Cyberwise Chats

Digital Literacy: The Key to Success at Every Age

Online life is complex and the list of topics kids should know about and understand includes everything from misinformation, disinformation, sexting, cyberbullying, deep fakes, stereotypes, plagiarism, web search, personal information, copyright, and much more. Digital literacy IS today’s literacy and kids unequipped with it are woefully unprepared for digital life. In this webinar we discuss how kids can learn digital literacy to be successful at all ages. Special guest Dino Ambresi, a self-described ex-social media "addict" with a mission to help others build healthy relationships with their devices talked about the digital literacy course he designed and teaches at the University of California at Berkeley. Founder Diana Graber explained why Cyber Civics, our own middle school digital literacy curriculum, is taught in middle school. And Dr. Pamela Rutledge talked about its roots in Media Psychology which she teaches at the college level. Finally, CJ Lindsey, who has led digital strategies for DC Comics, Cartoon Network, Sesame Street, Harry Potter, and others, will talk about the foundational digital literacy skills young kids are gleaning from their favorite programs.

Kids & Screen Time: How Much Is Too Much?

Just when you thought kids couldn't possibly spend more time with screens, a new study from Common Sense Media finds screen time is up 17% for tweens and teens since the start of the pandemic. And that doesn’t include time spent attending school virtually and doing homework. In this Cyberwise Chat, we dive in to the different ways kids use screens and address the million dollar question: How much is too much? We’re joined by special guest Sue Scheff, nationally recognized author, parent advocate and family Internet safety advocate. Most importantly, Sue is the founder of P.U.R.E. (Parents Universal Resource Experts) where she helps parents at their wit's end when trying to find help for teens struggling with behavioral addiction to screens.

Kids, War & TikTok: What Parents Need to Know!

If you think TikTok is just a fun, lip-synching, dancing app, think again. Millions of young people getting real-time information—sometimes quite graphic— about the war in Ukraine from the platform. Some posts have earned millions of likes and hundreds of thousands of comments. Even the White House has taken note of TikTok as a prominent news source about the war, recently inviting 30 top TikTok influencers to a press briefing in order to provide them with key information to inform their content. Watch this Cyberwise Chat with Dr. Pamela Rutledge of the Media Psychology Research Center and Diana Graber of Cyberwise to find out what your children are learning about war on TikTok. 

Social Media Dangers: How Can We Make It Safer for Kids?

Along with exciting and positive ways of connecting, social media also exposes youth to new risks—like cyberbullying, sexting, misinformation, political polarization, inappropriate content, predators, mining of personal information, possible impact to self-esteem, and more. Most parents are aware of these risks, but are less knowledgeable about what they can do to make social media safer. In this Chat we’ll discuss how all stakeholders—parents, schools, policy makers, and tech companies—can work together to mitigate social media risks and make connecting safer for our kids. We are very excited to welcome special guest David Ryan Polgar, Founder and Executive Director of All Tech Is Human. David is a pioneering tech ethicist who paved the way for the current debates around tech ethics, digital citizenship, and what it means to be human in the digital age.

Teens and Dating in the Digital Age

For many teens during the pandemic, the only option to maintain and forge new relationships with their peers has been via their devices. This includes romantic relationships. Understandably, teens are flirting, “dating,” and even meeting potential partners online. In this Chat, we’ll talk about what parents can do to ensure their kids have safe and healthy online relationships. We’ll cover the most popular dating apps, talk about “sexting,” and give tips on how parents can talk to teens about their online relationships. We were very excited to welcome our special guest, graduate student Taylor Blatchford, who is also the founder of Text2Regret.

What the Heck is the Metaverse and Should You Let Your Children Go There?

When Facebook rebranded itself as “Meta” last October, CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced plans to develop a massive “metaverse.” Broadly, this will be an immersive digital world accessed through virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (VR) devices. Still confused? Think “Ready Player One"! What the "metaverse" means for the youngest and most vulnerable potential users—children—is the topic of this Cyberwise Chat with Diana Graber, Dr. Pamela Rutledge, and special guest Sean Herman, Founder and CEO of Kinzoo.

What’s On Your Child’s List? Are They Ready for the Hottest Tech Gifts?

From an iPhone to Nintendo Switch, a tablet to a smartwatch, what's on your child's wishlist? And more importantly, is your child ready for the responsibility many of these tech gifts demand? In this Chat we answer your questions about tech-readiness and how to prepare your child for the gadgets they're wishing for.

Is Instagram Really Destroying Your Child’s Self-Esteem?

A Wall Street Journal article titled, “Facebook Knows Instagram Is Toxic for Teen Girls, Company Documents Show,” reports that “(f)or the past three years, Facebook has been conducting studies into how its photo-sharing app affects its millions of young users.” Facebook’s own researchers “found that Instagram is harmful for a sizable percentage of them, most notably teenage girls.” In this chat we discuss these findings, take a dive into the research, and most importantly, explain what parents can do!

TikTok & Gen Z: From Viral Dance Videos to Social Media Activism

When parents think of TikTok, usually viral dance videos come to mind. However, platforms like TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, and Twitter are being used by Gen Z — youth born after 1996 —to revolutionize activism. At just the click of a button, they can start a movement… like TikTok users who helped sabotage a Trump rally when they coordinated to register for tickets and did not show up, or young Indonesians who used the app to protest labor law reforms. And following George Floyd's murder, there was a surge in Black Lives Matter videos on all of these social media apps. Dr. Brooke Foucault Welles, co-author of "#Hashtag Activism: Networks of Race and Gender Justice" was our special guest.

OMG! You Won’t BELIEVE What Kids Are Clicking On.

Did our clickbait headline get your attention? We hope so! In this Cyberwise Chat, we tackle the topic of clickbait and misinformation. Kids today are exposed to all sorts of online information that's downright untrue, and unarmed with media literacy skills, they can fall for (and share!) headlines designed to grab their attention. Find out how you can prepare your child to face an online world full of clickbait and fake news!