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LEGO launches its “Small Builds for Large Conversations” initiative

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The LEGO Group is launching a new initiative to help parents talk to their children about online security and digital citizenship

The LEGO group recently launched Small Builds for Big Conversations, a series of creative challenges that provide parents and their children with an entertaining, guided way to talk about good digital citizenship and the importance of online security.

According to Kaspersky, parents spend only 46 minutes talking to their children about online risks throughout their childhood, as it is difficult for them to express the risks in a comprehensible manner. Small buildings for large conversations were created to remove these obstacles by making it easy and fun for parents to talk to children ages six to ten about digital safety and well-being while playing.

The "Build & Talk" challenges are based on LEGO brick characters that represent both the positive and negative aspects of online life. Parents and children are encouraged to build similar characters with LEGO bricks they have at home and to use play and conversation instructions to talk about digital wellbeing, safety, and possible dangers.

During the pandemic, more than 290 million children worldwide learned from home when schools were closed. As a result, online use has skyrocketed, and estimates show that screen time has quadrupled for many children by September. Therefore, it is more urgent and more important than ever that young children understand how to stay safe online. Busy parents have to have important conversations about the benefits and risks of visiting online without school.

Anna Rafferty, vice president of digital consumer engagement, said: “As a parent, I know that talking to your children about being a good digital citizen, as they understand it, is not always easy, as they are often driven by peer pressure and exciting digital ones Experiences are influenced. We have a long tradition of creating safe digital gaming experiences for children. That is why we wanted to give parents the confidence to get in touch with their children on this important topic.

"We understand the power of playful learning. That's why we made the conversations playful. LEGO bricks are great for stimulating imagination and storytelling. So if you build characters while speaking, the experience for parents and children will be more memorable and enjoyable "Today's young children will live their lives online and many will have their first digital experience before their first birthday. Being a good digital citizen is critical to their development."

The builds are available in three themed activity packs that include the following categories of weekly signs: "The Online Explorers" like "The Giggler", who likes to watch and make online videos, and "Watch-Outs" like "The Chameleon", which represents Strangers who pretend to be friends.

Each activity pack includes character building suggestions, points and questions that guide the conversation between parents and their children and help them engage in a natural conversation that leads to learning while playing. The content was developed in line with UNICEF digital security policies.

"Spending time with parents and talking openly about experiences online is the key to making children safe and happy online," said Andrew Mawson, director of children's rights and economics at UNICEF. "We welcome this timely initiative from the LEGO Group to make these discussions playful."