Family Online Safety Institute

A Transatlantic Youth Dialogue on the Future of Digital Safety
2022-03-01 11:00 - 12:00 UTC | Webinar
A full recording of this panel is available on YouTube. View it here.
Thank you so much, Microsoft, for your partnership and support in putting together this webinar.

On Tuesday, March 1st, the Family Online Safety Institute convened a youth panel discussion with the support of Microsoft that featured four representatives from Microsoft’s Council for Digital Good US and Council for Digital Good Europe. Stephen Balkam of FOSI facilitated this conversation alongside Dr. Sameer Hinduja of the Cyberbullying Research Center and they were joined by Aishwaryaa and Anna, both 14, of the Council for Digital Good US; and Donagh and Wu-Ji, both 16, of the Council for Digital Good Europe.
The conversation opened with a high-level overview of the recently released 2022 Digital Civility Index from Microsoft which reports on the global perspective of Internet risks, behavior online, and personal safety. The panelists then shared about their relationship with technology as it relates to living the past few years in a global pandemic, specifically how it affected their social relationships, educational experience, and adaptability towards the general use of tech.
The teens then shared about their friendships and how tech either supported fostering new connections or impacted their ability to stay close to those around them. They agreed that while it was much easier to stay connected through different modes of communication, it was also natural to fall out of touch with friends and that online interactions did lead to some level of disconnect and confusion around context and body language.
The panel then shared areas where they were excited about and concerned for emerging technology like the metaverse, how virtual spaces can both foster and hinder empathy, and suggestions for tackling hate speech and biased offenses on platforms. In a short question and answer period, the panelists discussed how tech plays a part in developing social and emotional skills, age recommendations for lessons around empathy, and whether schools are doing enough to teach about online safety and digital civility.

Teen Relationships: The Good, The Bad, & How Parents Can Help in a Digital World
2022-02-15 11:00 - 12:00 | DC
A full recording of this panel is available on YouTube. View it here.
Thank you so much, Aura, for your partnership and support in putting together this webinar.

On Tuesday, February 15th, the Family Online Safety Institute and Aura, a provider of intelligent safety solutions, convened a panel discussion entitled, “Teen Relationships: The Good, The Bad, & How Parents Can Help in a Digital World.” Stephen Balkam, FOSI’s Founder & CEO moderated the conversation between these leading experts: Dr. David Greenfield of The Center for Internet and Technology Addiction; Erica Olsen of the National Network to End Domestic Violence; Rita Smith of DomesticShelters.org; and Ryan Toohil of Aura.

The panelists began their conversation by discussing the importance of having open conversations about tech expectations and responsibilities as teens and young people join online spaces to explore their identities and relationships – particularly as different generations have different expectations for online safety and data privacy. The panelists agreed that conversations around consent are an effective way to establish privacy and safety online and lessen unintended consequences.

The panelists then discussed ways that parents can identify if their child is in an unhealthy relationship. Some of the advice included getting to know who their child’s best friend is in order to be more approachable and have someone else to ask if anything is wrong; knowing how to recognize signs of withdrawal, secrecy, or stress over a device, account, or notifications; and overall how to engage with teens in order to keep them talking.

The conversation then flowed to the topic of parental controls, specifically about managing expectations while implementing them. For example, it is encouraged that parents be open about the use of controls and explain what will happen when a child reaches a particular website before they are implemented. The panelists agreed that it is best to talk early to children about online safety, citing kindergarten to age 7 as appropriate timing, and that while easy technical solutions do exist for monitoring behavior, it shouldn’t replace the opportunity to have safety conversations with your child.

Finally, the panelists gave commentary on what platforms can do as next steps after a user has reported a violation of their service and how to lessen the effects of minimizing the issue. The panel discussed how the pandemic has affected their work, specifically noting that lockdown periods forced isolation between victims and abusers and allowed abuse to persist. And they gave suggestions on how parents can talk to their teens about suggestive, explicit photos, image-based abuse, and consent. The conversation closed after the panelists gave their thoughts on the emerging metaverse.

