Welcome to the 2013 What’s Your Story? Video Contest

Posted on 05. Feb, 2013 by .

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For the last 3 years, we’ve been asking young people across the US and Canada to tell us in 2 minutes or less their stories about safe, responsible technology use. They’ve responded with enthusiasm and creativity; they’ve entertained and moved us.

Our contest themes have varied each year. As a result we’ve seen a wide range of entries: how social networks are used, how cell phones are misused, or how bullying makes people feel and act, for better or worse.

This fourth time around, we’re sticking to the format that’s worked so well so far. We hope to again see some inventive storytelling on film. We’d like contestants to continue using social media to spread their message. And we’re ready to give out some very big cash prizes again.

But this year, we’ve changed a few things – hopefully for the better.

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Help Kids Keep Their Online Information Private and Advertisers at Bay

Posted on 27. Jan, 2013 by .

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Kids spend a lot of time online, and the information they post – and even the information they don’t post such as where they click, what they like, what they’re searching for – is valuable data to organizations who want to sell them something.

Whether they know it or not, in a single day, kids who use social networks and mobile devices are sharing lots of data that can be used to create and deliver very targeted advertising to them. Here’s a look at part of a teen’s day, the digital trail they’re leaving, and what you can do to help kids protect their privacy.

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‘Tis the Season to Share, But With A Cell Phone, Share Wisely

Posted on 04. Dec, 2012 by .

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It’s so easy to share photos using mobile social networking apps like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr. The fact that we can capture something we’ve seen and need to share immediately with our friends and family is an amazing ability. One tap and you have a picture. One more and you have a massive audience for it.

During Hurricane Sandy, Instagram logged around 1.3 million photos tagged with the word #sandy. These were images taken by the public and shared with the world, so the rest of us could see what was happening, up close and in near real-time. It will go down as another shining example of social media’s usefulness and power to do good.

But the same tools can be misused, to the detriment of the person using it. We’ve seen a current trend among youth around the world taking and photos of private information in and sharing them in public places. Before giving your kids a smart phone this holiday, be aware and ready to give your kids the right guidance.

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