AI Isn’t Human, But It Can Feel as Though It Is
AI’s human-like behavior isn’t accidental.
New Report: Designing Digital Safety with Youth in Mind
A thoughtful and much-needed framework for reimagining what it means to protect kids online.
Guide to Taking Control of Your Instagram Feed
How to control what you see (and don’t see) on Instagram.
Be Careful, Not Fearful, of Online Transactions
Whether it’s a scam or just an honest mistake, the wrong online transaction can cost you money.
Be Careful, Not Fearful, of Online Transactions
Whether it’s a scam or just an honest mistake, the wrong online transaction can cost you money.
Parent Guides
Parent’s Guide to Social Media and Digital Wellness
By Hina Talib, MD and Larry Magid, Ed.D. Social media is where teens connect, create, and express themselves—but it’s also a space filled with challenges, from online drama to digital comparison traps. As parents, our concerns about social media are valid—we all want...
Parent’s Guide to Discord
Discord is a popular communication app that debuted in 2015 and quickly gained a following among people looking to communicate while playing video games. The service supports voice, video and text chat and has over 200 million monthly active users. How it works...
Parent and Guardian Guide to Meta Horizon Worlds
Meta Horizon Worlds is now available for teens ages 13 to 17 and children ages 10 to 12 (age may vary by region) with a parent-managed Meta account. Created by Meta (formerly Facebook) for Meta Quest mixed reality headsets, mobile devices and web browsers, Meta...
Parent’s Guide to Parent-Managed Meta Accounts
Meta Quest headsets have long been available for adults and teens. Thanks to the introduction of parent-managed Meta accounts, preteens aged 10-12 (age may vary by region) can also enjoy next-generation experiences on Meta Quest. A parent-managed Meta account for...
Parent’s Quick-Guide to Tech for Tots
Download Quick-Guide (PDF) Why did ConnectSafely publish this guide? Sixty-one percent of parents say that parenting is more difficult than it was 20 years ago, with many citing technology as the reason why, according to a 2020 Pew Research Center survey. Teaching...
Wellness and Safety
Data Brokers Are Selling Your Info, But You Can Fight Back
by Larry Magid This post first appeared in the Mercury News As an experiment, I entered a friend’s name and city of residence into Google and, within seconds, got to a page with his street address. A few seconds later I also found his phone number. I then went to one...
Back to School Tech, Study & Safety Tips
by Larry Magid This is a modified version of a post that first appeared in the Mercury News As another school year begins, technology will play a major role in how students learn, communicate, and spend their time—both in and out of the classroom. For parents and...
Parent’s Guide to Cyberbullying
Download Quick Guide (PDF) Bullying is a serious, long-standing social problem that now occurs in digital spaces as well as physical ones. But, contrary to what you might have heard or read, it isn't just a youth problem, it isn't getting worse, and it isn't more of a...
Family Guide to Parental Controls
What are parental controls and what do they do? There are a variety of control tools and monitoring tools available to parents. Some are software products or mobile apps that you buy or subscribe to. Others are free, and some are already present on your phone,...
Youth Voices
Regulate the Algorithm, Not the Post
By Saihaj Sraon Saihaj is a member of the ConnectSafely Youth Advisory Council. In 1996, Congress amended the original Communications Act of 1934 with the Communications Decency Act. Embedded in that amendment is Section 230, widely hailed as one of the...
Pixels, Prompts, and Policy: AI Through a Youth Lens
By Tarunya Dharmarajan Tarunya is a member of ConnectSafely’s Youth Advisory Council. “Create schedule with my to-do list,” “Edit this email,” and “Explain a binomial distribution to me like I’m 5” are all things I’ve recently asked from the latest and greatest in...
Fine-Tuning Social Media to Make It Work for Me
By Tarunya Dharmarajan Tarunya is a member of ConnectSafely's Youth Advisory Council. Memes, vlogs, dancing videos. Slowly, you sink into an abyss of influencers promoting products and “Sephora kids” filming “get ready with me” videos. I’m no stranger to this feeling,...
AI and Schoolwork
By Pierce Labrie Pierce Labrie is a high school student member of ConnectSafely’s Youth Advisory Council. Being one of the most rapidly rising fields, Generative AI has naturally found its way into the realm of schoolwork. The debate around Generative AI in school has...
Videos
1. Generative AI for Families
2. Smart Digital Parenting: Navigating Screens with Children & Teens
3. New Gaming Research
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