FOSI 2021 Annual Conference
2021-11-15 08:00 - 18:00 | A Live Virtual Event
Recovery & Renewal: Creating a path to a new normal
On November 15th, FOSI hosted its live, virtual 2021 Annual Conference, entitled “Recovery & Renewal: Creating a path to new normal.” This event highlighted our most important insights from the last year and a half, to ensure that our new normal includes revamped best practices for ourselves, our families, and our world. The event convened leaders across industry, government, academia, and the nonprofit sector to discuss a variety of topics within online safety such as content moderation, the digital divide, children’s privacy, and digital wellbeing, among others.
Caroline Curtin, Director of Government Affairs at Microsoft and Chair of the FOSI Board, started the day by giving a welcome address and Stephen Balkam, CEO, gave opening remarks.
The first session of the conference was the launch of FOSI’s new research, “Managing the Narrative: Young People’s Use of Online Safety Tools,” made possible in partnership with Snap Inc. and conducted by The Harris Poll. Findings from the report were presented by researchers David Krane and Jessica Massay, who shared the leading findings from the report, specifically about young people’s attitudes and experiences in the discussion around online safety, their feedback on what remains difficult, and how parents, educators, and industry can provide better blueprints to continue creating helpful solutions.
Following their presentation, a panel of experts shared the stage for the first plenary session, and provided a further dissection of Managing the Narrative. Dr. Ellen Selkie of the University of Wisconsin, Madison moderated a conversation between Jacqueline Beauchere from Snap Inc, David Krane of The Harris Poll, and Amanda Lenhart of Data & Society Research Institute. The panelists shared their reactions to the report as well as discussed the methodology used and how the pandemic provides contextualization to the findings. The panelists also spoke about the importance of a healthy parent-child relationship when it came to technology and discussed the ways in which industry can work together with parents to create a safe and inclusive experience for teens online.
After a short networking break, Dr. Richard Graham of Good Thinking: The London Digital Mental Wellbeing Service led the discussion for the â€˜Setting the Scene: Psychological Wellbeing & Resilience’ plenary. He was joined on screen by Dr. Nusheen Ameenuddin of The Mayo Clinic, author and filmmaker Tiffany Shlain, and Rosalind Wiseman of Cultures of Dignity. The panel explored their interpretation of wellbeing and resilience, how to create spaces that encourage digital wellbeing for children and families, and how best to establish honest communication, supportive relationships, and healthy boundaries when it comes to digital exploration.
In the final session of the morning, Stephen Balkam of FOSI was joined in conversation by Karen Ressmeyer of Amazon and Dr. Michael Rich of the Digital Wellness Lab. â€˜Technology’s Positive Role in Child Development’ showcased how Amazon Kids approaches product development and privacy in their new kids products as well as highlighted the ways in which technology can play a helpful and positive role in child development when created thoughtfully and used in moderation.
The first set of breakout sessions explored a wide range of topics including policy, parenting, industry, and research. The policy panel explored the international implications of COPPA and the Age Appropriate Design Code, namely how the AADC can be a model and tool for global privacy and safety protection for children online. The parenting session discussed ways in which families can benefit from having regular conversations about setting tech expectations as well as actionable tips parents can use to manage tech in the home. In the “Industry Solutions” panel, speakers discussed a variety of topics ranging from recent technical safety features and the design process of such products to the importance of research and media literacy campaigns in developing the best user and parental controls for online safety. In “Gathering the Evidence: Latest Research and Insights,” researchers discussed how the pandemic has globally affected teens and young people in regards to their relationship with technology as well as how the past year and a half have affected cyberbullying, resilience measures, and what further research is needed in this space.
Our featured afternoon fireside chat was a discussion between Antigone Davis and James Hairston of Meta and Dr. Lewis Bernstein, formerly of Sesame Workshop. In “Tap into the Metaverse,” the speakers presented a brief explanation of what the metaverse is, the significant opportunities to develop kids’ content and build empathy, and how partnering with organizations can ensure companies build immersive user experiences responsibly and with safety as a key pillar.
The afternoon breakout sessions featured topics on mental health, misinformation, and closing the digital divide. “Promoting Mental Health & Mitigating Self Harm” showcased how social platforms are dealing with complex issues related to the pandemic and social media use for teens. In a discussion called “Facts, Lies & Reality: Addressing False Information Online,” speakers considered the difficulties of combating misinformation online, the history of misinformation before the Internet, constitutional and First Amendment concerns in regulating online speech, plus the responsibility of consumers, policymakers, and tech companies in fighting the spread of misinformation. In the session discussing closing the digital divide, speakers shared the historical context of federal broadband adoption efforts while highlighting what is currently being done in this setting, namely the many consumer, community, and industry programs that work on improving the implementation and accessibility of broadband services.
The penultimate panel of the day addressed “Making the Gaming World Safer Through Research, Parental Controls, and Self-Regulation,” and featured Savannah Badalich of Discord, Linda Norman of Microsoft and Xbox, Stanley Pierre-Louis of the Entertainment Software Association, Katie Salen Tekinbas of UC Irvine, and was moderated by digital parenting expert Dr. Elizabeth Milovidov. The discussion included an overview of the gaming regulatory landscape and how the age and content rating system operates, plus recent research into the benefits of gaming and online connectivity and a view of the parental and user safety controls.
The final panel of Recovery & Renewal considered how to create a path to a new normal. With Laura Higgins of Roblox as moderator, Australia’s eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant, The Diana Award’s Tessy Ojo CBE, Oxford Internet Institute’s Dr. Andrew Przybylski, and clinical psychologist Dr. Catherine Steiner-Adair discussed the benefits and challenges of our current hybrid lives while tackling the importance of research to inform policymaking and parental guidance, regulatory feasibility and practicality, the mental health challenges facing kids and families, and the strategies used to mitigate the harms while reaping the many rewards of our digital lives.
Full videos of all plenary and breakout sessions are available on FOSI’s YouTube channel.
Click to view our online commemorative photobook.
#fosi2021 #RecoveryandRenewal

