It's Safer Internet Day – the 20th one. The first, in 2004, was celebrated by 13 EU countries and Australia, this year's being marked in 180 countries and territories. There couldn't be a better way for NetFamilyNews to mark the day than to show how young people themselves have reimagined the teaching of Internet safety, and that was done in Australia by two leading lights in youth voice and … [Read more...] about For SID 2023: What youth want ‘online safety’ to teach
Snapchat
BeReal & being real about safety & privacy
Seventeen magazine recently asked me if the BeReal app is safe for teens. Here’s their article about that, which is great but of course lots got left on the cutting floor. Here’s my full take: The way this Paris-based app is designed, it’s actually safer than a lot of other apps because it’s made for sharing just among friends. Accounts are private by default. People have to ask permission to … [Read more...] about BeReal & being real about safety & privacy
The latest on US teens’ social media use
An Oversight Board & what’s actually, urgently, needed
Below you'll find background and context to this pivotal point for social media. For a more prescriptive view, click to "Social media's turning point: 5 steps needed now, no turning back." Suddenly things that looked like important, almost radical (potential) fixes a few months ago now seem like “band-aids” or symptom treatments. Suddenly we need a great deal more. By “we,” I mean us, our … [Read more...] about An Oversight Board & what’s actually, urgently, needed
How teens’ social media use changing: New Pew study
Parents of teens probably knew this already, but the Pew Research Center just confirmed it for everybody: YouTube, Instagram and Snapchat are US 13-17 year-olds' top social media picks now – at 85%, 72% and 69%, respectively. That's according to Pew's just-released "Teens, Social Media & Technology 2018." [The percentages add up to more than 100% because, as is well known, teens use multiple … [Read more...] about How teens’ social media use changing: New Pew study