DB-PZ-10 · Smart Devices at Home (BG: Умните уреди вкъщи)
track
PZ · The Guardians (safety systems for children) · lesson 10 of 8
level
Tinkerer (change · fix · combine) · two levels: ages 7–10 and ages 11–13 (settings and giving a device away)
duration
10–15 min on screen + 10–15 min without a screen (with other children or an adult)
school link
class hour, Technology and Entrepreneurship; links to the library lessons DB-IB-01 “Passwords Even a Dragon Can't Guess” and DB-VK-12 “The Network at Home”
publisher
East Accelerator Foundation (Фондация „Източен Акселератор“) · host: kagami.bg
access
free · no account · no data collected · works offline
Recognise smart devices at home that have a microphone, a camera or an internet connection (baby monitor, speaker, smart toy, door camera)
Explain four habits from the NCSC guidance: change the default password, keep automatic updates on, switch off remote access when not needed, factory reset before giving away
Know that these settings are done by an adult, and the child's part is to notice and to ask
(ages 11–13) Explain why a device is like a door into the home network
KEY CONCEPTS
a smart device = a device connected to the internet or the home Wi-Fi; many have a microphone or a camera
default password → changed by an adult, e.g. three random words (NCSC)
automatic updates fix weak spots; remote access off if not needed; factory reset before selling or giving away (NCSC)
the child notices and asks; the adult changes settings
STRUCTURE
goal → 1 Remember (strong password DB-IB-01, router DB-VK-12, the camera's lock — game level 34) → 2 Story (invented: a new talking toy for Bobby; the adult opens the settings) → 3 Worked example (four habits) → 4 Try it (Predict → Run: find which devices hear, see or are online → Change: the settings panel of a made-up device, a game meter) + ages 11–13 box → 5 Unplugged (smart-device hunt at home, looking only, with an adult) → 6 Make your own (a “home devices” card for the fridge) → 7 What I learned (3 questions + badge) → 8 I have a question (form: the child writes ≤280 chars, the parent enters an e-mail and consents; double opt-in; plus "Was it useful?" / "We did the lesson" buttons — aggregate counts only)
ANSWERS
predict: a smart toy may have a microphone and internet (c)
run: baby monitor — hears and is online; smart speaker — hears and is online; door camera — sees, hears and is online; an ordinary torch — none
settings: best = password changed, updates on, remote access off if not needed, microphone switched off when not in use (game meter 4/4)
check: q1 c · q2 a · q3 b
SAFETY
children do not change device settings themselves — an adult does; the child looks and asks
the settings panel is a made-up simulation; no real device or account is touched
nothing is recorded; the page works offline
NEXT
DB-PZ-11 · The Siren and the Message to Everyone · back: DB-PZ-09 · My Face, My Rights
SOURCES · LICENCE
link only, facts retold in our own words: NCSC, Smart devices in the home — default password, automatic updates, remote access off, factory reset; checked 2026-11-03
licence: CC BY-SA 4.0 · https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
METADATA
path
6 · social impact
determinant
physical environment
sdg_target
4.7
who_criterion
accessibility
impact_type
prevention · education
DIGCOMP 3.0
framework
DigComp 3.0 (JRC144121, doi:10.2760/0001149)
primary
none (technology-understanding lesson: how safety systems work; no primary DigComp 3.0 competence)
secondary
4.1 Protecting devices
mapping
proposed 2026-11-01 by the lesson goal · confidence: medium · not a measured outcome
VERIFIED · 01.11.2026AI help: yesreviewer: awaiting teacher and psychologist
Smart Devices at Home
At home there are devices that listen, see and talk to the internet — the baby monitor, the smart speaker, the smart toy. Today you are a smart-device inspector.
⏱ 10–15 minTinkererThe Guardians · 10grades 1–7 · two levels
You will be able to recognise which devices at home listen, see or are online, and say the four habits that protect them.
For the parent: a one-page guide — the four settings and who changes them.
progress0%
01Remember
Think about each question, then open the answer.