School’s Back - Now What?
2021-09-15 12:00 - 13:00
A full recording of this event is available on YouTube. View it here.
On Wednesday September 15th, the Family Online Safety Institute hosted a virtual fireside chat titled, “School’s Back – Now What?” FOSI CEO Stephen Balkam led a conversation with Diana Graber of Cyberwise and Cyber Civics, where they explored a number of topics surrounding what back to school looks like in 2021. They discussed ways that parents, educators, and school administrators can support each other in providing a quality learning environment and experience for students this year.
The conversation opened with a brief overview of the current educational landscape, emphasizing all the work that educators have done to adapt to different styles of teaching in the past few years and how resilient children are for maintaining their academic lessons through the changes as well. As an educator herself, Diana shared personal stories from her classroom, noting that students felt technology and video conferencing software allowed online learning and socialization to happen easily, but not without its drawbacks. She remarked that both students and teachers have become much more tech savvy over the past year and a half, and those skills are valuable moving forward, predicting that the state of education will not regress back to pre-pandemic operations, instead incorporating more technology, devices, and increased EdTech in curriculums.
The importance of social and emotional learning (SEL) was heavily discussed, acknowledging the likelihood that teachers will have to address current events that a student sees at home or while using their device. Being able to have group conversations about what is going on in their students’ lives allow for more engaging lessons and meaningful student-teacher interactions. Diana and Stephen also spoke about the ways communities, schools, and families can come together and set technology rules or “classroom norms” that everyone would operate from to keep their classroom community digitally safe and healthy.
During a Q&A period, Stephen and Diana answered questions from the audience on everything from hybrid learning and how to engage parents in digital academic activities to building and encouraging resilience related to viewing difficult online content, cyberbullying, and sexting.

Children @ Play: Developing Skills, Community and Connection Online
2021-05-26 15:00 | Webinar
A full recording of this panel is available on YouTube. View it here.

On Wednesday 26th May, the Family Online Safety Institute hosted its 2021 European Forum. Stephen Balkam, FOSI CEO, moderated the conversation between foremost experts in child psychology, wellbeing, and online play. He was joined by Dr. Nusheen Ameenuddin of the Mayo Clinic, Dr. Richard Graham of Good Thinking: The London Digital Mental Wellbeing Service, Laura Higgins of Roblox, and Rukayah Sarumi of the LEGO Group.
The panelists began their conversation by reflecting on some of the changes in play that they observed throughout the pandemic. Young children have adapted and remained resilient, often by using technology to maintain social connection and build communities online. Debates about screen time have evolved and parents are now looking at children’s daily tech use in comparison to other healthy behaviors like adequate sleep, nutrition, and socialization.
The conversation pivoted to how diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts make a difference in early childhood play. Research has shown that children from disadvantaged backgrounds often lack access to safe areas for outside play, and thus spend more time on screens for entertainment. This reiterates the importance of creating more high-quality content for kids. Panelists agreed on the importance of closing the digital divide and ensuring all children have access to online opportunities and educational materials.
The panel shared the different social, cognitive, creative, and emotional skills that kids gain when they play online, such as developing a sense of agency and conflict resolution, both of which can be transferred to different experiences in the real world.
To conclude, panelists discussed the rising concerns that parents have as kids transition back to in-person education and how best to maintain the benefits that have come from remote schooling. Encouraging digital citizenship and digital literacy was reiterated by all panelists as a priority for governments and industry around the world.

