Adolescent Digital Self-Harm Over Time: Prevalence and Perspectives Digital self-harm, the anonymous online posting, sending, or otherwise sharing of hurtful content about oneself, has not received the same amount of scholarly scrutiny as other forms of self-directed abuse. In the current paper, we analyze three independent national surveys of U.S. teens (aged 13–17, M = …
Stay Safe Online – Related Links Here are helpful links from the National Cybersecurity Alliance’s sponsors, partners and friends to help you and your friends and family be safer and more secure online. AARP Fraud Watch Network The AARP Fraud Watch Network provides online safety and identity resources, help for victims of fraud or scams, …
Lessons Learned from Ten Generative AI Misuse Cases Generative AI can contribute to a wide range of possible risks and harms that can affect the emotional and psychological well-being of others, their financial state of affairs, and even their physiological health and physical safety. Both users and platforms (as well as government!) have a clear …
The Impact of Smartphone Use on Teen Mental Health, and How We Can All Contribute to the Solution [unable to retrieve full-text content][unable to retrieve full-text content][unable to retrieve full-text content][unable to retrieve full-text content][unable to retrieve full-text content]In today’s digital age, smartphones have become an indispensable part of daily life, especially for teenagers. From …
What to do if your business Facebook is hacked There has been an uptick in cybercriminals attempting to target small businesses’ Facebook profiles and ad accounts. Like other social media platforms, Facebook is a critical tool for many businesses to connect with customers, promote products, and build brand loyalty. If your business’s Facebook account is …
How to restore an MFA authenticator app We are huge fans of authenticator apps to do multi-factor authentication (MFA)! They’re safer than other MFA methods, like using a one-time code texted to your phone number, and we think they make MFA easier for everyone. Nowadays, you should have MFA turned on for every account. According …
The Impact of Smartphone Use on Teen Mental Health, and How We Can All Contribute to the Solution [unable to retrieve full-text content][unable to retrieve full-text content][unable to retrieve full-text content]In today’s digital age, smartphones have become an indispensable part of daily life, especially for teenagers. From socializing to studying, entertainment to communication, these devices …
Digital Self-Harm: The Growing Problem You’ve Never Heard Of Sameer and I first became aware of digital self-harm over a decade ago when we learned of the suicide of Hannah Smith. She was 14 years old when she ended her life after being mistreated online. The resulting investigation determined that the threats and hurtful comments …
The Nature and Extent of Youth Sextortion: Legal Implications and Directions for Future Research Sextortion, the threatened dissemination of explicit, intimate, or embarrassing images of a sexual nature without consent, is an understudied problem. Despite a recent increase in reported incidents among adolescents in the United States, little is known about the nature and extent …
Teens and AI: Virtual Girlfriend and Virtual Boyfriend Bots A school counselor who works in a private school in California recently emailed me to ask for help as it relates to students and the misuse of specific AI bots. Her concerns, though, did not surround general purpose AI bots like Snapchat’s My AI or Microsoft’s …