Evaluating Behavioral Skills Training to Train Online Gaming Safety Skills

Despite the growing concern of caregivers as their children spend an increasing amount of time on the internet interacting with strangers, there is a limited body of research that focuses on online safety skills training. Behavioral skills training has been used by researchers to teach children firearm safety skills, poison safety skills, and abduction prevention skills. Given that the skills taught in abduction-prevention training are also to relevant online safety, the researcher assessed the use of behavioral skills training for teaching online safety skills to a 9-year-old, Clark. In-situ assessments took place while playing the popular online game, Among Us, and consisted of confederates presenting lures to Clark. Before training, Clark scored 1’s and 0’s, indicating a lack of online gaming safety skills. Clark scored at mastery criterion (i.e., three scores of 3 in a row) following training. During the first 2-week-follow-up, Clark scored a 1 because he did not leave the game following the presentation of a lure; Clark’s mother immediately implemented in situ training. Clark scored at mastery criterion during the next follow-up assessment, indicating the effectiveness of the caregiver-implemented in situ training