Teens, Screens and Mental Health
2021-05-13 11:00 - 12:00 | Webinar
A full recording of this event is available on YouTube. View it here.
On Thursday May 13th, the Family Online Safety Institute hosted a virtual panel discussion, “Teens, Screens and Mental Health.” Julie Jargon of The Wall Street Journal moderated the conversation between these leading experts: Dr. Kara Bagot of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; Kelly Davis of Mental Health America, Tracy Elizabeth of TikTok, Dr. Niklas Johannes of the Oxford Internet Institute; and Becka Ross of Crisis Text Line.
The conversation opened with a brief overview of current research that explores the relationship between technology use and teens’ mental health, emphasizing the importance that longitudinal data provides in explaining tech use and mental health symptoms over time. It was also mentioned that screen time is an imprecise way to measure impact considering the multitude of categories that media presents.
Panelists discussed screen time and digital behaviors that are high risk or most rewarding for teenagers, noting the difference between active and passive screen time and how different groups use social media. For a lot of teens, the communities they find online are a way to get support for the challenges in their lives, and an outlet for them to connect with others. Advice was given for parents seeking to establish and enhance healthier relationships between kids and technology and how parents, educators, and other adults can recognize signs of poor mental health. Experts also shared how teens are using technology to seek mental health support for themselves and for one another online when they may not be able to do so in the offline world.
The discussion ended with reflections on the ways in which the tech industry plays a role in mental health support, emphasizing the collaboration needed between industry and their trusted community and organizational partners. It was agreed that tech must be designed to honor the development of youth, and how governments should support collaboration as well.
In a brief Q&A period, panelists shared digital parenting strategies regarding social media for younger teenagers, widespread tech use, and the ability to stay up to date on the types of content children are consuming online.

FOSI Briefs the Hill - In Conversation with Representatives Lori Trahan and Jennifer Wexton
2021-03-11 15:00 - 15:45
A full recording of this event is available on YouTube. View it here.
On Thursday March 11, the Family Online Safety Institute hosted the latest installment of its FOSI Briefs the Hill series, “In Conversation With Representatives Lori Trahan (D-MA-03) and Jennifer Wexton (D-VA-10).”
FOSI CEO Stephen Balkam moderated the conversation with the Representatives, who opened the conversation explaining why online safety is important to them, both in their representative role and within their families. Representative Wexton noted that as part of the Congressional Task Force on Digital Citizenship, she takes a holistic approach to online safety during her online safety conversations. Representative Trahan observed the power and promise of technology, especially during the pandemic.
Representative Trahan highlighted the importance of comprehensive privacy legislation, which is also a priority for the House Energy and Commerce Committee. She called out the need for specific privacy protections for children and incorporating safety by design into products. Rep. Trahan noted promising pieces of legislation, including the KIDS Act and CAMRA, and spotlighted the United Kingdom’s Age-Appropriate Design Code. Representative Wexton spoke about the Congressional Task Force on Digital Citizenship, noting the importance of teaching people to be responsible users and producers of content online – no matter the age group. Both highlighted the need for media literacy education, and skill building to recognize misinformation and disinformation, online scams and online manipulation.
The importance of closing the digital divide and improving broadband connectivity was discussed, followed by each Representative giving their predictions for the new Congress, which included updates to COPPA and advancing legislation providing funding for research.

Digital Literacy in the Streaming Era
2021-02-17 02:00 - 04:00 | Virtual Workshop
A full recording of this event is available on YouTube. View it here.

In 2020, FOSI launched its newest research study, Tools for Today’s Digital Parents, which explored parents’ and teens’ attitudes toward the use of parental controls and online safety tools. The data also delved into the role these tools play inside the household, where approaches to digital parenting can differ.
In 2021, we conducted a poll in the APAC region to see how these findings compared in a new geographic and cultural context. By posing a short series of survey questions to parents in India, Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand, we explored their top concerns about kids’ media consumption, and how they view the responsibility of online safety.
At this event, a presentation of these findings was followed by several panel discussions with NGO and industry experts. The aim of the workshop was to bring together participants from industry, civil society, academic and the public sector to discuss online safety, how we think of digital citizenship and how to respond to the many challenges and opportunities that digital technology poses to children and their families.
View the APAC poll results here. Download Stephen Balkam’s presentation here.
Agenda
Opening Remarks
Dr. Ismail Shah, International Telecommunication Union
Research Presentation
Mr. Stephen Balkam, Family Online Safety Institute
NGO Panel Discussion
Mr. Amitabh Kumar, Social Media Matters, India (Moderator)
Mr. Indriyatno Banyumurti, ICT Watch, Indonesia
Ms. Lisa Garcia, Foundation for Media Alternatives, Philippines
Remarks
Mr. Rakesh Maheswari, Ministry of Electronics & IT, India
Industry Panel Discussion
Mr. Stephen Balkam, Family Online Safety Institute (Moderator)
Ms. Shanta Arul, Netflix
Mr. John Medeiros, Asia Video Industry Association
Ms. Wenchi Yu, VIPKid

