Me, thinking to myself last week…OMG! Next Tuesday is Safer Internet Day! I’ll definitely have to cover that on Ask Trish…
Hi there, and welcome back to another week of Ask Trish! I hope you’re well and having a great start to February.
Happy Safer Internet Day! Safer Internet Day is a global initiative that aims to encourage all of us to do our part to build a better internet and be more critical, kind, responsible digital citizens. As it turns out, Safer Internet Day USA is coordinated by our very own ConnectSafely, one of the US’s leading internet education organizations. As ConnectSafely Founder Larry Magid shared in a post last week, there has perhaps never been a more critical time for us to think about how we can realize a safer internet. As digital guardrails are rolled back and as internet use becomes more prevalent, core digital rights, like the right to privacy and dignity, are increasingly threatened. But we all have the power to push back–and in each and every one of our actions, create the digital world that we deserve.
I particularly love ConnectSafely’s Safer Internet Day theme this year: “empowering youth stakeholders.” Often, when we think about creating a safer internet, our minds go to educators, parents, tech companies, and government stakeholders–and to be clear, all of those entities have an important role to play in ensuring that our digital world is safe. But we young people have a powerful role to play, too. After all, we’re the ones that are starting trends, igniting movements, sharing fun memes, and posting cute pics on the internet. Our words, our interactions, and our behavior matters. Our digital literacy matters. Our commitment to reclaiming our humanity online matters.
Indeed, I’ve seen firsthand through my work as an anti-cyberbullying activist just how far even one digital action geared towards kindness, respect, or critical thinking can go! Over the years, I’ve heard stories of young people standing up for each other online; creating and sharing kind, inspiring, authentic content #nofilters!; and even fact-checking information online…and in doing so, they’ve inspired others to do the same. This year, then, I want to challenge all of you to be a part of the movement for a safer internet. There’s no youth community better positioned to get started than the incredible Ask Trish community!
But maybe you’re thinking… “Fair enough, Trish. But how can I learn the basics? How can I get a sense of what responsible digital citizenship looks like and means?” Great question. I’d strongly suggest that you check out ConnectSafely’s wonderful Safer Internet Day educational resources, which feature lessons and materials on topics ranging from generative AI to online scams/predators. (You’ll notice that there are plenty of Ask Trish articles included, too!) To make it easier for you to get started, I’ll share a few of the resources that I really liked engaging with/found so very valuable:
- Under the lesson called “Scams, Predators, and Creeps,” there’s a fantastic video from Larry (and it’s just two minutes long!) on how to set a strong password. We often imagine hackers as using incredibly sophisticated techniques to get into our accounts and access our personal information…and sometimes, that’s true. But it’s also true that too often, hackers are simply able to guess a poorly thought-out password, like “123.” Do better! Your accounts will thank you later.
- Under the lesson called “Wellness, Identity & Self-Respect,” there’s a wonderful (if I do say so myself) video featuring yours truly! That’s right…more Trish content for you! In the video, I chat through the nuances of what it means to engage with others online in a civil way and how to deal with trolls online. A lot of our digital discourse is increasingly online, and sometimes, it can be difficult to have productive conversations. And it’s especially hard when there are trolls targeting us! In the video, I offer up some suggestions for reframing our digital interactions and setting healthy digital boundaries to protect our mental health and wellbeing.
- And finally, under the lesson called “Picking on Peers,” I have to recommend Dr. Sameer Hinduja’s wonderful “Ask Me Anything About Cyberbullying” video. Dr. Hinduja is one of the foremost cyberbullying experts in our country–and crucially, not only does he know the data really well, he also has advice on how to address cyberbullying when it happens. This is crucial information that all of us should know–so if you don’t, take Safer Internet Day as an opportunity to learn.
That’s it for this week! Happy Safer Internet Day again!
Next week, it’s a look at DeepSeek, the AI platform that took the world by storm last month. And then from there…well, that’s up to you! When you have a moment, please share any internet or tech-related questions, musings, or thoughts with me here. I can’t wait to hear from you–thank you so much in advance for your contributions.
Have a great week,
Trish