Family Online Safety Institute

Digital Literacy in the Streaming Era
2021-02-17 02:00 - 04:00 UTC | 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.
