Cyberwise Chats

Ready or Not, AI is Coming! Is Your Child Prepared?

Innovations in artificial intelligence (AI) are accelerating at breakneck speeds: it’s hard for busy parents to keep up! Already children are growing up with AI-powered devices in the home, like Siri and Alexa, and many are playing with AI art tools like Dall E-2 or Dreamlike, and they may be talking about people having AI girlfriends (yes, it’s a thing). Even more advanced AI is on the way and these innovations will change everything from how kids learn, how they do research, and the jobs that will be available to them in the future.
What skills should we be teaching our children today to prepare them for a future inevitably powered by AI? How can we help them understand and master AI tools in the future? And, most importantly, how can we ensure they use AI tools safely and responsibly? We discuss this and more during our Cyberwise Chat.

New Laws Ban Teens From Social Media: Will They Work?

Utah became the first state in the U.S. to ban teens from social media. Utah SB 152 requires that all residents under the age of 18 have parental consent in order to create an account. Additionally, users under the age of 18 are banned from all qualifying social media platforms between 10:30 pm and 6:30 am. Arkansas became the second state to enact a similar ban, prohibiting social media companies from allowing Arkansas residents under 18 years of age from holding accounts without parental consent. Lawmakers in other states are considering similar legislation. During this Cyberwise Chat, we’ll discuss the effectiveness of this approach at keeping kids safe from the threats many of us fear: the mental health impact of social media, powerful algorithms that keep users engaged, cyberbullying and hate speech, online predators, exposure to inappropriate content, misinformation, and more.
Our special guest is Dino Ambrosi, founder of Project Reboot, a program designed to help teens reset their tech habits and build relationships with technology that empower them. Ambosi designed this program at UC Berkeley due to his personal challenges with technology, which he'll share with us during this Chat.
To see all of our Cyberwise Chats, please visit: https://www.cyberwise.org/cyberwisechats

Kids & Screens: Can We Help Them Strike a Balance?

Kids are spending more time with screens than ever, and worried parents are wondering if we have reached the point of no return. Can we help kids strike a balance between screen time and all the other important things in their young lives? We think so, and we explore how. We were joined for this chat by Amy Webster and Amina Mohamoud, the Youth Engagement Director and Coordinator of "LiveMore ScreenLess," a nonprofit that partners with school communities to promote and advocate for digital wellbeing, which is defined as balanced, intentional and effective use of technology. 

Should TikTok Be Banned? Or Not?

TikTok, the popular app beloved by tweens and teens, has found itself in the crosshairs lately. President Joe Biden recently signed legislation that would ban the app from phones and computers issued by federal agencies. Dozens of states have implemented similar prohibitions on devices used by their employees, and universities across the country have banned the app on university-issued phones and from campus Wi-Fi networks.
The reasons for these bans vary from concerns about algorithms that amplify misinformation to the app’s negative impact on societal discourse. The most cited concern, however, involves national security, as the app is run by ByteDance, a Chinese-owned company. This has led to widespread fears about national security risks and the protection of personal privacy. In this Cyberwise Chat when we talk about whether TikTok is safe for your child to use, or not.

ChatGPT: A New Way to Learn? Or a New Way to Cheat?

ChatGPT — the popular new A.I chatbot that can write essays, solve complex problems, do homework, and more — has sent many parents and educators into a panic. They believe students will use this tool to cheat, or worse, that students will never learn to write or think for themselves all. Some school districts have even banned the use of ChatGPT altogether. In this Cyberwise Chat, Dr. Pamela Rutledge, Director of the Media Psychology Research Center, and Diana Graber, founder of Cyberwise and Cyber Civics, and author of “Raising Humans in a Digital World” chat about whether or not this will change education as we know it, if this change be for better or for worsens, most importantly, what parents can do now to prepare their kids for a brave new (online) world.

Don’t Just ”Wait Until 8th”

A popular “Wait Until 8th" campaign encourages parents to band together and agree to delay giving children a smartphone until at least 8th grade. While there are some advantages to this approach, in this Cyberwise Chat, Dr. Pamela Rutledge, Director of the Media Psychology Research Center, Diana Graber, Founder of Cyberwise and Cyber Civics and author of "Raising Humans in a Digital World," are joined by teachers Soni Albright and Joshua Berman to discuss the pros and cons of waiting to give children a smartphone. Learn more: www.cyberwise.org and www.cybercivics.com.

Parasocial Relationships: Help! My Child’s Best Friend is a Media Character

From Disney characters to YouTubers and Instagram celebrities, kids can develop deep emotional connections with media personalities and characters. These “parasocial relationships” are one-sided but to the kids, the media characters can feel like real friends, influencing everything a real friend does, from product purchases and interest in social causes to feelings of belonging and self-worth. In this Cyberwise Chat we discuss the positives and negatives of parasocial relationships and how they change as kids age. We also explain how you can help your kids recognize and navigate these tricky relationships.

”Behind Their Screens” What Kids Are REALLY Doing Online.

In this Cyberwise Chat we talk to authors Dr. Carrie James and Dr. Emily Weinstein about their new book: "Behind Their Screens: What Teens are Facing (and What Adults are Missing)." It turns out what adults are missing is... a lot! After surveying more than 3,500 teens, the authors discovered that youth worry about their dependence on devices, being left out socially, and they feel pressure to be "on" 24/7. You will learn about the different kinds of "sexting," comparison quicksand, collecting receipts, and many more important topics that today's digital parents should know about. Don't miss this one!

Building a Resilient Kid: What Parents Need to Know

Digital kids face all kinds of online pressures and challenges, from cyberbullying to sexting, counting social media “likes,” to trying to look “perfect” online. The one skill that can help them withstand these pressures is resiliency. In this Cyberwise Chat, Dr. Pamela Rutledge, Director of the Media Psychology Research Center, author Diana Graber, founder of Cyberwise/Cyber Civics, and kids media expert CJ Lindsey, host of “The Parents Guide to What Kids Watch” will address how help kids build the resiliency they need to be safe and wise online.

Sextortion on the Rise? What Parents Need to Know

In early 2022, two teen boys took their own lives due to "sextortion." This is a form of blackmail in which the attacker threatens to send intimate images or videos of the victim to others if they do not pay them or give them additional images or videos. Although this can happen to anyone of any age or gender, attackers tend to target younger victims and in March of this year, the FBI warned of an increase in sextortion cases targeting young boys.
In this Chat, we explain how parents can protect their children from falling for this particular online scam. Our special guest is online safety expert Darren Laur, aka "The White Hatter."