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.
As coronavirus lockdowns worldwide have increased the hours per day that kids and teens spend online, so have their use of gaming platforms. For parents, this raises many common concerns around gaming such as compulsive overuse, age appropriate imagery, and how to mitigate potential safety risks.
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.
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.
On November 18th, we hosted the premier online safety event of 2020 – live and virtual! This year's event, "Building Resilience," covered the many changing elements of online life, for ourselves, our families, and our world. The inherent obstacles and vast benefits of the digital world have become apparent to all of us now more than ever, and we explored these issues against the backdrop of a quickly changing social and cultural landscape.
This online workshop compared attitudes toward digital parenting in the US and APAC regions, bringing together representatives & 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 families.
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)."Â
As kids and teens spend more time on screens and devices, the impact on their mental health must be considered.
As a post-pandemic world begins to emerge, we find ourselves in a drastically altered "new normal" when it comes to the online world.
As kids and teens head back to school, families across the country and around the world are facing new challenges for this unusual school year. Students are returning to classrooms in a variety of ways, including online, hybrid, and in person — alongside anxious thoughts, worry, and apprehension.