Child Focus visits schools with the game "Max 24/7"

The collaborative game "Max 24/7" inspires young people from 10 to 12 years old to find and be a listening ear for others. In the game, the players get to know nine new students who are "in their school or group".

Date 2023-02-24 Author Belgian Safer Internet Centre Section awareness Topic love, relationships, sexuality (online), media literacy/education, sexting, sextortion Audience children and young people, parents and carers, teachers, educators and professionals
Picture of the board used for the game Max 24/7, looking like a target with a colour progression going from red to green.

Each of these characters is struggling with a situation where they are not feeling well or comfortable, often linked to online issues or a runaway situation. It’s up to the players to help these new students by getting to know the characters, discussing possible actions, looking for confidants and people they can trust to talk to. 

Everything revolves around the large game board on which we see the characters move. While doing this, players should keep a close eye on their character's development and feelings. The goal is to make the characters feel as good as possible at the end of the game and that no character decides to run away. Pupils brainstorm together what the children can do for each other, who they can turn to, and what professional support organisations exist for more information or help.

The topics covered by the game include children running away, finding a trustworthy person to turn to in case of need (a Max), internet safety and online security, sexual exploitation of children through non-consensual sexting, sextortion, grooming.

At the end of the game, the students receive a Max kit: a set of two key chains that the children can use to ask someone close to them to be their Max.

The game is supervised by one of Child Focus' 40 specially trained volunteers. 5th and 6th grade classes can apply to play the game at training.clicksafe.be.

Find out more about the work and initiatives of the Belgian Safer Internet Centre or find similar information for Safer Internet Centres throughout Europe. On the Better Internet for Kids (BIK) platform, additional useful tools for parents, carers and teachers can be found in the resource repository and in the Guide to apps section.  

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