Read the latest news and brand new pieces on youth, social media, and emerging technologies! We focus on preventing harm and promoting positive online behaviors.

A Teen’s View of Social Media in 2022 post thumbnail

A Teen’s View of Social Media in 2022

Hey all, let me introduce you to Emily, a student I’ve had the pleasure of connecting with over the past year. I asked her to give you all an updated perspective on how she (and her peers) are using the most popular apps out there, and provide some self-reflective observations that can clue you into […]

ReThink the Internet: How to Make the Digital World a LOT LESS SUCKY post thumbnail

ReThink the Internet: How to Make the Digital World a LOT LESS SUCKY

I recently visited with Trisha Prabhu, Internet Safety advocate and social entrepreneur, to discuss her new book intended to help youth stop hate, lead with kindness, be an upstander, and enjoy their online experiences. I also read an advance copy, and I highly recommend it. Let’s get to our conversation! Trisha, it is so good […]

The Metaverse: Opportunities, Risks, and Harms post thumbnail

The Metaverse: Opportunities, Risks, and Harms

We have all been hearing about the metaverse much more frequently over the last few years, and consideration of its promises and perils has picked up tremendous pace in recent months. It is being designed by multiple companies to further connect us to each other and to the experiences we love. And it’s doing so […]

Michigan Teen Latest Casualty of Sextortion post thumbnail

Michigan Teen Latest Casualty of Sextortion

Seventeen-year-old Jordan DeMay seemed to have it all going for him: he was handsome, athletic, and was finishing his senior year at Marquette Senior High School in Marquette, Michigan. He was Homecoming King. When a pretty girl he didn’t know messaged him on Instagram and asked to exchange intimate images, he was skeptical. After a […]

The Role of Parents in Preventing Bullying and Cyberbullying post thumbnail

The Role of Parents in Preventing Bullying and Cyberbullying

Parents and guardians have always had a powerful influence on the behaviors of children, while research is clear that peers tend to have more sway during the teenage years. That said, our new research published in the Journal of Child and Family Studies identifies that certain positive parenting practices have a strong effect on both […]

Cyberbullying Statistics 2021 | Age, Gender, Sexual Orientation, and Race post thumbnail

Cyberbullying Statistics 2021 | Age, Gender, Sexual Orientation, and Race

Provides updated statistics on cyberbullying from a national study on US youth by age, gender, sexual orientation, and race. In May-June 2021, we collected new data from a nationally representative sample of 2,546 US youth between the ages of 13 and 17 to better understand their positive and negative experiences online. This is the type […]

Flash Mobs and Lip-Dubs to Combat Bullying post thumbnail

Flash Mobs and Lip-Dubs to Combat Bullying

I was talking with an educator last week about enlisting students to help create a healthy, thriving, and fun school climate, and specifically brought up the idea of flash mobs and lip-dubs. Many of our students have talents and abilities which we should really tap in order to help us promote positive attitudes and behaviors […]

Bullying During the COVID-19 Pandemic post thumbnail

Bullying During the COVID-19 Pandemic

New research shows that school bullying dropped dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic while cyberbullying remained stable. One of the questions we have been asked most often over the last 18 months is whether bullying has gotten better or worse since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Early on, there was a concern that cyberbullying incidents […]

My Son’s First Phone post thumbnail

My Son’s First Phone

I was sitting in the bleachers of my son’s recent hockey practice when another parent came up to me and sheepishly asked: “Does your son have a phone?” “Funny you should ask,” I replied. Coincidentally enough, we gave our son his first full-functioning phone that very day. I don’t think this particular parent knows what […]