> Digital Citizenship | Events

Safer Internet Day Ressources for Parents in Canada

by | Feb 8, 2021

Tuesday, February 9, 2021 is Safer Internet Day (Internet Sans Crainte), an initiative launched in the EU and now global. In Canada, Tech for Good Canada is organizing an informal talk on keeping kids, teens and young adults safe online February 9 at 1 PM Eastern ( Toronto/Montream/New York) time.

Sign up here for the free talk on Zoom. You will be off camera. When you sign up, feel free to provide your first name as well. The idea is to provide a safe space to discuss difficult issues you, or a loved one may be facing online with Tech for Good Canada director Caroline Isautier.

This year, the day comes as Covid19 makes kids and teens ever more exposed to online dangers. This 10-year-old girl in Italy recently succumbed to a TikTok ” blackout challenge”.

Safer Internet Day - TikTok Blackout Challenge

One great resource for parents, grand parents or others responsible for kids, teens and young adults to get help with unsafe and unhealthy behaviours developped by their loved ones online is the Screen Strong non profit’s site. They have a Screen Strong podcast and a Facebook support group as well.

They are a US-based organization but the advice you can find there is valid for Canadian families too.

Another great US organization that looks into the highly detrimental side effects of unmonitored use of social media and video games can have on youth is the Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI).

Check out our YouTube channel for many videos on the following online safety themes:

A lire aussi / You might also like

Epic Games Fortnite Fine: It settles with FTC for Deceptive Design and Privacy Violations Towards Children

Epic Games Fortnite Fine: It settles with FTC for Deceptive Design and Privacy Violations Towards Children

Epic Games will pay $275 million for “violating children’s privacy law”, in addition to another payment of $245 million in refunds for “tricking users into making unwanted charges” within Fortnite‘s in-game store.

Consumers who believe they were unfairly charged for in-game purchases can go to a website set up by the FTC to request refunds. It is likely to take several months or longer to process those claims, the FTC said.

Kids & teens’ mental health & development at stake with Canadian schools adopting distance learning well

Kids & teens’ mental health & development at stake with Canadian schools adopting distance learning well

,

What’s at stake, if teacher unions remain opposed to synchronous learning and governments like the one in Ontario focus on the number of video sessions a teacher must hold each day, as a replacement for research-based efficient elearning techniques? Simply a cohort of students ‘ mental health and intellectual capabilities. And down the line, what is at stake are increased inequalities among youth and a loss of sovereignty for Canada, when private foreign online players persuade parents who can afford it to sign up to their online learning programs for their kids.

Canada to Big Tech: Pay for News you Use! Pros and Cons of Bill C-18, the Online News Act of June 2023

Canada to Big Tech: Pay for News you Use! Pros and Cons of Bill C-18, the Online News Act of June 2023

Canadian Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez succeeded in passing bill C-18, aka the Online News Act this June 2023. In retaliation, Meta and Google both adopted mob-like tactics, announcing they’ll remove Canadian news links to protest the passing of the bill. In my view, while the intention to support Canadian news is essential and long overdue, Bill C-18 still makes Canadian publishers dependent on Big Tech. A public fund would free them from their chokehold.

CO2 Impact of a Paper document vs an Online Document

CO2 Impact of a Paper document vs an Online Document

Today, many employees wonder: what is the most climate-friendly option between printing out a paper document or accessing and sharing it online ?
We are often encouraged to replace paper with a digital format, in the name of environmental protection. However, digital media does not necessarily have a lower environmental impact than paper, despite the Tech industry’s excellent lobbying: it all depends on our use of these documents and how they were produced.