Do your boys know what to do when a gaming “mate” starts asking for too much? Behind the Screen is an internet safety game for boys in grades 6-8 that helps students spot fake profiles, protect their personal information, recognize online red flags and know what to do about cyberbullying, grooming and sextortion. If you’re looking for online safety activities, a digital citizenship lesson, a cyberbullying game or internet safety lessons for middle school boys, this one covers it all with zero prep.

So much of boys’ social life happens in online games, group chats and voice chat now. In this interactive PowerPoint counseling game, teams work through situations boys recognize: a friend request from someone they don’t know, a gamer offering free credits, an online “mate” who says not to tell their parents, an account that gets hacked and threats to share private information. Every answer comes with a clear teaching point, and the message stays the same the whole way through: if something feels wrong, stop, save the messages and tell a trusted adult, even if you’ve already shared something. It works well in small group counseling, boys’ groups, SEL lessons, digital citizenship and health classes.

HOW IT WORKS

Split your group into teams. Teams take turns picking a question on the game board, talk it over and answer out loud. Click “Check Answer” to show the answer and teaching point, then award points on the built-in scoreboard. The team with the most points wins.

GAME FEATURES

25 online safety questions across 5 categories: Who’s Really Behind the Screen?, Private Means Private, Pressure & Red Flags, Screenshots & Cyberbullying, and Click Smart, Stay Safe
Play with 2 to 10 teams
Built-in scoreboard with sound effects
Used questions disappear from the board
Reset button so you can play again with your next group

WHY COUNSELORS & TEACHERS USE IT

No prep: open it and play
Covers grooming, online coercion and sextortion in calm, age-appropriate language
Boys talk about the situation, not their own experiences
Teaches clear next steps: don’t pay or send more, save the messages, tell a trusted adult and report it
Pairs well with the Girls’ version for whole-class or grade-level lessons

WHAT’S INCLUDED

Behind the Screen (Boys) interactive PowerPoint game
Terms of Use

🚩 PLEASE NOTE: This game includes age-appropriate questions about online grooming and sextortion. Please preview it first, follow your school’s policies, and let families know where needed. Students are never asked to share personal experiences.

IMPORTANT TECH NOTE

This game needs the desktop version of Microsoft PowerPoint. When you open the file, click “Enable Content” so the buttons and scoreboard work. It won’t work in Google Slides, Keynote or PowerPoint online.

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