The timing struck me. Though it seems all of life is at an inflection point now, in the middle of a pandemic, two just-published papers represent a crucial one for digital safety and citizenship education. Individually and together, they offer new guidance that simply mustn’t be lost in the Covid-19 din. The scholars point the way forward for teaching young people essential skills for life in a … [Read more...] about 2 new papers spell a turning point for digital safety & citizenship: Part 1
EU Kids Online
A pivotal book for digital safety & citizenship
The importance of the new book – Young People in Digital Society: Control Shift – cannot be exaggerated. It provides the scholarship we adults need to make the pivot of the 21st century: away from dictating to young people and toward partnering with them as we all figure out life in this ever more digitally powered world. It’s also a wakeup call. “Control Shift” is an economical, cleverly … [Read more...] about A pivotal book for digital safety & citizenship
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
Safer Internet Day 2019: Risk vs harm, online & offline
What better way to mark Safer Internet Day than with clarity on the difference between risk and harm? Because, where online safety's concerned, the two words have been used interchangeably – inaccurately – for years. It was EU Kids Online, after surveys of more than 25,000 9-16 year-olds across Europe, that first made the distinction, reporting that, "as with riding a bike or crossing the road, … [Read more...] about Safer Internet Day 2019: Risk vs harm, online & offline