Now a project of The Net Safety Collaborative (TNSC), a Salt Lake City-based 501c3 nonprofit organization, NetFamilyNews.org is a 19-year-old blog by TNSC founder and executive director Anne Collier. A parent, journalist and youth advocate, she founded Net Family News in 1999 to document developments in the digital technology and media young people love and use most. In addition to its writing and consulting work, for nearly a decade, the organization has advised social media companies on digital safety and literacy. Among other companies, it has worked with Facebook, Google, Kik messenger, Snapchat, Trend Micro, Twitter, Yubo and, in earlier years, MySpace. In 2005, Anne co-founded ConnectSafely.org with tech journalist Larry Magid, co-directing it with him for nearly a decade.
In March 2015, Net Family News partnered with California nonprofit organization #icanhelp to pilot SocialMediaHelpline.com, the first Internet helpline for U.S. schools. Working with risk prevention specialists, educators and social media companies, the service is designed to help schools resolve problems for students that turn up in social media. The 2015-’16 pilot, which launched on Aug. 17, 2015, was the first step in the development of what is now a national help service for schools.
During NFN’s first 15 years, the organization participated in three national task forces (one of which, the Online Safety & Technology Working Group, NFN president Collier co-chaired with Hemanshu Nigam, then Chief Security Officer of News Corp.). NFN also co-developed workshops on digital citizenship at Internet Governance Forums in Europe and Africa and participated in a number of other international discussions on children’s rights in a digital age. A bit of ancient history: In 1998-’99 NFN was a sponsor of America Links Up, a nationwide Internet education campaign launched during the first National Kids Online Week in September of that year (the site is now housed at the Computer Museum).
Anne Collier’s bio is here.
E-mail us anytime with thoughts on what you’d like to see in Net Family News, your own family’s online experiences, or comments about what’s going on with the Internet at large or in your own community. We always love hearing from fellow parents via anne[at]netfamilynews.org. Thank you for your interest Net Family News!
