BSI: Media package for teachers and parents on cybersecurity education

The German Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) has published a media package with worksheets and explanations for adolescents, teachers and parents. The package is intended to support the teaching of basic cybersecurity skills and is primarily aimed at 10 to 14-year-olds. All materials are freely available under the CC BY-NC license so that they can be used by educational professionals and parents/guardians with as few worries as possible. They may be reused provided the BSI is named as the author.

Material on three topics

The media package is intended to help raise young people's awareness of digital risks at an early stage and teach them how to use digital media safely. So far, there are worksheets and explanations on three topics: 1. smartphone and app security, 2. methods of cybercrime and malware, and 3. account protection. They can be downloaded individually or as a complete package. Three documents are available for each topic, written for the different target groups: worksheets for pupils, the accompanying material for educators, and the accompanying material for parents.

The worksheets link via QR codes to digital offers from the BSI, for example to further BSI information pages or videos. If teachers want to use the worksheets in lessons, pupils must be able to use the internet via end devices. According to the BSI, the materials are geared towards the lives of 10 to 14-year-olds and have been didactically prepared. They can be used in schools in a wide range of subjects and can also be used outside of school in adult education centers or youth centers.

Larissa Hänzgen, consumer protection expert at the BSI, explains the publication of the media package: "Cybersecurity is a fundamental part of digital education. Our aim is not only to make children and young people technically fit, but also to guide them safely through the digital world. With the new media package, we are providing teachers with a practical and structured tool with which they can impart knowledge and skills in the area of IT security sustainably." For parents, there is even more information available geared towards them. A BSI website for parents provides information on youth protection settings, smart toys and cyberbullying, among other things.

Prevention approach

As the BSI explains, 19 percent of 16 to 22-year-olds have already been affected by crime on the internet. This is according to the latest Cybersecurity Monitor 2025 . The 16 to 22-year-olds are the youngest group of respondents. The information now published by the BSI is therefore aimed at younger people.

(kbe)