‘More relevant than making fires’: Explorer Scouts launch badges for AI and digital age

Scouts are introducing badges in content creation, digital communication and online safety after consulting nearly 3,000 teenagers who said they wanted skills to help them navigate a world increasingly shaped by AI, social media and digital technology. The new Explorer Scout badges, part of the Scout movement’s first major overhaul in almost 25 years, will require 14- to 18-year olds to explore how digital communities shape opinion, create online campaigns, investigate digital footprints and design toolkits to help others stay safe online. Ministers, schools and parents continue to debate whether children should face tighter restrictions on smartphone and social media use, including proposals for a ban on social media for under-16s. Elie Mondah: ‘It’s key to modern life.’ Photograph: Martyn Milner/Martyn Milner/The Scouts Among the new badges is a content creation award, which asks young people to explore how digital communities can influence change, create content intended to positively influence their communities and develop digital storytelling projects. A communication badge includes modules on digital footprints and the impact of social media and digital communication, while a personal safety badge requires young people to design resources to help others manage online risks. Andrew Thorp, a Scout leader involved in developing the programme, said the changes reflected what young people themselves had asked for. …