New kid-oriented show aims to teach kids how to be smart, alert, strong, kind, and brave online
Following its partnership
announcement to further strengthen efforts in educating Filipino kids and
families about internet safety and digital responsibility, the Philippines’
leading home broadband and digital service provider PLDT Home and Google joined
forces in creating a kid-oriented video series online.
The Be Internet Awesome online series combines animation and live
action — featuring Gen Alpha whiz Sam and his trusty friend Robo-berto in
fun-filled yet enlightening adventures on how to be smart, alert, strong, kind,
and brave online. The series is based on the values of Google’s Be Internet
Awesome global program and is directed by Manny Angeles, an award-winning
director and producer of kid-oriented and animated shows.
Available in both English and Filipino in the Philippines, Be Internet Awesome aims to teach
children the fundamentals of leading a digital life which includes what kind of
information to post on social media and how to deal with cyberbullying among
others. This is part of the many efforts of Google to
help keep people safe online.
“Our children are true digital
natives. They grew up with the internet and everything the digital world has to
offer. But as they broaden their horizons for discovery and learning, it also
exposes them to risks and dangers,” said Jeremiah de la Cruz, Senior Vice
President and Head of Consumer Home Group, PLDT Inc. “Through this original
series, we at PLDT Home want to translate the teachings from Google’s Be
Internet Awesome program into an entertaining and practical show that children
can enjoy watching while learning about online safety early on.”
“PLDT Home’s partnership with Google
for Be Internet Awesome aligns with
our larger group-wide commitment: to strengthen customer-centricity. At PLDT,
we not only find ways to simplify technology and experience for our customers,
but we also strive to do business responsibly by putting their safety and
well-being at the forefront of all our products and services,” said Alfredo S.
Panlilio, President and CEO of PLDT Inc. And Smart Communications, Inc.
In 2021, PLDT also invested over P2
billion in cybersecurity and protection filtering. The country’s largest
integrated telco has since been very active in detecting, responding, and
preventing both domain and content-level access to child sexual abuse material
(CSAM) within the network. PLDT’s Child Protection Platform has blocked almost
300,000 URLs linked CSAM by the end of May and prevented more than a billion
attempts to access these illegal sites from November last year to May this
year.
“After launching
Be Internet Awesome in 2021 in the Philippines, we are glad to have found a
like-minded partner in PLDT who champions the same values when it comes to
protecting kids online. Through PLDT and more potential partners in the future,
we hope to scale Be Internet Awesome and provide more families with a practical
way of teaching digital safety and wellness to their children so they can
become responsible, confident explorers of the online world,” said Bernadette
Nacario, Country Director of Google Philippines.
The Be Internet Awesome online series
will premiere on the PLDT Home YouTube channel on July 8, 2022.