The other day, prominent UK professor Sonia Livingstone tweeted that the latest post in the Parenting for a Digital Future blog (which she helped create) has proven controversial. That’s not a huge surprise. The post argues that not including online porn in high school sex education classes “is a missed opportunity.” I agree. The post’s writer, Claire Meehan, a lecturer in criminology at … [Read more...] about Uncontroversial: Online porn in sex ed
DIY community care: 1 sign of a new Net safety era
It’s a sign that we’re in a whole new era in online safety now: young users increasingly taking things into their own hands. You might call it “DIY Internet safety.” It’s not all good news, but it’s also not all bad (not that DIY is the all of the new era – keep reading...). There are both positive and negative aspects in a piece of in-depth reporting on the subject at Buzzfeed News. What … [Read more...] about DIY community care: 1 sign of a new Net safety era
Higher & deeper views of kids online
A metaphor used by Global Kids Online researchers in a new blog post reminds me of research in the US that represented a huge digital youth milestone for me almost a decade ago – then of brand-new insights. The metaphor is that of a ladder – a progression of online activities kids and teens engage in, starting with the most “attractive and accessible” ones, like watching video or hanging out … [Read more...] about Higher & deeper views of kids online
Digital youth: Honor ALL their rights
This is a pivotal year for children’s online safety and human rights. One important reason is the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child’s call for public comments to help it develop the first General Comment on the digital part of fulfilling children’s human rights. Those rights are extensive. There are 54 articles in the Convention on the Rights of the Child, falling into 3 categories labeled … [Read more...] about Digital youth: Honor ALL their rights
The TikTok sensation
This is not a review of TikTok. You can find many reviews, both credible and not so much, with a quick Web search. This post offers a bit of context on the app, its parent company and where social media's headed – for bigger-picture parenting. (BTW, if your child is a big fan of TikTok, a great family media literacy lesson would be to pick 3 random reviews or articles and, with open minds and … [Read more...] about The TikTok sensation