Social Media — News & Popular Guides
Treating Social Media as Windows into the Lives of Others
It’s important to remember that they are only snapshots into their lives.
Ask Trish: What is X?
So Twitter is now X? What does that actually mean? What’s going on?
Meta’s Threads Offers a Kinder, Gentler Experience than the New Twitter
Meta’s new Threads service is the second biggest challenge to Twitter.
New Report: Designing Digital Safety with Youth in Mind
A thoughtful and much-needed framework for reimagining what it means to protect kids online.
Parent’s Guide to Instagram
Instagram offers special protections with teen accounts.
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Quick-Guide to Secure Passwords
The FBI along with other security experts are now recommending a “pass phrase” rather than simply a password. Such a phrase should be relatively long – at least 15 characters.
Ask Trish: The Pressure to Be Perfect
“I sometimes feel like the pressure to be perfect on social media can be so overwhelming. Do you have tips for...
Tips for Dealing with Teen Sexting
Also see: Teen Sexting: Quick-Guide for Parents and Teens “Sexting” usually refers to the sharing of sexually explicit...
New Research & Resources for Online Wellness
It’s been a big week when it comes to resources for promoting wellness and helping protect children online. with new resources from Google and Instagram and a study from Common Sense Media.
ReThink Founder on How App Promotes Kindness & Decency
Rethink founder Trisha Prabhu is on a mission to help cultivate the next generation of responsible digital citizens.
Battening Down your Facebook Hatches
Controlling who can see your friends list is only one of many optional privacy settings.
Family Guide to Messenger by Facebook
Features include blocking, vanish mode, and enhanced protections for teens.
How We Got Here
Because they’ve been written about extensively, there’s no need for me to repeat how the internet – Facebook, Twitter and lesser-known sites like Gab and the now-suspended Parler have contributed to the division, vitriol and violence that has shaken our country.
Parent’s Guide to Tech for Tots
Teaching even our youngest children how to use devices and interact with digital content in a healthy way has become an important part of parenting.
One Person’s Internet Junk is Another Person’s Treasure
That expression, “one person’s junk is another person’s treasure” could certainly be applied to the internet. But when it comes to some controversial content, I’d go a step further to say “one person’s sewer is another person’s rose garden.”
Australia eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant
We spoke with US-born Julie Inman Grant about her role as Australia’s eSafety Commissioner, the country's national...
Teaching Kids Empathy & Kindness with Children’s Author Trudy Ludwig
Children's author Trudy Ludwig's books are not only delightfully written and illustrated but also teach and model...
Media in the Middle Ep. 10: Cancel Culture
Learn how young people feel about cancel culture, a practice of withdrawing support for (canceling) public figures and...
Well-Being on Instagram: The Latest Advice
We had a wide-ranging discussion with Instagram's head of safety, Vaishnavi J, about feeling pressure to present a...
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Tips for Safe Social Networking for Teens
These tips, based on the latest research, will help teens' socializing stay fun and safe. Be your own person. Don't...
What Would George Washington Think of the Internet?
By Kerry Gallagher The way we communicate is more instantaneous and media-rich today than ever before in history. But...
Does the Internet really make children unhappy?
By Sonia Livingstone Children and youngsters spend more and more time online (as do we all), often alone or at least...
Celebrate Bullying Prevention Month by being an 'upstander'
October is bullying prevention month — a time to think about how all of us can combat bullying, harassment and cruelty online and off.
Teen social media & mobile use helps maintain friendships
by Larry Magid
A majority (57 percent) of teens have met at least one new friend online while 29 percent say they have met at least five friends that way.
Teens and digital wisdom: Give them a round of applause
by Sue Scheff
We often hear negative news about teens and how they use digital media. But research shows that teens can actually show adults a few things about being cyber-savvy.
New Flickr 4.0 will store ALL your family photos for free and help you find and organize them
by Larry Magid It’s been years since I paid much attention to Yahoo’s Flickr but, with the new Flickr 4.0, it’s a...
Controversial anonymous app Secret to close
By Maureen Kochan Controversial anonymous app Secret, sometimes seen as the poster child for all that is wrong with...
Should I worry about my teens texting?
By Michael Rich, MD Q: I’ve noticed that many parents worry a lot about their children texting. But when we were kids,...