FOSI 2020 Annual Conference
2020-11-18 08:00 - 18:00 | A Live Virtual Event
Building Resilience
On November 18th, FOSI hosted its live, virtual 2020 Annual Conference, entitled “Building Resilience.” This event convened leaders across industry, government, academia, and the nonprofit sector to discuss a wide variety of topics within the areas of best practices in technology policy, digital parenting, privacy, education, and innovation.
Patricia Vance, President of the Entertainment Software Rating Board and Chair of the FOSI Board, provided a welcome from FOSI, and andStephen Balkam, CEO, gave opening remarks.
The first presentation of the day was the launch of FOSI’s new research, Tools for Today’s Digital Parents, made possible in partnership with Verizon and conducted by Magid, a media research firm. Findings from the report were presented by researchers Molly Ludwig and Rich McGuire, who outlined the key takeaways from the report, specifically how online safety tools like parental controls serve parents and their children, and what can be done by industry to optimally support families navigating the online world.
These ideas sparked the first plenary panel discussion of the day, a further examination of Tools for Today’s Digital Parents, moderated by Elizabeth Milovidov from the Council of Europe & e-Enfance, and featuring Ethan Arenson from Verizon, Alexa Hasse of Harvard University’s Berkman Klein Center, and Molly Ludwig from Magid. The panelists reflected on the takeaways from the report and analyzed how these findings might be integrated into consumer outreach to parents. They also compared how these findings may reflect in their own work within industry, research, and parenting.
Amy Joyce of The Washington Post moderated the â€˜Building Resilience for our Kids’ panel, with Tessy Ojo from the Diana Award, Lenore Skanazy of Let Grow, Catherine Steiner- Adair a clinical psychologist and Patricia Vance from the Entertainment Software Rating Board.. The panelists explored ways in which parents and educators can appropriately support children in this unprecedented year by building and maintaining resilience, encouraging healthy media consumption, and being intentional with technology use for school, entertainment, and socializing.
Stephen Balkam conducted a one-on-one fireside chat with global public speaker and anti-bullying advocate Monica Lewinsky, entitled “Creating a More Compassionate Internet.” The discussion focused on Monica’s path to the field of online safety and digital citizenship advocacy work, the impacts of losing one’s digital reputation, and the urgent need to cultivate online compassion, especially during this tumultuous year.
The first set of breakout sessions explored a wide variety of topics. The privacy panel explored the current legislative landscape and potential advancements needed to keep users of all ages safe online. Panelists from the education space discussed how industry and educators have adapted to virtual learning, the importance of students having access to technology, and the ways in which education might be changed forever due to the pandemic. The International Trends and Policy panel assessed the different approaches taken to online safety in the UK, Australia, and the European Union. Finally, Streaming Quality Kids’ Content convened experts to share insights into the process behind developing content for kids that is both educational and engaging, as well as appealing to a wide variety of families. They also touched on the responsibility of networks and streaming platforms to instill healthy routines and media consumption habits for young viewers.
During the second fireside chat Facebook’s Antigone Davis spoke with Mary Madden, of the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop. The two discussed the ways in which young people and their parents can maintain and evaluate their own digital wellbeing in the time of COVID-19.
Afternoon breakout sessions featured a youth panel led by Tami Bhaumik of Roblox, in which a panel of young people discussed the ways in which kids can stay safe and have fun while gaming and using social media. Illegal Content: Prevention, Detection, and Enforcement considered the latest trends in online criminal activity and how global stakeholders can confront these challenges. Online Activism: Social Justice Meets Social Media brought together industry and youth activists to talk about how social media has created change through digital movements and taking organized activity from social platforms into the real world. Finally, Tech Innovation: Challenges and Opportunities brought together expert voices from leading companies to share their newest technical and strategic innovations that are informing industry best practice and keeping kids safe online.
The highlighted session of the afternoon was a conversation between leaders from Amazon Kids and Alexa. Karen Ressmeyer spoke with Miriam Daniel and Toni Reid to share insights into how families are using Alexa, Echo, and Amazon Kids during the pandemic. They also discussed Amazon’s approaches into designing thoughtful new Alexa features for kids and their parents.
Tech Policies in 2021 & Beyond was the final panel of the day. Sara Fischer of Axios moderated the discussion with Richard Downing of the US Department of Justice, Alexandra Givens from the Center for Democracy & Technology, and Nicol Turner-Lee from The Brookings Institution who shared their expertise and insights into areas of focus for the next US Administration and Congress.
The event closed with a conversation with Sonia Livingstone and John Palfrey who shared insights into ways that parents can adapt their parenting style to this new normal, and allow their children to participate online in healthy, helpful, and engaged ways. They also discussed the motivation behind their recently published books (Parenting for a Digital Future and The Connected Parent, respectively).
Full videos of all plenary and breakout sessions are available on FOSI’s YouTube channel.
Click to view our online commemorative photobook.

