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 pause – especially around the citizenship piece?) Among … [Read more...] about Lawmakers, controlling and banning kids doesn’t help
New clarity on child sexual exploitation online
A lot of important research insights and guidance on the forms and impact of CSE online have been published by researchers on both sides of the Atlantic recently. Here are some key findings pulled together in one place with links to academic sources and resources for better prevention education.... "Stranger danger" is just as problematic and misleading a term now as sociologists found it to be … [Read more...] about New clarity on child sexual exploitation online
Game-changer: Child rights-by-design
Even though the United States is the only country on the planet that hasn't ratified the nearly 34-year-old UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, US-based companies that serve kids and teens around the world no longer have any excuse not to uphold their rights. Why is that the case? Not "only" because young people's lives are now "digital by default," as psychology professor Sonia … [Read more...] about Game-changer: Child rights-by-design
Why I struggle mightily with the new Utah law
Apologies. I am late in writing about this just-passed social media legislation in the state where I live, Utah (have to say my home state is Massachusetts). I'm late partly because I've been in denial. I can't believe that laws so disrespectful of teens' rights of privacy and participation could go on the books. And I can't believe that lawmakers of my generation – some of whom are loving … [Read more...] about Why I struggle mightily with the new Utah law
A solution for ‘awful but lawful’
The youth market researchers at Ypulse just reported that 83% of millennial parents agreed with their survey statement that "social media platforms should do more to police and prevent cyberbullying." Their concerns are certainly justified, because cyberbullying is "awful but lawful" – not generally a kind of online harm that law enforcement can address. But is it worse than the offline version … [Read more...] about A solution for ‘awful but lawful’