It is simple. It is intuitive. It can make social media safer for us all. But, most adults and teens are not doing it: blocking and reporting obscene, hateful, and threatening content. Cyberbullying, hate speech, sexual harassment, propaganda are just some of the social media-related dangers that come in the form of posts, comments, or…
Read MoreWatch Out For: Cyber Self-Harm
Each month we alert you to a site or trend that you need to be aware of to protect your teenaged social media users. This month we are warning you about: Cyber Self-Harm. This month we are alerting you to a social media-related danger that many parents may not have considered before: cyber self-harm. In 2013, Hannah Smith,…
Read MoreFrom the Director
Last month, I discussed deepfake technology and our efforts to prevent malicious pornographic deepfakes. But, as our presidential election season nears, I wanted to highlight the very serious, looming threat that deepfakes also pose to our democracy. Again, deepfakes are forged or fake videos created via artificial intelligence where a person’s likeness, including their face and voice, is realistically…
Read MoreSites To Avoid: Dating Websites
Each month we alert you to a site that you need to be aware of to protect your teenaged social media users. This month we are warning you about: Tinder/dating sites. This month we are alerting you to the danger teens face from dating websites. And, if you were unaware, teens are indeed using dating websites. Tinder may…
Read MoreTip of the Month: Community Guidelines
Imagine an intervention that will help parents more effectively, and with less parent-child conflict, set rules and limits to prevent social media addiction and protect against social media-related dangers (cyberbullying, harassment, trafficking, etc.) In every one of our parent workshops, at least one parent will share their experience of trying to limit their teen’s social media use. Undoubtedly, when the parent imposes some guidelines or…
Read MoreFrom the Director: May 2019
Welcome to the Organization for Social Media Safety’s May newsletter. Thank you for taking the time out of your day to learn the latest tips, news, and best practices to keep you and your family safe on social media. Our mission is to make social media safe for everyone. That includes not only protecting your…
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