Webinar - Supporting Virtual Classrooms: Educational and Enriching Content for Kids
2020-09-10 11:00 - 12:00 | Webinar
The full discussion can be viewed here.
As many families prepare for distance learning during this unprecedented back-to-school season, concerns around the efficacy of virtual education and increased screen time are coming to the forefront. Parents are now facing the challenge of schooling at home, striving to shift kids’ summer routines to a more structured academic digital environment, while also adapting their own lives to reflect the impacts of COVID-19. This process raises important questions for the industry experts, educators, and content creators who are working to support families in their new in-home virtual classrooms, such as:
– How can we shape kids’ online experiences to include meaningful, enriching material that supports their academic success?
– Where can parents easily find entertaining and educational ways to play and learn online with their children?
– How do parents know their child is interacting with safe, appropriate online, that are positive for their digital wellbeing and protective of their rights online?
On Thursday, September 10th, we covered these questions and more with a panel discussion featuring these leading experts:

Alicia Blum-Ross, Google
James Filippatos, The Walt Disney Company
Josianne Galea Baron, UNICEF
Dr. Leanna Prater, LEGO Education
Deirdre Quarnstrom, Minecraft Education
Stephen Balkam, Family Online Safety Institute, Moderator

FOSI Briefs the Hill - Misinformation and the Importance of Media Literacy
2020-07-16 11:00 - 12:00 | Webinar, Register for Access
The full webinar discussion can be viewed here.
In July 2020, the stories leading our news cycle have immediate impacts on public health, social dynamics, and the state of democracy in the face of an upcoming US election. The ways in which information on these topics has been disseminated shows how easily false and misleading coverage can spread online, making it difficult to prioritize safety and accuracy. The current highly charged social atmosphere has exemplified why it is so vital to combat the spread of misinformation, especially when it comes to our youngest tech-savvy citizens. Some schools have begun to teach digital literacy as part of an academic curriculum, encouraging students to think more critically about the media they consume.
This FOSI Briefs the Hill event explored how media literacy is currently taught, what improvements are needed, as well as international approaches and roles of parents, governments and non-profits. Experts on this panel discussed the need to develop positive online habits, and how to teach digital citizenship and media literacy to the next generation.
Featured speakers included:

Tessa Jolls, Center for Media Literacy, Moderator
Matthew Johnson, MediaSmarts
Lindsey Kerr, U.S. Senate Committee on Rules & Administration
Sonia Livingstone, London School of Economics
Dewayne McClary, Digital Promise

Gaming in Lockdown: Achieving Safety and Balance in Online Play
2020-07-01 11:00 - 12:00 | Webinar
The full discussion between Dr. Elizabeth Milovidov, Laura Higgins and Dr. Michael Rich can be viewed here.
On July 1st, FOSI hosted a discussion on gaming, digital parenting, and children’s wellbeing.
Moderated by digital parenting expert Dr. Elizabeth Milovidov, this webinar covered the impacts of the pandemic on screen use, how kids are continuing to connect socially online through games, and tips for parents who are looking to create structure around technology use at home. Laura Higgins, Director of Community Safety and Digital Civility at Roblox provided key findings from their recent survey on how teens are experiencing online conversations and friendships during the pandemic, and how the platform approaches safety practices. Dr. Michael Rich of Ask the Mediatrician spoke to the emerging trends seen in kids’ media use during lockdown, highlighting the importance of parents being good digital role models and joining in with their kids’ online activities themselves.
Further resources mentioned during this session included:

Dr. Milovidov’s Digital Parenting Community Facebook GroupThe Family Digital Wellness Guide via the Center on Child and Media HealthDigital Safety, Civility and Wellbeing at Roblox

