# Teach Digital Citizenship

Part of the Competitive Gaming Merit Badge Digital Resource Guide: [Introduction & Overview](https://merit-badge.university/merit-badges/competitive-gaming/guide/index.md)

*6. Leadership and Service*

> **6a.** Teach your troop, patrol, or a group of younger Scouts or family members about online gaming safety or digital citizenship. **Teach Digital Citizenship**

Teaching something is one of the fastest ways to discover how well you actually understand it. You already have plenty of material to draw from — Req 2's work on toxicity and the Scout Oath and Law, and Req 4's list of ten online safety strategies, both make excellent foundations for a lesson.

**Planning Your Lesson** — Keep it focused — 15–20 minutes is plenty

- [ ] Pick 2–3 concrete topics instead of trying to cover everything (for example: privacy settings, spotting scams, and handling toxic players).
- [ ] Use real examples, not just abstract rules — a short story about a real or hypothetical scam attempt sticks better than a list of dos and don'ts.
- [ ] Build in a moment of practice, like having your audience walk through a privacy setting on their own device.
- [ ] Leave time for questions — younger Scouts and family members often have specific situations they want advice on.

> **Tip**
>
> Scouting's EDGE method — Explain, Demonstrate, Guide, Enable — works well here. Explain a safety concept, demonstrate it on a real device or screen, guide your audience through trying it themselves, then let them practice on their own.

## What to Bring

There's no official resource link for this option — instead, come prepared with a short outline of your lesson and, if possible, a device to demonstrate settings live. Bring notes on how the session went so you can discuss it with your counselor afterward: what questions came up, what surprised your audience, and what you'd change if you taught it again.

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- Previous: [Leadership and Service in Competitive Gaming](https://merit-badge.university/merit-badges/competitive-gaming/guide/req6/index.md)
- Next: [Watch a Live Esports Event](https://merit-badge.university/merit-badges/competitive-gaming/guide/req6b/index.md)