This week I am dedicating my posts to the topic of cybersafety. This is the first post in the series.
Last week the 12th Annual Wired Safety Summit convened in Washington, D.C. and brought together members including teens, tweens, lawmakers, parents, and companies who are dedicated to promoting cybersafety. While the day is filled with inspiration provided by passionate kids who volunteer their time as TeenAngels (ages 13-18) and TweenAngels (7-12 years), it’s also sobering to hear the ways they have been affected by different kinds of cyberbullying.
Last week the 12th Annual Wired Safety Summit convened in Washington, D.C. and brought together members including teens, tweens, lawmakers, parents, and companies who are dedicated to promoting cybersafety. While the day is filled with inspiration provided by passionate kids who volunteer their time as TeenAngels (ages 13-18) and TweenAngels (7-12 years), it’s also sobering to hear the ways they have been affected by different kinds of cyberbullying.
“TeenAngels program is three-fold,” said 27 year old Brittany, a TeenAngel emeriti who is also one of the first students involved in the program. “We do research about what kids are doing online and their perception about these issues. We also educate. We speak to schools, kids but also to adults to share what we learn. We’re also ambassadors on cybersafety and represent the kid voice when talking to companies.”
About WiredSafety.org
Originally started by Parry Aftab in 1995 as an organization that rated websites, WiredSafety.org transformed into becoming a group that promotes education to cyberspace users of all ages on a myriad of Internet and interactive technology safety, privacy and security issues. It also includes protecting children and women from Internet-related sexual exploitation.
Volunteer members are dedicated to protecting people of all ages in cyberspace from cybercrimes and abuse, such as cyberbullying, cyberharassment, hacking, sexual harassment and identity (ID) theft. WiredSafety uses a world-wide network of volunteers including TV personalities, teachers, law enforcement officers, PhDs, writers, executives, librarians, stay-at-home moms, retirees, and students ages 7-96 to spread their message.
The Work of Teen and Tween Angels
One of the most inspiring parts of the day was hearing Teen and Tween Angels talk about their work. Brittany is a practicing lawyer who writes legislation to combat cyberbullying and promote cybersafety.
Nina Montgomery, who just finished her first year at Dartmouth, was a classmate of Tyler Clementi, the Rutgers University student whose roommate filmed him having a sexual encounter in his dorm room via a live internet feed. Having been a TeenAngel, she called Parry because she knew she had to do something.
She turned the tragedy that affected her into something positive by starting the Don’t Stand By, Stand Up Campaign with middle schoolers with the goal of changing “the culture of the bystander to tell bullies to stop.” Because of her work, she’s being recognized by Seventeen Magazine as one of the 5 finalists in the Pretty Amazing Girl covergirl contest. (Vote for Nina here.)
Casey, a Teen Angel from New Rochelle, New York, talked about the research that she and her team conducted that found 85% of kids polled have indicated they've been cyberbullied in one form or another. She talked about how her chapter was widely criticized for the findings since many did not believe that so many had been affected by cyberbullying.“The response depends on what you define as cyberbullying,” Casey said. “Many don’t know what actions are encompassed in cyberbullying.” She believed that her team’s research was more accurate because they provided concrete examples of cyberbullying such as repeatedly texting your phone to run up your phone bill, someone using your login and password to take over your Facebook account, and being verbally attacked through services like Stickam, Formspring, and Skype.
“It’s all about training teens,” stated founder Parry Aftab. “Teen Angels are training Teen Angels. I can step down and this program won’t change as long as there are Brittanys and others in the world.”
This is the first part of a week-long series about online safety inspired by the Wired Safety Summit. Upcoming posts include:
- Tuesday: Sextortion: A Definition & Real-Life Example
- Wednesday: CyberSafety Tips and Digital Abuse Resources
- Thursday: Kids Online Behavior & Safety: Recent Stats and More Resources, a guest post from AVG Technologies, Inc.
- Friday: Life 360 CEO Chris Hulls Shares Online Safety Tips for Families
I am a WiredMom and was invited to attend the Wired Safety Summit for the second year in a row. As a volunteer, I use social media to share Wired Safety's mission due to the importance of their message and efforts. I am not compensated, nor am I required, to share my experiences at Wired Safety Summit but all my opinions are my own. Images courtesy of WiredSafety.org.
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