Covid-19 and the Return of the Free Range Kid
2020-05-27 11:00 - 12:00 | Webinar, Register for Access
The full webinar discussion can be viewed here.
The global pandemic has upended the rhythm of life for most families. Parents are either doing their best to homeschool their kids while working from home, or heading out to do essential jobs. Kids are missing the structure and routine of school, extracurricular activities, sports – and now even summer camp is endangered.
Much attention is being given to the psychological toll this is taking on adults and children alike, but there is another lesson emerging in this time of lockdown. While parents are busy working to find solutions for the new challenges they’re facing, kids are being given greater freedom to structure their days. They are figuring out their own ways to be creative, both online and outdoors, in ways we haven’t seen in years. Some would say that they are flourishing.
On Wednesday, May 27, Stephen Balkam, Founder & CEO of FOSI, moderated a discussion with two remarkable experts in their fields to help us explore the new (and old) ways that kids are adapting to new normals within this national crisis:
Peter Gray is an author and research professor of psychology at Boston College who has conducted and published research in neuroendocrinology, developmental psychology, anthropology, and education. He is a founding board member of Let Grow, and president of the nonprofit Alliance for Self-Directed Education (ASDE), which is aimed at creating a world in which children’s natural ways of learning are facilitated rather than suppressed.
Lenore Skenazy is co-founder and president of Let Grow, a nonprofit promoting independence as a critical part of childhood, and the author of Free Range Kids: How to Raise Safe, Self-Reliant Children (Without Going Nuts with Worry). At Let Grow, Lenore oversees school programs, an online community, and legislative efforts all promoting the idea that when adults step back, kids step up, growing resourceful, resilient — and ready for the world.

Tackling Online Child Sexual Abuse Material: From Discovery to Prosecution
2020-05-20 11:00 - 12:00 | Webinar, Register for Access
The full webinar discussion can be viewed here.
On Wednesday, May 20, Stephen Balkam, CEO of FOSI, hosted a panel discussion on child sexual abuse material (CSAM) online. A group of experts explained the roles they play in the vital work of eradicating CSAM from the Internet and obtaining justice for the victims. The aim of the discussion was to go behind the numbers and understand how a collaborative effort is needed to fight CSAM online.
The conversation featured detailed examples from industry, government, law enforcement, and NGOs, and highlighted how coordination and cooperation between these different actors is crucial to making the internet safer for all children.
Marisa Morin, Policy Advisor for Senator Ron Wyden, outlined the provisions of the Invest in Child Safety Act (S.3629), which would provide significant funding for additional personnel, technology, and coordinated operations throughout the United States to combat the spread of CSAM and prosecute those responsible.
Remy Malan from Roblox, discussed the technology and human reviews that his company employs to detect CSAM and other problematic content. He talked about their work to empower users with reporting tools and the steps they proactively take to stop the material from being uploaded.
Fred Langford from the Internet Watch Foundation in the UK detailed the ways in which IWF processes imagery and works with national and international law enforcement to investigate websites displaying CSAM with the goal of removing the content at its source.
John Shehan from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), expanded on how they work with industry, while also processing millions of reports a year and sending details to law enforcement that help prioritize the most urgent cases where there is imminent risk to a child.
Matt Wright, the Chief of the Child Exploitation Investigations Unit at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, explained how his unit investigates reports through a variety of methods including undercover work, while also noting the essential partnerships with NCMEC, the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Program (ICAC) throughout the U.S., and foreign law enforcement and governments.
Steve Grocki, from the U.S. Department of Justice, discussed how his unit is strategic in responding to cases given the vast scale, complexity, and dangerousness of these crimes, and relies on close collaboration with all the other stakeholders mentioned above to combat such a global problem.
The audience Q&A explored how new technological advancements could help fight the spread of CSAM, how reports are tracked throughout the process, and how additional funding could be used to improve prosecutions.

