What are your plans for this coming Tuesday? It’s a rhetorical question, but whatever they are, I have one more thing to add. February 7 is Safer Internet Day, when people around the world stop to think and talk about how to make the Internet a safer and better place for their families, communities, workplaces and schools. There are both in-person and virtual events in the US and other countries, but even if you’re not attending an event, you and your family or colleagues can get involved by simply talking about how you can use connected technology more safely. and a more powerful way.
Safer Internet Day (SID) started in Europe in 2003 and is now celebrated in over 100 countries. Globally, it is coordinated by the Insafe/INHOPE network in Brussels with the support of the European Commission. ConnectSafely, the non-profit I lead, has been the official US host since 2014.
Tuesday’s schedule includes in-person events at schools across the country, a national virtual event at 4:30 PM PT, and a virtual local Bay Area event sponsored with My Digital TAT2 at 7 PM PT. The National Live Event is co-sponsored with the National PTA and is aimed primarily at parents. The national event features digital education experts Kerry Gallagher from ConnectSafely and Kerry Neill from National PTA. The local event features a panel of tech-savvy teenagers. A school program is also planned to reach more than 20,000 students from Maine to Hawaii. Teachers can learn more at sidusa.org/students.
What can you do at home, work or school?
Whether you can attend a virtual live event or not, there are things you can do at home, work or school on Tuesday. It doesn’t have to be a big formal thing. A conversation, even if it only lasts a few minutes, can help you and others think about how you use connected technology and what you can do to practice and promote good digital habits.
You can talk about anything that concerns you, but for our programs this year, we are providing resources on five key issues: media literacy and critical thinking, civility, peer selection (cyberbullying), health, identity and self-esteem, and fraud. , predators and reptiles (online security).
All it takes is a simple conversation
A simple conversation, perhaps over dinner or during breaks at work or school, can go a long way in reminding everyone to think about what they can do. If you have children or grandchildren, involve them in the conversation. Don’t turn it into a lecture or drill them with invasive questions. Instead, ask them what apps and services they use, why they like them, and how they protect their privacy, safety, and security. The children’s answers may surprise you. Contrary to what many adults believe, surveys have shown that most children care about privacy and security, although they think about it differently than adults. While adults worry about businesses and governments misusing their information, children are more concerned about how adults and peers might react to what they post. And that can be a good thing if it makes them think before they post. Young people told researchers they were also concerned about safety and avoiding online scams.
Safer Internet Day is a great time to ask your kids how they use technology. Get them to share their excitement and try out some of the apps and services they use to get your own experience. But if you do, don’t chase them. Think about how you would have felt when you were a teenager when adults were involved in conversations. Parents and grandparents should refrain from commenting on the teen’s social media posts or interacting with the teen’s friends unless they have the teen’s permission.
Resources for families
ConnectSafely offers many resources to help families have these conversations at sidusa.org/family-program. Resources include video interviews with experts, discussion points, parent guides, and brief “Quick Guides” on popular apps your kids use, as well as topics such as misinformation and media literacy, countering hate speech, cyberbullying, online safety for seniors, LGBTQ cyber attack. , safe online shopping and much more.
One of the videos is with Dr. Mitchell Prinstein, Chief Scientist of the American Psychological Association. It’s no secret that the pandemic and its aftermath have had a major impact on adolescent mental health, and there has been much discussion about both the positive and negative effects of social media on mental health and well-being. Prinstein argues that “screen time itself is not the problem. It’s really more about what you do with screen time.”
We have additional wellness resources from Dr. Michael Rich, pediatrician and CEO of the Digital Wellness Lab, who argues that social media is neither good nor bad. What matters is how you use it.
And if you’re interested in the metaversion, you’ll find insights from human rights and virtual reality expert Britan Heller, who says that “the way your brain interprets an immersive experience is very different than how it interprets your Facebook feed or reading.” everyone’s posts on Twitter. Immersive experience is based on presence, and your brain interprets it as if you were actually there.” Another video provides practical tips on using Meta’s popular Quest VR headset.
There are many other resources available at sidusa.org and ConnectSafely.org, but parents and other caring adults do not need to visit the site for the most important information. You already have it from decades of real-world experience. Young people can learn from your wisdom and you can learn from their experience. We are all in this together.
Revelation. Larry Magid is the CEO of ConnectSafely, the organizer of Safer Internet Day USA. Official events are supported by Google, Meta, TikTok, Twitch, Amazon Kids, Discord, Roblox, Zepeto and Trend Micro.
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