What your child will learn
Apply the 5-step escalation ladder: stop and breathe, do not reply, tell a trusted grown-up, block the person, report to the platform with the grown-up
Recognize that not replying is a strength, not a loss — escalation starts when you reply
Name a trusted grown-up in real life (parent, teacher, grandparent, school counselor) you would tell
Identify being an upstander — saying something kind to the kid who was hurt — when you see someone else being hurt online
How this mission works
A young learner is online — sharing a drawing, in a group chat, or watching a friend show them a hurtful message about another kid — and mean words hit them or someone they care about. The big lesson: there is a 5-step ladder — stop and breathe, do not reply, tell a trusted grown-up in real life, block the person, and with the grown-up report the message to the platform. Across four scenes, a kid faces a mean comment on a shared drawing, an exclusion from a group chat, a friend who shows them a mean message about another kid, and a recap question that puts the ladder together. Pass 3 of 4 to earn the Word-Wound Responder badge and 125 XP. Designed for Kindergarten through Grade 2 — read-aloudable sentences, large illustrated tap-cards, no typing required.
What students actually encounter
Somebody writes "your drawing is dumb 💩" under your picture post. What is the smartest first move?
You see a new group chat that does not include you. What is the best move?
A friend shows you a chat that says really mean things about another kid in your class. What is the kindest, smartest move?
Cipher is with them the whole way
When a student gets stuck on When Words Hurt Online, Cipher appears with a mission-specific nudge — no spoilers, just a hint toward the right thinking. Make a wrong choice, and Cipher explains the real-world consequence. Finish the mission, and Cipher generates a personalized performance debrief based on exactly how the student played it.
ISTE alignment
Young learners who hit mean words online apply a 5-step ladder — stop and breathe, do not reply, tell a trusted grown-up in real life, block the person, and with the grown-up report to the platform — and practice being an upstander when someone else is the target.