Covid-19, Civility and Citizenship
2020-05-12 15:00 - 16:00 | Webinar
The full webinar discussion between Stephen Balkam, Trisha Prabhu, and Rosalind Wiseman can be viewed here.
Recent statistics have shown us that kids’ time spent on devices is surging during the pandemic. As their social lives and educational environment move entirely online, will it mean an increase in bad behavior and bullying?
This is an opportunity to create a teachable moment around digital citizenship and civility. For the parents of younger kids who may not have started the conversation yet, as well as tech savvy teens, now is the time to create guidance on how they can use technology for good, treat others well, and cultivate a positive presence in what is now a completely virtual world. How can we work to create a message of togetherness while staying apart?
Trisha Prabhu, a 19-year-old innovator, social entrepreneur, global advocate and inventor of ReThinkâ„¢, a patented technology and an effective way to detect and stop online hate. As a CEO and social entrepreneur, Trisha has received world-wide acclaim in the business world. In 2016, President Obama and the U.S. State Department invited Trisha to the Global Entrepreneurship Summit, to showcase her work and share her story with other entrepreneurs. Not long after, ReThink was featured on ABC’s hit T.V. show, Shark Tank. In 2019, ReThink was the winner of Harvard University’s President’s Global Innovation Challenge & Harvard College’s i3 entrepreneurial Challenge. Trisha is the first ever Harvard College freshman to win the Harvard University’s President Innovation Grand Prize.
Rosalind Wiseman, who has had only one job since graduating from college: to foster civil dialogue and work with communities to build strength, courage and purpose. Rosalind is the founder of Cultures of Dignity, the author of the curriculum Owning Up: Empowering Adolescents to Confront Social Cruelty, Bullying, and Injustice and a multiple New York Times bestselling author including Queen Bees and Wannabes: Helping Your Daughter Survive Cliques, Gossip, Boyfriends, and the New Realities of Girl Worldâ€”the groundbreaking book that was the basis for the movie and Broadway musical Mean Girls. She lives in Boulder Colorado with her husband and two sons.

ACT | The App Association and FOSI present “Protecting the Vulnerable Online: Why Encryption is Key”
2020-04-14 14:30 - 16:00 | Webinar, Register for Access
The full webinar discussion can be viewed here.
On Tuesday April 14, Stephen Balkam, Founder & CEO of FOSI, and Morgan Reed, President of ACT | The App Association, co-hosted a panel discussion on encryption policy. The conversation included experts from diverse industries and with nuanced perspectives, and each shared their personal experiences with how encryption technologies impact their lives.
The conversation included how encryption functions as a protective mechanism online for particularly vulnerable users and groups, featured real-world examples from people who have personally benefited from and relied on encryption, and set the stage for what policymakers need to know about how law enforcement can best utilize digital evidence to aid in investigations, without necessarily breaking encryption.
Carlos Gutierrez is the Deputy Director and General Counsel at LGBT Tech, and spoke about the specific challenges and difficulties the LGBTQ+ community face around the world, especially in the many countries where it is illegal to engage in same sex activities.
Elaina Roberts is the Technology Safety Legal Manager at the National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV), and discussed the importance of safe and secure communications for those trying to get out of an abusive relationship or family situation, as well as private ways for people to access sensitive resources.
Jennifer Daskal is the Faculty Director for the Tech, Law & Security Program at the American University Washington College of Law and is the author of the often-cited CSIS report “Low Hanging Fruit.” She offered a research-based perspective and spoke to how technology companies can work together with law enforcement in many ways without having to break encryption.
John Wilbanks is the Chief Commons Officer at Sage Bionetworks, and used his technical expertise to guide the conversation about securing sensitive data, at rest or in motion, and what factors are most important to consider, possible to achieve with current technology, and recommendations for broader public policy proposals.
The audience Q&A delved deeper into the technical aspects of encryption as well as some of the ethical issues that it presents. The overall aim of the discussion was to go behind the headlines and advance the conversation, hopefully this was achieved.

Digital Parenting in a Pandemic
2020-04-06 15:00 - 16:00 | Webinar
The full Webinar discussion between Stephen Balkam, Janell Burley Hofmann, and Tiffany Shlain can be viewed here.
How on earth do we maintain balance in our families’ digital lives during the unprecedented times that we are in?
What strategies and tools can we use to create some semblance of normalcy while our kids are suddenly learning at home, and we are struggling to either work remotely or bring in child care in order to run essential services?
On Monday April 6, Stephen Balkam, Founder & CEO of FOSI, moderated a discussion exploring the challenges (and opportunities) of being a good digital parent in a time of crisis. We discussed both short term and long term strategies that can help create order, prioritize education, and forge new routines in the midst of uncertainty.
Stephen was joined by two of the leading thinkers in this space:
Janell Burley Hofmann is the author of iRules, an international speaker, facilitator and consultant and mother of 5. Janell helps schools, youth, families, educators and organizations on the topics of technology, media, health, relationships and well-being. She is the creator of the iPhone Contract and founder of The Slow Tech Movement and iRules Academy. More of Janell’s resources can be found here, on her website.
Tiffany Shlain is an Emmy-nominated filmmaker, speaker, and Webby Awards Founder, and author of 24/6: The Power of Unplugging One Day a Week, in which she explores her family’s decade-long, transformative practice of turning off screens one day each week. More of Tiffany’s resources are available here. You can sign up for her weekly Zoom baking classes (Fridays at 10am PT/ 1pm ET) here.
