RSS Great Stuff from Net Family News

  • Much-less-social media on Facebook’s 20th birthday February 4, 2024
    Facebook turns 20 today, but the platform is nothing like what it was in 2004 – or, more comparably, in 2008, when it overtook MySpace, it was open to all (not just uni students) and it had the reputation of being a “safe space,” Forbes reports, because everyone had to sign up with their real […]
    Anne
  • What child online safety really needs, senators February 2, 2024
    It was the 2024 version of public shaming – relentless on-camera questioning designed to send a message rather than hear answers. It seemed the lawmakers already had their answers. I get their frustration that… social media platforms can’t just “install” the digital version of car seats and seat belts or create product labeling like on […]
    Anne
  • Welcome to 2024! January 2, 2024
    Happy New Year, dear readers! It was quite a year last year, eh? I’m sure that, like me, many of you are glad to move on. More on what we’re moving into in a moment, but first let’s use one of the biggest news stories (not just tech stories) of 2023 – generative AI – […]
    Anne
  • Supporting the youngest witnesses of this humanitarian crisis October 13, 2023
    Sometimes we parents feel so helpless when our children come to us hurting as much as us when they see something awful happening in the world. In her email letter to our community, my friend, colleague and fellow parent Michelle Lipkin wrote, when her 19-year-old daughter asked her to explain what’s going on, “I tried […]
    Anne
  • Should our kids learn how to use generative AI? Well… October 9, 2023
    A teacher in an international school in Panama asks her students to critique essays “written” by ChatGPT, while others have their students fact-check AI material, according to Time. University of Pennsylvania professor Ethan Mollick requires his students to use generative AI while holding them accountable for the information in whatever they produce with it. These […]
    Anne
  • The missing piece in US child online safety law September 7, 2023
    US kids and parents need a toll-free number to call or text for help in getting harmful online content taken down. After studying various kinds of help like this that youth and parents in Europe, the UK, Australia and New Zealand have, we at The Net Safety Collaborative piloted a proof of concept for this […]
    Anne
  • Generative AI: July 2023 freeze frame July 29, 2023
    It’s feeling like I need a large language model brain to write about safety with large language models. [I certify that I only wish I had such a brain, and I am a human.] So let’s freeze the film for a moment and see where we humans are with generative AI safety. First, so that […]
    Anne
  • Threads: The new social media kid July 6, 2023
    “Picture Twitter but with a lot less Elon Musk” is how the Wall Street Journal is describing Threads, Meta’s new app. That right there is good news, maybe unusual where tech is concerned. I’ll give you a list of reasons in a moment, but first it’s only fair to state (or rather link to) my […]
    Anne
  • Surgeon general’s advisory: Let’s take stock June 16, 2023
    US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy advises that “we are experiencing a youth mental health crisis.” Based on the data, there’s no question about that. Where there is a question is whether tech and media are the cause. Some scholars simply assert they are (see the sidebar below), but neither the surgeon general nor the American […]
    Anne
  • Lawmakers, controlling and banning kids doesn’t help May 17, 2023
    The “control paradigm” around child online safety, which researchers on three continents have been calling out for at least five years, is in full bloom now. The term comes from a 2019 book by four Australian scholars about how control and surveillance have come to define digital safety, inclusion and citizenship. (Does that give you […]
    Anne

RSS Great Stuff from Connect Safely

  • How to Dodge Techno and Moral Panics March 15, 2024
    In this second episode with Jeff Jarvis, Larry and Jeff discuss regulation, encryption, the dangers of techno-moral panics, and Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. The post How to Dodge Techno and Moral Panics appeared first on ConnectSafely.
    Maureen Kochan
  • How to Avoid or Recover from a Ransomware Attack March 13, 2024
    Ransomware is one of numerous online crimes designed to separate people, businesses and government agencies from their money. The post How to Avoid or Recover from a Ransomware Attack appeared first on ConnectSafely.
    Larry Magid
  • Social Media Fact Sheet March 13, 2024
    Pew Research Center recently released this Teens and Social Media Fact Sheet. Once you have taken a few minutes to review it, consider having a conversation with the 13-17 year olds in your life. The post Social Media Fact Sheet appeared first on ConnectSafely.
    Kerry Gallagher
  • Ask Trish: BeReal March 12, 2024
    “I’ve seen the app BeReal become really popular in the last two years. What is it and is it in?” The post Ask Trish: BeReal appeared first on ConnectSafely.
    Trisha Prabhu
  • ConnectSafely’s Comment on COPPA 2024 Revisions March 9, 2024
    Submitted to Federal Trade Commission March 8, 2024 Comments in response to FTC proposed rule change ConnectSafely is pleased to comment on the proposed changes to COPPA. We agree that it’s appropriate, from time to time, to revisit legislation to adjust for new technologies, new business models and changes to potential online threats. Biometric data: […]
    Larry Magid
  • Gmail Safety: Blocking, Spam Filtering & Children’s Accounts March 8, 2024
    Tips to help block spam and annoying people along with advanced Gmail features The post Gmail Safety: Blocking, Spam Filtering & Children’s Accounts appeared first on ConnectSafely.
    Larry Magid
  • Protect Yourself from Online Trolling Behavior February 28, 2024
    If a post goes viral, even within a circle of friends, we are more at risk of being a target for online trolling behaviors. The post Protect Yourself from Online Trolling Behavior appeared first on ConnectSafely.
    Kerry Gallagher
  • Ask Trish: Sora February 27, 2024
    Trish, I love your AI posts. I saw OpenAI just released Sora, can you talk about it? The post Ask Trish: Sora appeared first on ConnectSafely.
    Trisha Prabhu
  • How to Protect Your Online Security February 22, 2024
    Contrary to what you may have heard, the threats don’t always come from hackers with sophisticated computer skills. There are plenty of criminals that use old-fashioned persuasion and trickery The post How to Protect Your Online Security appeared first on ConnectSafely.
    Larry Magid
  • Group Text Best Practices and Etiquette February 21, 2024
    Between family group texts, the group texts for sports teams we’re involved with, group texts with old friends from summer camp… you get the idea. Group texts can be huge, busy, and hard to keep up with. We have tips for how to deal. The post Group Text Best Practices and Etiquette appeared first on […]
    Kerry Gallagher