Safe Message Detective cover art, a typing game for Grades 2–8

20 free levels

Typing & Digital Skills · Circuit City

Safe Message Detective

Read made-up messages, pop-ups and posts, spot the clues, and choose the safe, kind thing to do.

Play free See all levels

Grades: 2–8
Levels: 48 in 2 tracks
Free: 20 levels
Session: 5–15 minutes

What it is

A calm digital-citizenship detective game. Each case shows one made-up message on a pretend phone, tablet or laptop: a text from Grandma, a game-chat request, a prize pop-up, a class post with comments, an email or an app permission prompt. Detectives choose what to do — reply kindly, close it, tell a trusted adult, block and report, check another way, or stand up for a friend — and tap the clues that show why. Plenty of messages are perfectly safe, so the goal is careful thinking, not fear. Every name, app and link is invented.

What children learn

Protecting personal information (names, addresses, schools, phone numbers, birthdays, photos, locations and passwords); spotting tricks such as surprise prizes, free game money, pretend helpers, hurry-up pressure, secrets, chain messages and odd or lookalike links; checking the source of rumors and edited pictures; judging app permissions; responding to unkind posts as an upstander; and knowing that a trusted adult can always help.

What it teaches

Spot scams and pressure
Spot unsafe messages
Protect personal information

How to play

Choose an action with the big buttons (arrow keys move between them). Then tap, or press Enter or Space on, each clue chip that fits; the part of the message where that kind of clue would appear gets a dashed outline and the chip's number. Press Check. An explanation appears after every answer; press Got it to go on.

Plays with: Touch Mouse Keyboard Pen

Accessibility

Read-aloud on request
Fully playable with a keyboard
Calm mode with reduced motion
No timers or time pressure
Never relies on color alone
Quiet mode turns off sound effects

Level maps

Tracks and levels

Each track is made for a grade range. Start anywhere that fits — you don't have to play the younger tracks first. As a guest, your stars are saved on this device.

Message Check

Short chats, texts and pop-ups: private information, safe messages, passwords and prizes, hurry and chain messages, unkind words, then two clues at once. 2–4 24 levels · 10 free

1 First Clues 1 ☆☆☆
2 First Clues 2 ☆☆☆
3 First Clues 3 ☆☆☆
4 First Clues 4 ☆☆☆
5 First Clues 5 ☆☆☆
6 First Clues Challenge ☆☆☆
7 Password Patrol 1 ☆☆☆
8 Password Patrol 2 ☆☆☆
9 Password Patrol 3 ☆☆☆
10 Password Patrol 4 ☆☆☆
11 Password Patrol 5 Plan level
12 Password Patrol Challenge Plan level
13 Slow Down 1 Plan level
14 Slow Down 2 Plan level
15 Slow Down 3 Plan level
16 Slow Down 4 Plan level
17 Slow Down 5 Plan level
18 Slow Down Challenge Plan level
19 Two-Clue Cases 1 Plan level
20 Two-Clue Cases 2 Plan level
21 Two-Clue Cases 3 Plan level
22 Two-Clue Cases 4 Plan level
23 Two-Clue Cases 5 Plan level
24 Two-Clue Cases Challenge Plan level

Levels after 10 are part of a PlayOwl plan. Free levels, saving and basic reports stay free.

Start Message Check

Digital Detective

Profiles, posts, emails and permission prompts: privacy, phishing pressure and pretend helpers, checking the source, then three-clue cases and upstander choices. 5–8 24 levels · 10 free