FBI: Safe Online Surfing Challenge Launches. “The FBI’s Safe Online Surfing (SOS) Internet Challenge, which had record participation in 2018-2019, is reopening for the start of the new school year to help students navigate the web securely. As the FBI sees more and more crimes begin online, the growing participation numbers show that educators and caregivers also recognize the importance of teaching young people web literacy and safety.”
The Washington Post: Sex, drugs, and self-harm: Where 20 years of child online protection law went wrong. “Consumer and privacy advocates have alleged rampant COPPA violations by leading technology companies, including in a highly detailed 59-page complaint against YouTube last year. Even when federal authorities take action, the penalties typically come many years after the violations began and make little dent in corporate profit margins, the advocates say.”
Engadget: A parent’s guide to raising a good digital citizen. “Being a good digital citizen means being a responsible one: educating yourself and your kids about the digital world, participating in it in positive ways, questioning it and using technology as a tool to make the world a bit brighter (and not in some post-apocalyptic-neon-shroom-cloud way). How do kids learn digital citizenship? The same way they learn how to be good citizens: They watch good role models, and they practice. As a mom, I try to be one of those role models and give them opportunities to practice, with, admittedly, a pretty tight leash.”
Google Blog: Helping parents have the tech talk with their kids. “In real life (or IRL, as my son reminds me) I work hard to ensure my child is safe, confident, and kind. And whether he’s chatting with friends, doing homework or playing games, I want to make sure the same is true whenever he’s online. To make that happen, it’s up to me to have the right conversations and provide the right tools to guide him on making smart choices, no matter where he is. However, parents often feel less tech savvy than their kids.”
Google Blog: Helping children in the Arab world be safe online explorers. “Be Internet Awesome—our digital safety and citizenship program for children—is now available to more than 400 million Arabic speakers as Abtal Al Internet. The program is designed in a way that simplifies the world of internet safety and digital citizenship in a language children feel comfortable with.”
Ubergizmo: Instagram Launches A Resources Page For Parents Of Teens. “For parents who are worried about their kids being on social media, it appears that Instagram has some resources ready for parents of teens. These resources basically tell parents about Instagram (in case they didn’t know) and also the various tools that are in place that teens could use to keep themselves safe.”
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