Wellness & Safety — News & Popular Guides
‘Take it Down’ Law is a Positive Step
The new law will help protect children as well as adults from non-consensual sharing of intimate images.
Resolutions for a Safe and Secure 2024
ConnectSafely CEO Larry Magid has advice on what you can do to have a safer and more secure 2024.
Google Simplifies Controlling Your Information in Search
Have you ever searched for your personal information on Google? You might be shocked by what you find.
Behind the Avatars
Roblox sparks creativity and connection—but behind the avatars, there can be more than meets the eye.
Parent’s Guide to Roblox
Roblox is a social gaming platform with a robust set of parental controls.
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Parent’s Guide to Teen Sextortion Scams
Huge increase in sextortion scams targeting teens, especially boys aged 14 to 17.
Ask Trish: Spoken Cyberbullying
Someone on Google Hangouts said a bunch of mean things to me. I was so hurt. What do I do when someone actually says mean things online?
Ask Trish: Navigating Tech Post-Roe
Me – and so many other women – thinking to myself after the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision: “Is tech safe anymore?”
Is There a Relationship Between Tech Use and Gun Violence?
It was bullets, not bytes — that took the lives of 10 people in Buffalo and 21 people, including 19 elementary school students, in Uvalde, Texas. Still, some are blaming video games and social media, along with mental illness.
Ask Trish: My Debut Book, ReThink the Internet
My debut book, ReThink the Internet, the world’s first-ever by-youth, for-youth guide to safely navigating the digital world, is coming out at the end of this month, on May 31st.
Digital Wellness is Emotional Wellness
Emotional wellness is an area our society is, thankfully, working to build awareness and progress. In schools it is often called “SEL” or social emotional learning and it is sometimes the focus of “self care” content in popular media.
Ask Trish: Stressing About Social Media
I’m always so stressed about social media, like who’s viewing my stories, how my pictures look, and if I “measure up” to everyone else. How do I let go?
Quick Guide to Online Safety for Seniors
A 2018 Pew Research Center survey found that 66% of Americans over 65 were internet users. That number is getting bigger all the time, especially since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Digital Wellness is Cognitive Wellness
We actually have the power to improve our brain’s ability to acquire, understand, and apply information. But sometimes our screen use can get in the way.
Protecting Mental Health on Instagram
I’m grateful to the Wall Street Journal for shedding light on some of the ways social media can contribute to a sense of inadequacy and other mental health issues. But what the article didn’t include is tips on how parents and teens can deal with these issues for a healthier online experience.
Ask Trish: Anti-Hate 101 with Ask Trish
“Tell us more about your work as an anti-hate activist and what myths you’d want to bust or lessons you’d want to...
Benefits of Apple’s Image Abuse Scanning Outweigh Risks
There has been quite a bit of controversy around Apple’s recent announcement that it will scan images stored in iCloud from iPhone, iPad and Mac users for Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM).
Ask Trish: Marginalized Groups & Online Hate
Sometimes mean behavior on social media is super casual. Instead of being harassed, my friends just don’t tag me in a picture. How do I deal with the drama? Is it possible I’m overreacting?
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...
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Vaccines, Autism and the First Amendment
The messy thing about our First Amendment is that it protects nearly all speech, not just pleasant speech or even accurate speech.
Online Romance Scam Losses on the Rise. How to Protect Yourself
Just in time for Valentine’s Day, the Federal Trade Commission published a post saying that in 2018, there were more than 21,000 reports “about romance scams with reported losses of $143 million,
Google Password Checkup Helps Make Sure You Have Secure and Unique Passwords
Weak or compromised passwords are among the biggest threats to online security and privacy. Once cyber criminals get hold of your password, they can not only use it to break into your account but sell it to other criminals
How to Disable Facetime till Apple Fixes Serious Privacy Flaw
As you may have heard, there is a flaw on Apple Facetime for iOS and Mac that makes it possible for someone to listen in on what the microphone of another user hears even if that person hasn’t accepted the call.
Avoid Charity Scams and Get the Kids Involved in Giving Decisions
by Larry Magid The period between Thanksgiving and New Year’s eve is a time of giving. One reason is, of course, the...
Be Safe When Shopping Online
With the holiday season underway, a lot of people will be shopping online this year. For the most part, it’s pretty safe but there are some basic precautions worth remembering.
Protecting Children from Inappropriate Content in the UK
We talk to John Carr about internet safety for kids in the UK and newly regulated laws to protect children from inappropriate content and the proper education methods to seek information.
Teen’s Street Literacy' Thwarts Phone Thief
My sons are just as smart. On both occasions they deliberately made mistakes entering their passwords and on the first occasion stalled the attackers long enough so as to raise suspicion. When a passing neighbor shouted out across the street, “Everything all right lads?” the thieves fled.
Media Literacy for Educators and Families with Young Children
ConnectSafely’s CEO Larry Magid and K-12 Education Director Kerry Gallagher talk about media literacy aimed at young children and teens. Kerry talks about approaching media literacy in the classroom as an educator while Larry approaches it as a journalist.