As the new school year begins, the FBI Denver Division is announcing that the Internet Challenge is open for the 2023-24 school year at sos.fbi.gov.

Students are spending more time on the Internet, whether for school, social media, or leisure activities. Technology continues to advance and there are steps that educators, parents, adults, and kids can take to be successful and safe online.

The free FBI Safe Online Surfing (SOS) program includes age-specific materials for third to eighth grade. The program is a series of grade-appropriate online games that allow kids to have fun while also learning online lessons.

The (SOS) Internet Challenge teaches cyber safety and helps children become better digital citizens in a fun and engaging way. The program covers topics like cyberbullying, passwords, malware, social media, and more. While taking the course, students guide a robot avatar through six thematic areas, answering true/false, multiple choice, and matching questions along the way. After completing all levels, students can take a final exam.

In the latest version of the program, students experience a more modern and mobile-responsive gaming experience as they make their way through the course. Most important, this update addresses and reflects the latest threats kids might face online. The SOS activities and resources are open to anyone. Parents, after-school providers, and youth coaches will find materials to help them train kids to be safe online.

The SOS Challenge is used widely by schools throughout the United States. During the 2022-23 school year, 19,735 schools participated in the challenge, with more than 1.6 million students nationwide completing the program.

To participate in the testing and national competition, a teacher must register eligible classes from any public, private, or home school that has at least five students and is in the United States. A secure online system lets teachers manage their classes, automatically grades students’ exams, and provides the test scores. Each month during the school year, the classes with the top exam scores nationwide receive an FBI SOS certificate and will be congratulated by local FBI personnel.

Teachers manage their students’ participation in the program; the FBI does not collect or store any student information. The SOS program’s curriculum meets state and federal Internet safety mandates.

This program can help children:

• Explore what good online etiquette looks like.
• Manage cyber bullies.
• Show the importance of good passwords and double authentication.
• Download safely – either a new app or game on your phone.
• Screen friend requests in a responsible way.
• See the dangers of plagiarism and privacy violations.
• Limit the information they put online.

For all Colorado or Wyoming media inquiries or interview requests on the FBI’s Safe Online Surfing Internet Challenge, please contact FBIDN_PublicAffairs@fbi.gov.