ZARQ Academy · Digital Kindness
Smart with tech.
Kind with people.
Knowing how to use technology is only half of it. The other half is how we treat people when we use it. Digital Kindness brings empathy, online safety, wellbeing and responsible AI into every ZARQ class.
Why it matters
Digital skills alone aren’t enough. Young people also need to know how what they do online affects other people.
Many young people meet group chats, social media and AI tools early, often before anyone talks to them about what happens on the other side of the screen. Digital Kindness gives them the habits to stay safe, treat people well, look after their wellbeing and use technology to make a positive difference in their communities.
Five themes
What learners practise.
Each theme comes with small, practical skills that learners try for themselves in class.
01
Kindness online
Respectful communication, empathy and inclusion in group chats, comments and games.
Learners practise
- Rewriting a harsh comment before posting it
- Spotting when someone is left out or targeted
- Supporting a friend who is being bullied online
02
Digital wellbeing
How time online can affect confidence, friendships and mood, and how to keep it healthy.
Learners practise
- Planning screen breaks and phone-free time
- Noticing how a feed or a comment makes you feel
- Knowing which trusted adult to talk to
03
Responsible AI
Using AI thoughtfully: questioning answers, noticing bias and respecting other people.
Learners practise
- Checking an AI answer against a reliable source
- Spotting bias or stereotypes in generated content
- Why fake photos or voices of real people cause harm
04
Online safety
Privacy, consent and personal information, and what to do when something feels wrong.
Learners practise
- Setting strong passwords and privacy settings
- Recognising scams and suspicious messages
- Asking before sharing someone else’s photo, and how to report and block
05
Tech for good
Seeing yourself as someone who can use technology to help others and solve local problems.
Learners practise
- Choosing a problem in your community
- Building a project that helps people, such as a website for a local cause
- Presenting your work to family and community
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Not a separate subject
Every theme is taught inside coding, AI and robotics lessons. Build a website, and you learn about privacy. Use AI, and you learn to check its answers.
Free coding classesAt every age
Grows with the learner.
ZARQ Juniors
Kind words online, keeping personal details private and always telling a trusted adult.
ZARQ Youth
Group-chat conduct, privacy settings, scams, healthy screen habits and checking AI answers.
ZARQ Future
Digital footprint, professional conduct online, AI ethics and building technology for the community.
Where it stands
Built in from the start.
Digital Kindness is part of ZARQ Academy from the first classes. Here’s what is in place and what we aim to add with partners.
Now
- Being built into the ZARQ Academy curriculum for the first classes
- Taught inside coding, AI and robotics lessons, not as a separate subject
- Shared with parents and guardians before classes begin
Next, with partners
- Take-home guides for parents and guardians
- Digital Kindness workshops for schools
- Guidance for mentors on modelling responsible technology use
- Community sessions in Matatiele
For parents and guardians
Supportive, practical and age-appropriate.
We teach healthy habits, safety skills and where to find help. We’ll share what each age group covers before classes start, so you can keep the conversation going at home.
We’re educators, not counsellors. If a young person needs support, we encourage them to talk to a parent, guardian or teacher. Childline South Africa is free on 116.
FAQ
Questions, answered.
It’s treating people with empathy, respect and care when we use technology. At ZARQ it covers kindness online, digital wellbeing, responsible AI use, online safety and using technology to help others.
No. It’s part of every ZARQ class. A lesson on building a website also covers privacy, and a lesson on AI also covers checking answers and treating people fairly.
No. It’s part of ZARQ’s free classes for learners.
No. Digital Kindness is education: healthy habits, safety skills and knowing where to find help. If a young person needs support, we encourage them to talk to a parent, guardian or teacher, and they can call Childline South Africa free on 116.
Join ZARQ
Smart with tech. Kind with people.
Register your interest in ZARQ’s free classes, or help us bring Digital Kindness to more schools and families.