A new report by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) sheds light on the serious consequences of cyberbullying. According to the new study, 9% of young adolescents (average age: 12) reported being a target of cyberbullying. Female and Black participants were more likely to be bullied.  According to the research, young people who experienced cyberbullying were four times more likely to report suicidal thoughts and attempts compared to youth who didn’t experience it. But unlike […]

At Youth Speak Out, we aim to give youth space to share their thoughts and raise their voice. Our programs start conversations about important topics such as cyberbullying, the overuse of technology, and misinformation in the classroom. But we want these conversations to continue in other settings, especially at home.  However, for many parents, conversations around these major topics can be intimidating. Technology and the digital world is constantly changing. Many parents didn’t face the […]

When you think of how today’s young people interact with the digital world, it’s easy to imagine a child clutching their device, their eyes glazed over as they fail to process the video or images that come across their screens. We think of hours wasted in front of a device, when that child could have been doing something creative and new.  But that is an oversimplification of the issue of technology overuse. Of course, regardless […]

Have you ever tried Googling yourself and seeing what comes up? The results might surprise you. When we navigate the digital world, we leave behind a trail of “breadcrumbs” that can reveal a lot about us. This information can be used for everything from targeted advertising to identity theft.  It’s impossible to completely erase your digital breadcrumbs, also known as a digital footprint. But it is possible and necessary to limit the amount and type […]

For years, parents and teachers have been concerned over young people’s use of digital technology. Adults worry that children are spending too much time playing video games or scrolling through social media, and that these platforms are hurting their social and emotional development.  But digital devices aren’t going anywhere. People use digital technology for everything from banking to healthcare to education and more. As our digital footprint only continues to grow, it’s important that our […]