Students from Tuam in Co Galway will be amongst the first in the country to test a new computer game designed to spot the key signs of online grooming.
Some 400 students from Archbishop McHale College will log on to the multi-level quiz-based computer game called GroSafe.
These tech-savvy digital natives have already provided crucial feedback during the early stages of development, sharing what features they liked and offering opinions on where it could be improved.
The project funded by Taighde Éireann – Research Ireland.
The project is led by TU Dublin in collaboration with the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (ISPCC) and Trinity College Dublin.
GroSafe seeks to develop technology-enabled solutions to challenges in society like building resilience against grooming.
Head of Cybersecurity at TU Dublin and one of the team leaders Dr Christina Thorpe said the game "can prevent manipulation, exploitation, and abuse".
Dr Thorpe said this can be achieved "by actively combatting grooming through increasing awareness and encouraging reporting, thereby safeguarding children and empowering them to recognise and resist grooming tactics".
"Addressing grooming fosters a safer environment for children's growth and education," she said.
Head of Policy and Public Affairs at ISPCC Fiona Jennings said "child grooming profoundly affects the well-being of children and young people".
She said this demographic "must be protected from it".
"The lack of reporting on child grooming hampers our understanding of its true extent and impedes effective resource allocation," she said.
"We want to empower students to recognise and resist grooming tactics," she added.
The Unity computer game is still undergoing tests and trials, but the ultimate goal is for GroSafe to incorporate many more strands, including lessons on the role of pornography in young people's lives.
The team also wants to include the provision of supports to teachers and educators in delivering Relationships and Sexuality Education lessons in school.
Later this week, a group of up to 90 students from Educate Together Secondary School in Stepaside in Dublin will also test the new computer game and report back on how it can help to protect them online.
