# Gamifying cyber safety for the next generation — with Emily Jacometti (HackShield)

For the first time ever, SecurityCafe breaks its own "no selling" rule. Menno van der Horst and Quint Ketting sit down with Emily Jacometti, co-founder of HackShield, the free game that teaches children aged 7 to 12 to stay safe online. But first: a week of disruptive incidents across Europe. ## Timestamps 00:00 Intro: why we're breaking our own rule 01:15 What HackShield is 02:31 News: hijacked supermarket freezers in France 05:06 Younger victims, younger perpetrators 06:02 News: the Ahold Delhaize security incident 07:17 News: Danish data leak behind a 123456 password 09:10 Why gamification beats traditional awareness 12:48 Why start at age 7: the swimming lessons analogy 14:10 Home, school and community: reaching every child 17:09 One in three kids talks to strangers in games 19:19 From serious gaming to HackShield: Emily's story 22:08 The model: free, no advertising, no data sales 24:42 How cybersecurity companies contribute and volunteer 26:47 The Europol Wi-Fi sniffer case 28:14 Golden tickets and the path to ethical hacking 31:26 Nine countries, aiming for 10,000,001 kids by 2030 33:49 Why a social media ban alone is not the answer 35:42 What's in it for companies: tenders, marketing, people 40:19 Creativity and adaptability as the skills of the future 44:41 Recommendations ## Key takeaways - Predictable passwords still cause major incidents, from supermarket freezers to millions of citizen records. - Cybercrime perpetrators are getting younger, and criminals use gamification to recruit them. - People learn by doing: a game lets kids fail safely and try again. - Start before a child gets their first device, not after. - HackShield is free, ad-free and does not sell data; public and private partners fund it. - For partners: social return in tenders, soft marketing, purpose for employees and an early view of talent. - Bans alone don't work. Teach kids to swim instead of draining the pool. ## A note on facts - News items reflect what was known at the time of recording; investigations into the French freezer incident and the Ahold Delhaize incident were ongoing, and reported figures for the Danish leak vary. - Survey figures and country-specific observations are HackShield's own data and experience. - The Europol Wi-Fi sniffer case is discussed as the guest understands it; the case involves minors. ## Mentioned - HackShield: https://joinhackshield.com - DIVD Academy: https://www.divd.nl - The Social Reckoning (film, 2026) - Jane McGonigal, Reality Is Broken - David Dewulf, Lateral Movement (October 2026, featuring Quint, Dimitri van Zantvliet and Max Heinemeier) --- Powered by Atos