Today's children are growing up in a digital age, exposing them to all the wonders and dangers that the internet brings. It's important to educate children about online safety: content, scams, and the people who inhabit it. What better way to do that then through games?

Many children love video games and parents should know about them too. We're going to detail some free games that educate children on the modern dangers of being online, while letting them have some fun at the same time too.

1. Interland

Trust Google to go all out when it comes to building awesome online experiences. Interland is part of Google's Be Internet Awesome Program, which has lots of great resources for parents and teachers to educate children about internet safety.

This game lets children play as a little robotic Internaut, learning all about cyberbullying, phishing, data protection, and more. This is taught through a variety of mini-games that are spread out across floating islands.

The educational content of this game is great, but kids are sure to love it because of its high production values and genuinely fun games. They might not even realize they're learning while having fun.

2. Cyber Defense Quiz

With a fun superhero theme, the aim of Cyber Defense Quiz is to answer as many questions as possible in order to unlock the colorful cast of superheroes and villains.

The quiz teaches children about a range of safety topics, like email attachments, password strength, cyber crime, and much more.

While the questions on offer are great, it's best to play this alongside your children. That's because it doesn't explain why an answer is wrong, so it's helpful if an adult can be on hand to help explain.

Once this quiz has been exhausted, there are more games featuring similar characters at The Carnegie Cyber Academy.

3. The Case of the Cyber Criminal

Who knew that cyber criminals shopped at Spymart? This game's fun concept has children answering quiz questions in order to take down a cyber criminal. For each question answered correctly, players can remove a dangerous gadget from the criminal's suitcase.

The main theme of this multiple-choice quiz is protecting against online theft. That involves practices like using strong passwords, knowing who you're talking to, and keeping software like antivirus scanners up to date. Between the questions there's a simple dexterity challenge---click the criminal's face as it moves between the screens in order to answer the next question.

This one has some fun music and a simple cartoon style. Children are sure to enjoy the spy themes and giggle at the silly James Bond-style gadgets in the suitcase. At the same time, it's also great at teaching about protecting personal information.

4. Band Runner

Internet safety aside, Band Runner is a fun game in its own right. Children choose to play as Ellie or Sam and must time their jumps correctly to help them avoid obstacles. They can also use their guitars to help demolish the blockers---Ellie and Sam are on their way to a gig, after all!

If an obstacle isn't cleared, Ellie or Sam will trip and fall. Children must then answer a 50/50 question before they can continue, like whether it's safe to share videos or tell someone your age.

The game speeds up after each level, which offers an exciting challenge that is sure to hook children who want to reach the end. All the time they play, they're learning about internet safety.

5. Internet Safety Hangman

Everyone knows how to play Hangman! This version of the classic game aims to teach children about how to talk to others online and what sort of information you shouldn't share online.

With only ten questions, you can complete it fairly quickly. In addition to teaching best practices, like not telling someone your age, this quiz goes the extra mile and also defines terms like "link" and "chatting".

Children can keep going until they reach 100 percent, or until the hangman is complete due to incorrect guesses. It's a simple game, but one that's worth a quick try as a refresher to some key tips for internet safety.

6. Privacy Pirates

It's important for children to know how to protect their personal information online and Privacy Pirates is a great game to help teach them. The aim is to put together a map that will eventually lead to some pirate treasure.

Brought to life with fun cartoon graphics and voice-overs, this game uses quiz questions to help children understand the value of their privacy and how context can impact what information should be shared.

If players get stuck, a guide is always on hand to point in the right direction---and even if they get a question wrong, the game is more interested in educating than penalizing.

7. Cyber-Five

Cyber-Five is a fun and colorful animation that revolves around Hippo and Hedgehog, two friends who are learning about the golden rules of internet safety.

After watching, children can then take a quiz or a test---the questions are the same, but the former allows for multiple attempts at getting the answer right. The questions revolve around what one should do in certain situations, like if someone asks for your password or sends a mean message.

If you're short on time, this animation and game are a quick and enjoyable way to teach the basics of internet safety.

Learn How to Stay Safe Online

Hopefully your children enjoy playing the games we've listed and learn something about being safe online while they're at it. If you need help, you can restrict the content your child can view. Also, take a look at these educational mobile games to make smartphone time productive for your kids.

If you're looking for more advice, check our list of parenting websites for raising teenagers and tools to keep track of your child's online activity.

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