Know that an official warning can reach every phone in an area at once (BG-ALERT, cell broadcast), with a distinctive sound, without personal or location data
Name the warning levels in simple words and that the highest one cannot be switched off
Know the first step: stop, read or listen calmly, tell an adult, follow the instructions
Practise Drop, Cover, Hold for an earthquake and know what not to do (run outside, stand in a doorway)
(ages 11–13) Explain why a broadcast to all phones in an area needs no phone numbers
KEY CONCEPTS
a public warning = a message from the authorities to everyone in an area
BG-ALERT uses cell broadcast: like a radio station for phones — every phone near the mast receives it, no list of numbers is needed
sirens are another channel of the same warning
earthquake: Drop, Cover, Hold (NZ Civil Defence); after the shaking — calm, adult, instructions
STRUCTURE
goal → 1 Remember (the way out DB-PZ-04, 112 DB-PZ-07, sirens in the game level 9) → 2 Story (invented: a test message during the lesson) → 3 Worked example (the levels and what to do) → 4 Try it (Predict → Run: what to do with each message → Change: a Drop, Cover, Hold timer drill in the game) + ages 11–13 box → 5 Unplugged (a home drill: where is the sturdy table) → 6 Make your own (a family “when the phone shouts” card) → 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: the message arrives on every phone in the area at once (a)
run: test → stay calm, nothing to do; alert → read with an adult and follow the instructions; earthquake shaking → Drop, Cover, Hold; missing child message → tell an adult if you have seen them
drill: drop → cover → hold, in that order
check: q1 a · q2 c · q3 b
SAFETY
the lesson calms rather than frightens: warnings exist so people have time
no real alarm is triggered; the sounds in the game are soft and optional
the page works offline and records nothing
NEXT
DB-VK-01 · What's Inside a Computer? (back to the start of the library) · back: DB-PZ-10 · Smart Devices at Home
SOURCES · LICENCE
link only, facts retold in our own words: MVR/GDPBZN BG-ALERT presentation (BTA 2025-03-19) and bg-alert.bg — cell broadcast, no personal/location data, works without SIM, EU-Alert levels 1–3 + Amber + test, Ordinance 8121з-413/2024; checked 2026-11-03
link only, facts retold in our own words: NZ Civil Defence factsheet Drop, Cover, Hold (2016) — actions; do not run outside or stand in doorway; checked 2026-11-03
link only, facts retold in our own words: European Commission, 112 policy page (digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu) and Your Europe 112 FAQ — free, EU-wide, fixed and mobile, emergencies only; checked 2026-11-01
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
4.2 Protecting personal data and privacy
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
The Siren and the Message to Everyone
Sometimes Mum's phone suddenly sounds loudly and shows a message. It is not a mistake — it is a warning to everyone. Today you learn what it means and what you do.
⏱ 10–15 minExplorerThe Guardians · 11grades 1–7 · two levels
You will be able to recognise the warning to everyone, say the first step and practise Drop, Cover, Hold.
For the parent: a one-page guide — what BG-ALERT is and the drill at home.
progress0%
01Remember
Think about each question, then open the answer.
How do you get to the exit?
Follow the green signs, calmly, no lift — like in the lesson “The Way Out”.
When do we call 112?
When there is danger to life, health or property — like in the lesson “Call 112”.
Why is the siren in the game loud?
So that everyone hears it. A siren is a sign to pay attention.
02Story
This story is made up.
During a science lesson every phone in the school sounds at the same time. The screen says: “Test message”.
Nia jumps. The teacher smiles calmly.
“It's a test,” she says. “The state checks whether messages reach everyone.”
“How does it know our number?” Bobby asks.
“It doesn't. The message goes to every phone near the masts, like radio. It does not ask who you are or exactly where you are.”
“And if it's not a test?”
“Then we read it calmly together and do what it says. Let's practise the earthquake too: drop, cover, hold.”
03Worked example
The warning to everyone comes from the state and the municipality so that people have time to stay safe. In Bulgaria the system is called BG-ALERT.
What arrives
What you do
🔴 “Warning, danger!” — the strongest, cannot be switched off
Stop, read with an adult and do exactly what it says.
🟠 “Alert”
Read with an adult; take care and follow the news.
🔵 “Information”
Useful news — for example a closed road.
🧒 “Missing person”
They are looking for a missing child. If you have seen them, tell an adult.
⚪ Test message
A test. Stay calm, do nothing.
The message comes with a loud, special sound, to every phone in the area, even without a SIM card. It contains no personal data and does not say where you are. A siren is another way to give the same signal.
In an earthquake: 1 drop to your hands and knees · 2 cover your head and neck under a sturdy table · 3 hold on until the shaking stops. Do not run outside and do not stand in a doorway.
04Try it now
1 · Predict
How does the warning reach so many people?
2 · Run: what do we do?
This is a game. Read the message and choose the first step.
3 · Change: the Drop, Cover, Hold drill
Tap the three steps in the right order. Stand up and really do them — next to a sturdy table.
For older children · ages 11–13A phone always “talks” to the nearest mast, otherwise nobody could call you. Cell broadcast sends one message from the masts in an area to every phone connected to them — like a radio station. So no list of numbers is needed and nobody learns who received the message. National tests are also held — on a set day and hour.
05No screen: the drill at home
You need: an adult with you and five minutes.
Walk around the home and find a sturdy table or desk in each room.
The adult says “Quake!”. You: drop, cover, hold — and count to 20.
After the “quake”: say the three steps after it together — calm, with the adult, follow the instructions.
For older children · ages 11–13Make a list with your family: where we meet if we are apart, and which phone number we know by heart.
✋
A drill, not fear
We practise so that we know what to do. Warnings exist so that we have time.
06Make your own
Make a family card “When the phone sounds”.
At the top: “Calm. We read together. We do what it says.”
Draw the three earthquake steps.
At the bottom: 112 and the family meeting place.
07What I learned
The warning to everyone (BG-ALERT) reaches every phone in the area, with a loud sound and no personal data.
The first step: calm, with an adult, follow the instructions.
In an earthquake: drop, cover, hold — do not run outside.
The school bell tells everyone at once “break time”. The warning does the same — for the whole town.
Check yourself
1. The phone sounds loudly and says “Test message”. What do you do?
2. What does BG-ALERT do?
3. Earthquake! What comes first?
📣
Skill badge: “Calm at a warning” It is yours when you can say the first step for a message and show Drop, Cover, Hold. 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: The Siren and the Message to Everyone (DB-PZ-11) · Author: Children's Library, East Accelerator Foundation · Source: original content and original game code, 2026 · Rights: CC BY-SA 4.0.
Bulgarian Ministry of Interior / Fire Safety and Civil Protection — “System for warning messages to the population” (presentation, BTA, 19.03.2025) and bg-alert.bg: messages arrive by Cell Broadcast with a distinctive sound, with no personal or location data, and work without a SIM card; levels “Warning, danger!” (cannot be switched off), “Alert”, “Information”, “Missing person” and test messages; sent by a minister, regional governor or mayor through the civil protection service (Ordinance No. 8121з-413 of 2024). Checked 03.11.2026.
New Zealand Civil Defence — “When an earthquake happens: Drop, Cover, Hold” (PDF): drop to your hands and knees, cover your head and neck under a sturdy table, hold on until the shaking stops; do not run outside or stand in a doorway. Checked 03.11.2026.
European Commission — “112”: 112 is the European emergency number, free of charge, everywhere in the EU, from fixed and mobile phones; and Your Europe — 112 FAQ: only for emergencies, not an information line. Checked 01.11.2026.
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.
