Though parents may sometimes feel the internet is a dangerous and unknown place for their children, the reality is that the Internet is an integral part of New Zealand kids' lives.

Kiwi kids spend up to 33 hours a week online outside of school, using the internet as an encyclopedia, a movie cinema, a games arcade and a way to connect with friends.

There are more than 3 billion internet users worldwide. There are also more than 6 billion mobile phones and of these over 1 billion of those are smartphones.

With all of these devices available to kids access to the internet has become easier than ever.

85% of kids and teens see the internet as important to their lives, Trend Micro hopes to remind parents of this while facilitating an open and positive discussion around internet safety in their upcoming  ‘What's Your Story?' competition.

Kicking off on 3 September, the competition will run until November 4th and asks children aged 5-12 to create a poster illustrating what the good side of the internet looks like, and what positive things they see happening on there.

There are 12 prizes available worth a total prize pool of $13,000.

The public will decide 15 finalists in each prize category and from there, the winners will be determined by an impressive judging panel, including, TechDay, Netsafe, Twitter, and Facebook and Life Education.

The competition is an initiative by Trend Micro to reframe some of the negative connotations around internet safety and empower New Zealand's youth to be responsible, successful and secure online.

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