By Heather Dahl

Once upon a time, I found my seven-year old nephew, Grant, fighting dragons, which, to be honest, struck me as pretty useless. No disrespect to dragons—or dragon slayers—but they’re old-school.  So I said, “C’mon Grant, why don’t you fight the real bad guys: the ones that live in our computers?”

He had no idea what I was talking about.

This was frustrating, because fighting bad guys is his passion. And there are lots of bad guys in cyberspace.

I decided to buy him a book that would explain how awesome this wild cyber world of worms and zombies and Trojans—the world I work in, cybersecurity—really is. It would also introduce him to an important life lesson: we now live in an era of digital crime.

There was nothing cool, nothing awesome, nothing out there that truly captured this dynamic virtual world. And then it hit me: I had no choice; I had to write this book myself.

Suddenly my nephew’s passion became his aunt’s obsession. A week later, I had roped a cybersecurity colleague of mine into creating The Cynja, a comic book series teaching technology in a way that kids can grasp.

From my work in cybersecurity, I knew first hand why the news headlines about  Sony, Target, or the Home Depot compromise were truly devastating. And that’s why I felt, that as a techie auntie, I had a responsibility to explain these cyber crimes and their impact to all the kids in my life. Their understanding of our digital future depends on it.

So I used my experience and expertise to write The Cynja (a mashup of cyber and ninja), which would explain why cyberspace is anything but a fairytale, why it’s a place with real consequences instead of predictable happy endings, and that it’s a place that’s based on actual systems and programs developed by real people. While technology may seem like magic, it is not. That’s the distinction I want kids to understand.

I’m happy to report my nephew has moved past slaying dragons and now focuses on using his optic pulse sword to slash worms, Trojans, and any other malware that he finds has infiltrated his bedroom. And it has been wonderful to discover that he is not alone, as parents tell me how their children have fallen in love with The Cynja.

Still, Grant will always be our #1 fan.

His face lights up when I let him read the next page that I’ve written in this adventure series, and we spend time together working on his “super cyber powers” in The Cynja Field Instruction Manual, our new activity book. He even lectures friends on the importance of smart cyber behavior. For Christmas, Grant wrote me a little book as my gift—this from a kid who didn’t like reading books a year ago.  But more importantly, Grant knows bad guys live in his computer, tablet, and possibly in his Mom or Dad’s smartphone. And that’s a win for this happy aunt.

The Cynja Volume 1
The Cynja Field Instruction Manual

Heather C. Dahl writes about the magic in technology for her little nephew. She’s Co-Founder & CEO of The Cynja, a multi-platform media company focused on introducing children to the world of technology.


Photo: The Cynjia
Published January 14, 2015