What is a strong password?
Three random words — like in the lesson “Passwords Even a Dragon Can't Guess”.
What does the router at home do?
It connects the devices at home to the internet. You remember it from the lesson “The Network at Home”.
Why is a camera's factory password changed?
Because many people know it. You saw this in the level “The Camera's Lock”.
02Story
This story is made up.
For his birthday Bobby gets a talking teddy bear. It tells stories and answers questions.
“How does it hear me?” Bobby asks.
“It has a microphone, like a little ear,” says Dad. “And it is connected to the internet.”
Dad opens the settings together with Bobby. They change the factory password to three random words. They switch on updates.
“And at night?” Nia asks.
“At night the bear sleeps — we switch off the microphone. When the game is over, we put it on the shelf.”
Bobby smiles: “So the bear is mine, not everybody's.”
03Worked example
A smart device is a device connected to the internet or the home Wi-Fi. Many have a microphone or a camera. Adults protect them with four habits:
The habit
Why
🔑 A new password
The factory password is known to many people. It is changed — for example to three random words.
🔄 Updates
Updates fix weak spots. It is good if they are automatic.
🚪 No unneeded remote access
If you do not need to reach the device from outside the home, that feature is switched off.
🧹 A reset before giving away
Before you give a device to someone else, the factory settings are restored — so your data does not leave with it.
An adult changes these settings. Your part is to notice and to ask.
04Try it now
1 · Predict
A smart toy that talks to you. What may be inside?
2 · Run: who listens, who sees?
This is a game. For each device, choose what it has.
3 · Change: the settings of a made-up device
This is a made-up panel, not a real device. Tap the settings and watch the game care meter fill up.
For older children · ages 11–13Every smart device is like a door into the home network. If one door has a weak lock, someone can reach the other devices through it. That is why the passwords of all devices are changed, not only the router's. Before buying a device, adults can check how long the maker will keep updating it — like a “use by” date.
05No screen: the smart-device hunt
You need: paper, a pencil and an adult with you. You only look — you do not touch settings.
Walk around the home. Look for devices that listen 👂, see 👁️ or are online 🌐.
Write each device and its signs in a table.
Ask the adult: “Did you change the password? Does it update?” They answer, you tick ✅.
For older children · ages 11–13Count how many devices at home are connected to the Wi-Fi. Does the number surprise you?
✋
Settings are for adults
You look and ask. An adult changes passwords and settings.
06Make your own
Make a card “Smart devices at our home” for the fridge.
Draw the devices and next to each the signs 👂 👁️ 🌐.
Under the card write the four habits with one word each: password, updates, access, reset.
Show it to someone at home and explain one of the habits.
07What I learned
Smart devices are connected to the internet; many have a microphone or a camera.
The four habits: a new password, updates, no unneeded remote access, a reset before giving away.
An adult changes the settings — you notice and ask.
You have ears and eyes, but you close them when you sleep. And your devices?
Check yourself
1. Which device has a microphone and internet?
2. The new door camera has a factory password. What do the adults do?
3. We are giving away an old baby monitor. What do we do first?
🏠
Skill badge: “Smart-device inspector” It is yours when you can show three smart devices at home and say the four habits. No points and no ranking — only a skill.
08I have a question
Do you still have a question? Write it here. It goes to your parent, not to strangers. Your parent confirms their e-mail first.
The form is loading… If it does not appear, write your question on paper and show it to a parent or teacher.
·Sources
Title: Smart Devices at Home (DB-PZ-10) · Author: Children's Library, East Accelerator Foundation · Source: original content and original game code, 2026 · Rights: CC BY-SA 4.0.
UK National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) — “Smart devices in the home”: change the default password (for example to three random words), switch on automatic updates, switch off remote access if you do not need it, and do a factory reset before giving a device away. Checked 03.11.2026.
Licence:CC BY-SA 4.0 · Children's Library, East Accelerator Foundation, 2026. You may share and adapt this lesson if you credit the author and keep the same licence. Learning is free forever.
