💰Two opportunities to get paid to do good work fixing the internet for kids💰
What's one thing that's bringing you hope right now?
I just learned this definition of hope, from Parker Palmer: “Hope is holding a creative tension between what is, and what could and should be, and each day doing something to narrow the distance between the two.”
Hope isn't just a passive wish. Hope is seeing what could and should be and holding that vision while we do what we can to improve what is.
I am filled with hope that children and teens will have a safer experience on their phones and other devices in the future. This week I'm highlighting two programs that pay schools, community coalitions and college students to improve youth experiences on the internet.
I'm filled with hope at the communities around the country are having conversations about what norms to set for screens and kids; schools are reducing and eliminating phones and social media at school; state attorneys general, Congress and the President are recognizing the harms kids are exposed to currently and working to make social media platforms and other apps more accountable for their defective design. I'm also highlighting two lawsuits that are giving me hope that social media companies will be forced to do what's right.
Free money for schools & communities to talk about a Safer Internet for Kids? Yes please!
ConnectSafely, the host of U.S. Safer Internet Day on February 6th, 2024, is offering grants of up to $1,000 to help teachers and organizations purchase supplies and other resources to raise awareness about Safer Internet Day.
It's not too early to apply for this grant. Apply here!
Grants can be used by classrooms and youth organizations to implement a student program or classroom activity for Safer Internet Day, an annual global celebration where everyone is empowered to use technology responsibly, respectfully, critically and creatively.
College students can earn money while improving the digital landscape for youth
Know a young person 18-24 years old who wants to help the next generation avoid the bad stuff online?
Tell them about the NextGen Connect Program! **Please forward this email to the young people in your life!**
What’s NextGen Connect?
It’s a unique opportunity for 18-24 year olds to develop leadership skills and get paid (there's a stipend of $3,000) while spending 12 weeks on their creative projects related to tech accountability. Youth will be paired with a mentor who is an expert in the field and work together toward their goals.
Project ideas are limitless. Previous projects have included:
- giving educational presentations to parents on what they need to know about teens and social media
- creating journals for teens to reflect on how they can be intentional in their digital lives
- hosting phone-free, in-person events with the goal of guiding people with fun, face-to-face
The NextGen Connect program is generously funded by the Responsible Tech Youth Power Fund (watch Prince Harry and Megan, Duchess of Sussex, congratulating some of the RT Youth Power Fund grantees). So cool!
The deadline for youth leaders to apply is November 15th.
I am co-leader of this program - if you've got any questions, just reply to this email!
| Learn more about NextGen Connect & apply here |
42 AGs suing Meta (parent company to Facebook and Instagram)
I am hopeful about this lawsuit.
Meta (parent company of Instagram and Facebook) is being sued again, this time by 42 state Attorneys General. They allege Facebook and Instagram knowingly issued products and features in its apps that pose psychological risks to children and teens.
They're saying social media platforms were designed to be a defective product.
This is important because it's a strategy that could work. Many past lawsuits have been unsuccessful because people have focused on the harmful content on social media platforms. The problem is, under Section 230, platforms are not responsible for the content that users post.
This lawsuit is saying Meta designed their social media platforms to knowingly harm kids.
“Meta has harnessed powerful and unprecedented technologies to entice, engage, and ultimately ensnare youth and teens. Its motive is profit, and in seeking to maximize its financial gains, Meta has repeatedly misled the public about the substantial dangers of its social media platforms,” the complaint from the 33 states says. “It has concealed the ways in which these platforms exploit and manipulate its most vulnerable consumers: teenagers and children."
The broader lawsuit alleges that the company is exploiting young people’s vulnerabilities by developing algorithms intended to keep users on the platform as long as possible, even compulsively; creating visual filters it knows can contribute to body dysmorphia; and presenting content in an “infinite scroll” format that makes it hard for children to disengage.
Hundreds of school districts suing Snapchat, Meta, TikTok and YouTube
Hundreds of school districts have now banded together to sue Snapchat, Meta, TikTok and YouTube for knowingly targeting and exploiting kids, causing mental health issues like anxiety and depression.
"School districts say teachers and administrators waste valuable time and money responding to cyberbullying and other disciplinary problems, adding new training and school policies around social-media use, and counseling youths whose addiction to online apps is leading to anxiety, depression or suicidal thoughts".
There are so many costs - mental health costs, trust lost, time wasted and money spent - that social media platforms have caused. It's time for the platforms to take responsibility for the harms, protect kids and pay their debts to society.
Lisa Honold is a cyber safety educator working to keep kids safe and healthy, online and offline. As founder and director of the Center for Online Safety, Lisa is a national public speaker on digital wellness, cyber safety, intentional screens and peaceful parenting.
Recent appearances: KING5 News, KOAT News & The Action Network Live
Center for Online Safety®
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