This 14-year-old develops gaming app to teach net safety, wins Google India contest

Google India announced a contest three months ago inviting students from the age of 10 to 17 to showcase their talents to the world. One of the winners of the contest was 14-year-old Mrigank Pawagi who designed an interactive gaming app, WebME, which makes learning the basics of cyber security fun.

The contest Google Web Rangers was launched with the aim to spread awareness about internet safety, and to drive the concept of digital citizenship.

The report released by Google India stated,

With their creative ideas, teenagers helped us spread the message of internet safety and good digital citizenship, whilst empowering their friends and families to have a safer and meaningful digital experience.

The contest saw participation from teenagers across the country, including entries from non-metro cities like Davanagere in Karnataka, and Hingna in Maharashtra. This enthusiasm from teenagers with over 5,000 submissions proves that digital citizenship and internet safety are concepts realised even in the interiors of the country.

The app developed by Mrigank offers an interactive and fun gaming platform to learn the fundamentals of internet safety. Studying in Class VIII in Vishwa Bharati School, Noida, he had an idea to impart knowledge about internet through video games, and started building this app in 2017.

The game offers different levels and challenges with lessons and facts that the user needs to learn. Once they win in the challenge, they get a certificate with bragging rights. The game can also be played offline, and the users can learn a range of concepts from how to connect with safe WiFi networks, to setting a password and applying for firewall.

While speaking with the Hindustan Times, Mrigank said,

There are many articles and blogs related to internet safety but reading text is a boring exercise and people may lose interest soon. So, I decided to develop a video game that can simultaneously entertain people and teach them about internet safety.

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