(Photo: Kelly Roche/QEW South Post)

Kids and the Internet.

Those four words are enough to make any parent cringe.

Peel Children’s Safety Village will be launching a new program Monday for Grade 5 students.

The youth cyber safety academy is an innovative, hands-on Internet safety lesson where students experience a real-life simulation playing a unique ‘capture the flag’ game on an iPad.

The app allows students to create personal profiles and test out a variety of skills and knowledge while chatting live with other students.

The focus is on keeping personal information private, positive and negative aspects of the Internet, and learning various lures online predators may use.

Students will also learn about cyber citizenship and how their online actions can affect others and themselves, now and in the future.

The program runs from October 2015 until June 2016 and teachers can book a class trip online. 

The academy is a joint venture with the public and Catholic school boards, and Sheridan College.

-Kelly Roche

@qewsouthpost