Why Kiwi kids think the internet is important

Eighty-five per cent 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 'What's Your Story?' competition.

The competition is open to kids aged 5 to 12 years with $13,000 in cash prizes to be won.

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.

The competition revolves around what the good side of the internet looks like.

So many good things have happened because of it: easy access to information, social networks, apps, YouTube videos, gaming, shopping, streaming music, raising awareness for great causes, and more.

You can now vote for your favourite entries.

See some of last year's winners below:

Bilal Canpolat - How to make the INTERNET a safer place!

Madison Hurst - Make sure it's worth it before you surf it.