Be Internet Citizens

ISD works with Google and other partners to build young people’s resilience to hate and extremism online.

Social media is shaping the way we view the world and our place in it. Today’s young people are digital natives and have the power to use social media to create positive change.

Be Internet Citizens is a programme for teenagers aged 13–15, delivered in partnership with YouTube Creators for Change, Beatfreeks and expert youth facilitators. Be Internet Citizens aims to increase young people’s digital resilience and citizenship skills by empowering them to stay safe online. It covers topics such as fake news, filter bubbles, ‘us’ vs ‘them’ argument and scapegoating.

The programme includes:

  • Interactive school workshops delivered to 150-200 students per workshop. Our latest evaluation shows that 71% of young people felt they would behave differently online as a result of being taught this programme.
  • Train the Trainer sessions delivered to teachers and youth workers who are then empowered to deliver the curriculum to their students. This is accompanied by a Unit of Work for teachers and a Community Toolkit for youth workers.
  • Flagship training in key locations across the UK, bringing together policymakers, teachers, students and youth workers for a main event to share the power of the programme.

Since 2017, Be Internet Citizens has reached over 35,000 students and teachers across the UK. Our latest impact report shows significant positive increase across all impact measures of knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviours, as well as high scores on process related questions around enjoyment and overall impact.

For more information and resources see the Be Internet Citizens website.

Yesterday Google and ISD delivered their superb ‘Internet Citizens’ workshop at @academy_manorc, teaching teenagers about media literacy, critical thinking and digital citizenship. Very thought provoking stuff!Paula Sherriff MP, Shadow Minister for Health

Be Internet Citizens resources

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ISD’s Education team

Henry Tuck
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Henry Tuck

Head of Policy & Programmes,

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Henry Tuck
Henry Tuck

Head of Policy & Programmes,

Henry Tuck is Head of Policy & Programmes at ISD for work across Europe and the Five Eyes countries. He is responsible for the overall management of the Institute’s research programme, including oversight of all publications, research methods, and ethics across a variety of topics, from disinformation to the far-right and extremism online. Henry also leads ISD’s policy-focused work to counter online harms in collaboration with a range of key stakeholders, advising leading governments, international organisations and major private sector tech companies. He is the co-author of ISD reports An imprecise science: Assessing interventions for the prevention, disengagement and de-radicalisation of left and right-wing extremists, The Counter-Narrative Monitoring & Evaluation Handbook, Shooting in the right direction: Anti-ISIS Foreign Fighters in Syria and Iraq, and The Counter-narrative Handbook. Henry holds a Masters in International Conflict Studies from Kings College London, and a BA in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from Durham University.
Jennie King
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Jennie King

Senior Policy Manager

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Jennie King
Jennie King

Senior Policy Manager

Jennie King is a Senior Policy Manager at ISD. She supports programme design, policy outreach and strategy across the organisation. Jennie previously served as MENA Regional Director Arts, Assistant Country Director Egypt and Co-Director Hungary for the British Council, the UK’s international body for cultural relations. She also served as an Attaché for the Guatemalan Diplomatic Mission. She is the co-author of the ISD report Hoodwinked: Coordinated Inauthentic Behaviour on Facebook. Jennie read Arabic and Spanish at Pembroke College, Cambridge, receiving a Foundation Scholarship and the Marie Shamma’a Frost Prize for Oriental Studies.
Josh Phillips
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Josh Phillips

Project Manager

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Josh Phillips
Josh Phillips

Project Manager

Josh Philips is a Project Manager at ISD, where he supports the development, delivery and evaluation of ISD's digital citizenship projects. Through these projects, he has written unique, accredited curricula, which have been used to teach thousands of students across the UK and Europe, as well as to train hundreds of teachers. Josh has also supported the Education team’s policy engagement, including having briefed the UK Home Secretary on ISD’s digital citizenship programming. Previously, Josh worked on the US and the Americas Programme at Chatham House and completed the Teach First Leadership Development Programme. He has co-authored and published impact reports, as well as a toolkit for NGOs to design their own digital citizenship projects. He is the co-author of the ISD reports Digital Citizenship Education: Programming Toolkit, Young Digital Leaders 2019: From Safety to Citizenship Online, and the Be Internet Legends and Be Internet Citizens: Impact Report. Josh holds an MSc in International Politics from SOAS University of London as well as a BA in English Literature from Leeds University.