Any time I get the chance to interact with youth, the experience never disappoints. Last month, a colleague and I had the pleasure of hosting a large-scale focus group to discuss some delicate online safety issues with 32 14-to-18-year-olds. What we learned was not only energizing, but a little surprising, too.
Working in collaboration with Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation (BTWF), we were invited to Camp Hi-Rock in Massachusetts, a YMCA facility that Lady Gaga used to attend. BTWF hosted a group of inspiring young people to enjoy a similar experience and to learn some valuable life lessons.
The BTWF mission is to create a “kinder, braver” world. In our session, we sought to motivate the teens to help grow a kinder, braver and safer (digital) world. We discussed what teens do online; who they interact with and the disparities in online habits across the generations. “My grandmother always says, ‘Tell mom, hi. Love, Grandma,’ in her social media posts,” remarked one teen. “I hate that my mother always signs her posts,” said another. “Like I don’t know who she is.”
The risks of taking suggestive “selfies;” standing up to online meanness and bullying and managing one’s digital reputation were our main topics. After the focus group and for the remainder of their time at camp, we encouraged the youth to create a unique “Work of Art” to highlight those themes that resonated. In return, we offered “fabulous prizes,” including headphones, cell phone speakers and Windows Store gift cards. In the end, it was difficult to choose winners because, of the youth who participated (roughly half), the songs, skits, poems, videos and photobooks were all extremely thoughtful and compelling.
On the topic of “selfies,” for instance, some teens may have been surprised to learn of the potential, yet very real risks of sharing suggestive photos and videos—what young people call “nudes.” Still, the majority agreed it’s become fairly common practice. In 2012, the United Kingdom’s Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) found that a staggering 88.15 percent of the 12,000+ youth selfie images examined over a one-month period had migrated to “parasite” websites, where people paid to download them. Microsoft is working with IWF to recreate that research in 2014 to see if the results have changed. At least one BTWF youth was keenly aware of the legal risks of such behavior: “We had someone from the Justice Department come and speak to our school (after such an incident),” the teen shared. According to the letter of the law, “kids are creating child pornography,” she aptly added.
That learning was taken to heart by campers Izzy and Louis, who posed in an artistic Eden-style setting under the banner: “Sent to 1, Sent to 1,000,” prompting The #CoverUp Movement. The pair garnered our second-place prize for their Adam and Eve-like portrayal.
We had a tie for third between Alice from North Carolina for her poem, “Think Hard Next Time” and the trio of Kristy, Ayden and Emily, all from Massachusetts, and their public service announcement to help curb online meanness. Our grand prize went to Victoria and Tyler, both from New Hampshire, for their poem and photobook that encourages readers to “Find Your Escape from the Big Cyberspace.”
Still, when asked how the majority of kids are behaving online, the young people filled in that blank with: “impulsively,” “differently,” “immaturely” and “irresponsibly”—except for Madeleine, who, after some prompting by the other teens self-described as someone who “makes Facebook a better place,” with her thought-provoking questions and posts.
I’d like to think our session was the right mix of conversation and education. We made every effort to listen, pose questions (both in person and through our social channels, using #BTWFStoriesContest), and offer just a smidgeon of knowledge that hopefully sparked additional thought and consideration.
“What we learned at camp is the same lesson we have learned in much of our outreach to young people through Born this Way Foundation,” said Cynthia Germanotta. “When we listen to kids first, we open new doors for two-way learning and a better understanding of what it takes to promote social and emotional wellness and safety. Microsoft’s incredible ability to help broaden the campers’ awareness of the realities of communicating through social media enhanced the experience for everyone. Their partnership has been tremendous.”
We were grateful for the unique opportunity, and we trust the youth emerged motivated as well. This came unsolicited from one happy camper when we were wrapping up: “Thank you for coming here, listening to us, discussing delicate topics and for educating us.”
We hope to continue the kinder, braver and safer discussion with BTWF supporters via #BTWFStories.
For more information about Microsoft’s work in Online Safety, visit our Safety & Security Center; “like” us on Facebook; follow us on Twitter, and look for my “point of view” following the #MSFTCOSO hashtag.