Meta and Childhelp Collaborate to Launch Online Safety Education for Middle Schoolers
Child exploitation remains one of the most heinous offenses in today’s digital age. Acknowledging this pressing issue, Meta has been at the forefront of developing robust safeguards on its platforms to prevent such crimes. In a significant move to further these efforts, Meta has partnered with Childhelp, a prominent child safety non-profit organization in the United States, to create an innovative educational curriculum. This curriculum is designed to educate middle school students about online safety, teaching them how to identify and respond to grooming, sextortion scams, and other forms of online exploitation.
Expert-Backed Curriculum for Online Safety
The development of this curriculum was a collaborative effort, incorporating insights and resources from renowned child safety experts. These include contributions from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), Thorn, the Department of Homeland Security, Purdue University, and the Crimes against Children Research Center. The curriculum is comprehensive, providing parents and educators with everything they need to facilitate learning. It includes detailed guides for facilitators, fully scripted lesson plans, and engaging classroom activities. Additionally, interactive videos are incorporated to make the principles of online safety more relatable and memorable for young learners.
Skills for Safe Online and Offline Interactions
An essential aspect of the curriculum is its focus on equipping young people with the skills necessary to navigate both the online and offline worlds safely. This education extends beyond mere awareness of potential threats, emphasizing the importance of understanding safe relationships, recognizing personal boundaries, and knowing how to seek help when needed.
Accessibility and Integration into Existing Programs
Funded entirely by Meta, the curriculum is available free of charge to anyone involved in the education and care of young people. This includes schools, parents, community organizations, faith-based groups, and after-school programs. It has been integrated into the Childhelp ‘Speak Up Be Safe’ program, which already assists students of all ages in addressing various safety issues, ranging from physical abuse and neglect to online bullying.
Expanding Reach with LifeSmarts Partnership
To maximize the impact of this initiative, Meta is also collaborating with LifeSmarts. This partnership aims to adapt the curriculum, enabling high school students to teach it to middle schoolers nationwide. This peer-led approach not only enhances the learning experience for younger students but also provides high schoolers with valuable knowledge and leadership experience.
A New Resource for Educators Nationwide
"For the first time, educators across the country will have access to a detailed, expert-backed curriculum—available for free—that helps students avoid sextortion and other forms of online exploitation," said Antigone Davis, Meta’s Global Head of Safety. She emphasized that Meta is committed to doing everything possible to protect young people on its platforms. The curriculum aims to empower teens by boosting their confidence in identifying potential harms and knowing where to turn for assistance.
Michael Medoro, Chief of Staff at Childhelp, expressed gratitude for Meta’s support in launching this crucial prevention module. He highlighted the increasing online dangers and emphasized the partnership’s potential to empower millions of young people to speak up and seek help, thereby contributing to a safer future for children.
Youth Involvement and Practical Application
Adele Taylor, Senior Youth Programs and Partnerships Manager at Thorn, underscored the importance of involving young people in shaping safety solutions. By engaging the NoFiltr Youth Innovation Council in developing the curriculum, the content is ensured to be relatable, practical, and empowering, equipping students with the necessary knowledge and tools to navigate digital spaces safely.
Building on Existing Safety Campaigns
This educational initiative builds on Meta’s recent anti-sextortion public service announcement (PSA) campaign. In collaboration with NCMEC and Thorn, Meta developed an educational video to help teens recognize signs of sextortion scams. This video was directly shown in the Instagram feeds of millions of teens and young people in the US, Canada, Australia, and the UK.
Comprehensive Safety Measures by Meta
Meta has implemented a range of safety features to combat sextortion scammers at every stage. The company actively removes scammers whenever identified and alerts users who have interacted with accounts removed for sextortion. Precautionary measures are also in place to prevent sextortion, such as blocking potentially suspicious accounts from interacting with teens and informing teens if they are chatting with someone from another country. Additionally, Meta’s nudity protection feature blurs nude images shared in direct messages, warning users about the risks of sharing sensitive photos. The ability to screenshot or screen record ‘view once’ photos and videos in direct messages and Messenger has been removed, further preventing misuse of these images.
Conclusion
In summary, the collaboration between Meta and Childhelp marks a significant step forward in protecting children from online exploitation. By providing a comprehensive, expert-backed curriculum for educators and integrating it into existing safety programs, Meta aims to empower young people with the tools and knowledge they need to navigate the digital world safely. This initiative, combined with Meta’s ongoing efforts to enhance platform safety features, represents a commitment to creating a safer online environment for children and teens. For more details, visit Childhelp’s online harm page.
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