Youth, parents, policymakers, teachers and other adults can all be S-M-A-R-T about staying safer online. That is: savvy about online activities and choices; mindful of actions (and inactions) that may impact one’s self or others, and behave responsibly and appropriately, all with a technology-focus in mind.
This was a theme I shared at this month’s Safer Internet Forum (SIF), organized and funded by the European Commission under its Safer Internet Program as part of the European Strategy for a Better Internet for Children. SIF is held annually in Brussels to discuss the latest trends, risks and proposed actions in children’s online safety.
The theme of SIF 2014 was “Growing Up Digitally,” and sought to highlight the ongoing need to prepare youth for today’s — and tomorrow’s — digital reality. The panel I participated in was titled, “Generation M (Mobile),” and focused on rights, responsibilities and resilience in the online world generally and as reflected in the growing and evolving mobile space. Other panelists included Leila Green, a professor at Edith Cowan University in Perth, Australia, as well as two teenagers: Katie from the U.K., and Robert from the Czech Republic. The session was moderated by Patricia Manson, Head of the Inclusion, Skills & Youth Unit of DG CONNECT, the European Commission’s Directorate General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology.
As part of the conference, each speaker was asked to submit a visual “hand depiction,” detailing the five points to be made in discussion; thus, my S-MA-R-T habits and practices.
SIF, the Internet Governance Forum, and similar conferences embrace what has become known as a “multi-stakeholder” model-assembling individuals and groups from a variety of disciplines and geographies to compare notes and share best practices with an eye toward collaborating on a way forward. Within the multi-stakeholder model, specifically in the online safety and child online protection spaces, we often tout a “shared responsibility” among parties. The phrase has become a bit hackneyed, but until something better materializes, I shared with the SIF audience that the notion still applies.
For instance, at Microsoft, we’ve been educating consumers about staying safer and more secure online for nearly two decades. We’re a technology company, and we have a responsibility to first seek to create software, devices and services that have safety features, functionality and considerations built in at the outset. We also have a responsibility to stay abreast of the risks that individuals and families may encounter. We need to alert consumers to such developments, and seek to educate them about how they can best protect themselves. That said, we also need to respect and recognize that risk does not equal harm. On the contrary, in measured, calculated, guided risk lies opportunity, growth and a stronger sense of self and confidence for our young people. In turn, others also have significant roles to play. These include:
- Government: To continue to support and convene interesting, outcome-driven fora such as SIF; to grow public-private partnerships; to fund and support actionable research, as well as in-school safety curriculum, and to promote technological innovation.
- Law Enforcement: To enforce the rule of law and to help raise awareness of risks and how to prevent them in positive, non-threatening ways.
- Educators and School Officials: To teach and to foster safer, responsible and appropriate use of technology, and to invest in their own professional development that embraces 21st century resources and learning.
- Young People: To be good digital citizens; to use technology appropriately and responsibly; to be role models for younger siblings by living “The Golden Rule” online and off by treating others how they would like to be treated.
- Parents, Child Caregivers, and other Trust Adults, including Coaches, Counselors and Clergy: Arguably the most significant responsibility of all, to invest in educating themselves and their families about appropriate online habits and practices; setting “house rules” for family technology use that they follow, and modeling good digital behavior.
Other discussion topics included advertising targeted at youth directly and indirectly; suitable online content and behavior, as well as an interactive, youth-led breakout session about self-expression — perhaps a dedicated topic for an upcoming post.
Meantime, for more information on staying safer online, visit our Safety & Security Center; “like” us on Facebook; follow us on Twitter, and look for my “point of view” following the #MSFTCOSO hashtag.