BOSTON, March 8, 2022 – GBH Kids and PBS KIDS today announced the launch of Search It Up: The Game, now available through Ruff Ruffman on pbskids.org. Based on the award-winning digital miniseries Search It Up, the game is designed to help kids ages 4-7 learn to safely navigate technology and the internet.

“Search It Up addresses children’s growing use of the internet and technology. The pandemic has made kids and their families even more reliant on these tools for their educational and social needs,” said Terry Fitzpatrick, GBH Vice President for Children’s Media. “This new game helps kids learn safe and smart technology habits through compelling gameplay.”

Designed to resemble a series of apps, Search It Up: The Game offers eight mini-games based on kid-friendly themes—such as connecting with friends, setting up passwords, and getting ready for school—while teaching healthy tech habits. The game helps players understand important skills such as what to share (or not to share) on the internet, understanding boundaries, responding to calls or texts, and navigating information on the internet.

“Even before this current pandemic, technology and the internet had an impact and presence in our everyday lives, and the same is true for our youngest audiences,” said GBH Senior Executive Producer Bill Shribman. “What better way for children to learn critical tech literacy than by playing fun, user-friendly games.”

Search It Up: The Game is funded by Comcast’s Internet Essentials from Comcast, a program dedicated to providing affordable, high-speed internet access to families and communities that need financial assistance, to help students gain better access to their educational needs.

“Comcast is proud to support GBH Kids’ Search It Up: The Game to help teach a younger generation how to be safe and cyber savvy online,” said Broderick Johnson, Executive Vice President, Public Policy, and Executive Vice President, Digital Equity for Comcast Corporation. “As young students increasingly use the internet to attend remote classes, do homework, and communicate with others, it’s important that they learn from a young age how to navigate the digital world as carefully and thoughtfully as they are taught to navigate the physical world.”

Produced by GBH Kids, the digital miniseries Search It Up addresses the increased need to teach internet safety and tech literacy as more kids find themselves spending more time on computers, tablets, and the internet due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The series has over 12 million streams, the series is intended to reach young audiences wherever they consume media.

About GBH Kids
GBH Kids is one of the top producers for public media, creating educational content for kids, parents, caregivers and teachers, including iconic PBS Kids programs such as the award-winning Arthur and Molly of Denali, digital series such as Scribbles and Ink, games, apps and podcasts. GBH Kids, based in Boston, also works closely with PBS LearningMedia, providing digital curricula for more than 2 million teachers across all 50 states. GBH Kids is committed to equity and access to educational media and the healthy development of all children. As the inventor of closed captioning and audio description, GBH is dedicated to making media accessible and inclusive. Find more information at gbh.org/kids

About Internet Essentials
Internet Essentials is Comcast’s signature digital equity initiative and the nation’s largest and most comprehensive broadband adoption program. Since 2011, it has helped connect 10 million low-income Americans to broadband Internet at home, most for the very first time. Internet Essentials has a comprehensive design that addresses each of the three major barriers to broadband adoption. This includes: multiple options to access free digital literacy training in print, online, and in person; the option to purchase a heavily subsidized, low-cost Internet-ready computer; and low-cost, high-speed Internet service for $9.95 a month, plus tax. The program is structured as a partnership between Comcast and tens of thousands of school districts, libraries, elected officials, and nonprofit community partners. Comcast has never raised the price of the program. For more information about Internet Essentials and Comcast’s commitment to education and digital equity, please visit https://corporate.comcast.com/education. To apply, visit www.internetessentials.com or call 1-855-846-8376 for English or 1-855-765-6995 for Spanish.