Google game teaches kids to fight trolls and scams

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NEWS) - Ben is 11 going on 12, so he is using the internet a lot more. And sometimes what he sees online bothers him. He says he has seen horrible racists things posted online, including to his mom's Instagram account. And every once in a while they even say bad things about him, making him scared and sad.

But now he is learning how to respond, thanks to a new game geared toward preteens called Interland, part of Google's new "Be Internet Awesome" campaign to teach kids how to be smart when they're online.

Jennifer Hanley is with the Family Online Safety Institute, which partnered with Google on the campaign. She said kids learn about online harassment, reporting inappropriate content, how to spot scams, phishing and more.

Teachers can even use the game in the classroom as part of the curriculum. But it is not just kids who are learning the dos and don'ts of being online. Even adults need some of these lessons. Ben's mom--Nancy Johnson Horn--is a blogger. She says that despite her years of online experience, she was able to spot a phishing scam emailed to her because of Interland.

So it is a team effort: mom and son figuring out not just how to keep themselves safe but others safe, too.