Systematic Review of Elementary Cybersecurity Education: Curriculum, Pedagogy, and Barriers

-As children increasingly engage with digital platforms, the need for effective cybersecurity education has become urgent. This systematic review synthesizes 81 studies published between 2017 and 2024 to examine global curricula research focus and topics, pedagogical approaches and assessment methods, and key challenges in elementary cybersecurity education. The findings reveal six major thematic categories: student awareness, parental mediation, teacher engagement, curriculum design, community and policy support, and pedagogical innovation. Among instructional strategies, game-based learning and narrative storytelling emerge as the most frequently explored. Despite this growth, major gaps remain in curriculum consistency, teacher preparation, assessment rigor, and stakeholder coordination. By applying Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory in both coding and result interpretation, this review offers a systems-level perspective that highlights the interconnected roles of students, families, educators, institutions, and policymakers. The study contributes a synthesis of global research and provides actionable insights for designing developmentally appropriate, scalable, and context-responsive cybersecurity education programs in elementary settings.