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Recruiting teenagers for arson, terrorism, dangerous challenges, and posting trash content have become real threats to the safety of not only children but also the state.
Ukrainian teenagers are becoming targets of manipulators not only on TikTok and Telegram but also offline. According to the SBU (Security Service of Ukraine), in 2024, over 450 people suspected of arson and sabotage were arrested, about 22% of them were minors recruited by Russian intelligence agencies. Propagandists actively use bot networks and influencers to involve children in dangerous activities — from spreading misinformation to participating in real crimes.
It all starts innocently enough.. Children receive offers of ‘easy’ money on Telegram: to send or receive something via Nova Poshta. A simple task – 100, 200, or even 1000 UAH for earnings. But behind this is not just a part-time job, but Russian intelligence services,
— writes Natalia Pipa, Secretary of the Committee on Education of the Verkhovna Rada in her post on Facebook.
The course authors are Oksana Moroz — an expert in the information field, lecturer, and author of the popular book “How Not to Become a Vegetable,” and Kateryna Holtzberg — a child and family psychologist, President of the Professional Association of Child Analytical Psychologists. She is a laureate of the Ivan Franko Prize in the field of information activities.
Influencers, whom children perceive as authorities, often do not even realise that they are spreading messages of information psychological operations (IPSO). We cannot ban TikTok or Telegram, but we can teach children to think critically, to doubt, and to verify information,
— explains information hygiene expert Oksana Moroz.
The course was created by Unicorn School, which develops the idea of current knowledge and skills: only systematic, understandable, and modern education can truly give children the skills for self-defense in the information environment.
The educational course is available to anyone who wants to navigate the modern information world together with their child. It is designed for teenagers from 12 years old and their parents on the interactive, gamified platform Unicorn School, which was specially created for children and teenagers. The learning process resembles a computer game with bright characters, quests, and rewards — the engaging atmosphere and diverse content make the learning process as interesting as possible.
Click here to register for the free course.
According to a study by the London School of Economics, 65% of children under 14 are unable to distinguish fake news from reliable news on their own. Combined with social media algorithms, this creates a volatile environment where trash content becomes the norm, and teenagers become easy prey for manipulators. This is especially dangerous when children fall under the influence of disinformation, deliberately spread by Russian propagandists and unscrupulous “thought leaders.”
What will this course teach? Children will learn how to recognise fakes, manipulations, and informational injections, how to question suspicious information, and understand how TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram algorithms work. Parents will learn how to explain to their children what a fake is and why it is important to understand, how to calmly and without pressure talk to children about information risks, and how to protect the family in the digital environment. We initiated this project because we believe: only systematic, understandable, and modern education can truly give children self-defense skills in the information environment. And most importantly — it will help parents and teenagers start a conversation about online risks, not through bans, but through understanding and partnership,
— says Volodymyr Strashko, CEO of Unicorn School.
Teenagers can take the course entirely online and have access to it from any device – computer, tablet, or phone. They can open tasks easily and conveniently at any time, without any restrictions. All materials remain on the device, and all information will be available even after completing the course — you can always go back, repeat the lesson, or redo the tasks at any moment.
After completing the course, parents will be able to communicate more effectively with their children about the internet and social media, they will get ready-to-use tools for daily protection and the confidence that their child knows whom and why they should not trust in the online space. Take the first step towards your child’s digital safety.
— assures psychologist Kateryna Holtzberg.
