Preventing Bullying and Cyberbullying by Building Hope
With the development of positive psychology over the last few decades, practitioners have increasingly seen value in a strengths- rather than risks-based approach to preventing youth problem behaviors. Hope is one construct of this type, which involves a thinking process related to motivations, goal attainment, and future success. Our research focuses on hope as “psychological […]
AI Risks and Harms Among Youth
Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is quickly reshaping the digital experiences of young people. It offers real opportunities for creativity, learning, and connection. It also introduces risks and harms we are only beginning to understand: the spread of misinformation, the creation of explicit or defamatory content, and the facilitation of cyberbullying, hate speech, and identity-based attacks. […]
Youth, Generative AI, and Social Chatbots: What We’re Learning, and What Comes Next
This training (customized for either youth-serving practitioners or youth themselves) will equip attendees with a comprehensive understanding of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI), its growing ubiquity, its benefits and contributions to individuals and society, and the attendant risks and harms to consider and mitigate. Through anonymous flash polling, participants will share their own positive and negative […]
Drug Availability on Social Media
This training will help parents, educators, and other youth-serving adults understand how online environments can contribute to easy, quick, and unauthorized access to substances that are often unsafe and sometimes even deadly. Attendees will learn about the the methods by which dealers operate, the impact of fentanyl on the drug trade, the relative ubiquity of […]
Instagram’s School Partnership Program – Prioritized Reporting to Help Students
As Youth Advisory Board members for Meta for almost a decade, Justin and I get the opportunity to use our research findings to shine a spotlight on how their products and services can be improved to better safeguard and support teens. One gap that I’ve always believed could be spanned is the one between social […]
Social Media, Youth, and New Legislation: The Most Critical Components
In my last piece, I discussed how some legislation in various US states has been proposed without careful consideration of the contributing factors of internalized and externalized harm among youth. More specifically, I expressed concern that the complexities surrounding why youth struggle emotionally and psychologically demand more than simplistic, largely unenforceable solutions. We recognize that […]
Generative AI Risks and Harms – The Role of Platforms and Users
Generative AI is revolutionizing the way that content is created as user-friendly tools have made their way into the hands of the masses around the world. The possibilities seem endless, and their application may impact almost every sector of society. Since the beginning of time, though, every novel technology suffused with promise also provides an […]
Promoting Media Literacy: Ten Activities to Help Students Create, Evaluate, and Analyze Content
(For a formatted .pdf version of this article for distribution, click on the image above [or click here]). Media literacy is best defined as the ability to access, create, analyze, and evaluate messages in a variety of forms. Anyone can post nearly anything at any time, from pretty much anywhere, and there are very few […]
Teen Sexting: A Brief Guide for Educators and Parents
This research summary reviews what is currently known about teen sexting. Research from across the United States is discussed, along with practical solutions for parents, educators, and other adults to prevent and respond to teen sexting. Citation information: Hinduja, S. & Patchin, J. W. (2022). Sexting – A Brief Guide for Educators and Parents. Cyberbullying […]
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 […]
