The Prince Mohamed bin Salman Foundation (MiSK) and Google launched Tuesday an initiative to promote the best practices and knowledge to Saudi youth on how to act smartly and safely online.

With the Saudi Ministry of Education’s support, We Are All Online will see Google-trained staff from MiSK lead student assemblies in 50 public and private middle schools in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia during the second academic semester.

The programme leaders will teach students how to act responsibly and safely online using content developed and localized by Google for Saudi schools. We Are All Online will then expand to five other provinces by the beginning of the next academic year.

Speaking at the programme’s launch in Riyadh, Minister of Education Ahmed Al Eissa reiterated the importance of information security especially among today’s youth and the education system’s role in spreading digital awareness.

The Minister also called upon the students who attended the launch to engage with the programme’s trainers and content to make sure they get the best of the initiative. He also expressed his optimism for Kulluna Online.

MiSk secretary general Badr bin Mohamed Al Asaker said: “Given the notable growth of usage of the digital world whether through regular browsing or instant messaging applications, it was necessary that we find a creative initiative to spread awareness on digital safety. Kulluna Online was the product of MiSK’s belief that the Internet has become one of the most important languages of our time and a necessary tool for development. The programme aims to spread digital awareness and to keep up with the latest global practices which ensure safe Internet browsing.”


“We are excited to launch the We Are All Online National Digital Awareness Program here in Saudi Arabia. With our partners at MiSK and the Ministry of Education, we want to equip young Saudis with the best practices and knowledge on how to get the best of the web while acting responsibly and safely online. These assemblies will leave a lasting impact on students and will lead to an even better and safer online community in Saudi Arabia,” said Sam Blatteis, Google head of Government Relations and Public Policy for the Gulf.

Deputy Minister of Education Dr Mohamed Attia Alharthi said: “This programme targets students in both primary and secondary schools and will include hour-long assemblies in each school. It will be executed over four academic semester and we expect that 10,000 students across 50 schools will benefit from the first phase of Kulluna Online,” he added.

Drawing from everyday-situations and questions young children face online, the content of the assemblies is based on a gamified experience that would help popularize the memorable key insights from the programme.

The key pillars of We Are All Online include the following:

-    Post wisely: The assembly will encourage students to think thoroughly before sharing something online.
-    Stay secure: Students will learn how to keep their belongings online (pictures, passwords, documents, etc.) secure.
-    Know your settings: Teachers will walk students through how to navigate and adjust their settings to keep their devices and accounts secure.
-    How to avoid fraud and identity theft: The programme will help students become more critical of what they see on the web and to seek advice from parents and students.
-    Importance of being positive online: The programme aims to promote a positive online community where students can feel safe.  

In addition to the school assemblies, the programme will have its own website where all the material will be available online for anyone to view in Saudi Arabia and beyond. – TradeArabia News Service