Before the 1st Phone/Device

Children and teens are still developing self- regulation while navigating an adult-designed, persuasive internet. Evidence-based guidance encourages delaying smartphones when possible and adopting a staged approach to technology use that prioritizes development and well-being. Child Mind Institute Wait Until 8th Safety Tools | Devices in Home For families with connected devices, these tools support healthy boundaries, supervision, and shared expectations- keeping relationships, not restrictions, at the center. AACAP | Screen time information from the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Digital Parenting Coach | Resources for parents set by a child’s age (0-3, 4-8, 9-12, 13-17 years) HealthyChildren.org | Media limits supported by the American Academy of Pediatrics Internet Matters | Age-appropriate toolkit created with Tesco Mobile (0-5, 6-10, 11-13, 14+) Router-based controls | To block, monitor, and schedule internet use Your Brain on Social Media | Covers a wide variety of searchable topics specific to ‘teen brains’ Tools to Navigate Online These resources are designed for young people themselves, offering non-punitive tools that support reflection, digital citizenship, and critical thinking. Above the Noise | Episodes provided by PBS designed to resonate with teens using humor and short-form video Digital Citizenship | Interactive activities by Common Sense Education targeted toward students. Google’s ‘Be Internet Awesome’ | Game-based and directed toward young people with expert partners (FOSI) Internet & Me | EU-based youth-friendly digital decision-making Mag dit Online? | German exemplar for pause-and- think reflection before posting online Scratch | Created by MIT, Scratch is a free system that teaches children to create games & animations by coding. Get Help & Protect Yourself If something has gone wrong, or might, these tools help teens remove harmful content, get support, and protect themselves. Needing help does not mean you did something wrong. Digitally Informed Youth | Canada-based resources that include connections via phone, text, or online StopNCII | Resources to help teens remove non- consensual intimate images (NCII) TakeItDown | A free tool that helps minors remove or stop online sharing of private media Get Involved & Lead For teens who want to shape digital spaces, these programs offer opportunities for youth leadership, advising, content creation, and research. Youth Advisory Board | A paid opportunity to work with me at WVU for local (WV, PA, OH, VA, MD) teens YouthDigitalWellbeing.org | Opportunities to serve as leaders, advisors, content creators, and researchers Child-Centered Policies These organizations focus on systems-level change, embedding children’s rights, development, and well- being into technology design, policy, and regulation. 5Rights Foundation | Frameworks for a child’s rights and needs Establishes globally recognized children’s digital rights that inform policy, platform design, and regulation. Children and Screens | Institute of Digital Media and Child Development Translates interdisciplinary research on media’s impact on child development into evidence-based policy guidance. National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) | Technology & Media Sets widely adopted position statements that shape early childhood education and technology policies. WeProtect Global Alliance | Prevention framework and ‘Global Threat Assessment’ reporting Global coalition of governments, industry, and civil society working to protect children from online sexual exploitation and abuse; includes resources and global threat assessment reports. Policy Tracking These groups monitor legislation and advocate for structural accountability so responsibility does not rest solely with families. Kids Code Coalition | Supporting legislation that protects children online Tracks and explains child-centered technology legislation, helping advocates and decision-makers understand what’s happening and what’s at stake. Kids Are Not Content | Advocacy for change Challenges business models that treat children as products, pushing for structural accountability rather than placing responsibility solely on families. Fairplay’s Screen Time Action Network | Shifting the culture & reducing time spent with digital devices Mobilizes educators, parents, and advocates to reduce commercial and screen-based harms in children’s everyday environments. Standards & Collaboration Organizations working across policy, industry, education, and families to improve children’s digital safety and literacy through evidence-based collaboration. Internet Matters | Because children deserve a safe digital world Since 2014, Internet Matters has provided evidence- based guidance shaped through collaboration with government, industry, and child-development experts. International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) | International Child Exploitation Database Law enforcement-focused database to support investigations. This resource is not a formal public report portal, but critical enforcement tool. MediaSmarts | Canada’s Centre for Digital Media Literacy A long-standing leader in digital literacy that informs education policy and national approaches to child digital well-being. They also have an innovative ‘Teen Fact-Checking’ network to help teens improve their digital literacy. Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI) | Policy programs Facilitates dialogue between policymakers, industry leaders, and advocates to improve online safety without oversimplifying complex trade-offs. Enforcement & Legal Formal pathways for reporting and response when serious harm occurs, including cybercrime, exploitation, and bullying. Department of Homeland Security | Know2Protect Provides reporting guidance and tip lines for online child sexual exploitation and abuse; includes victim support and law enforcement procedures. You can report child sexual exploitation and abuse (CSEA) through its How2Report tool. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) | Cyber threats If you are the victim of a cyber-enabled crime or fraud, file a report with the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). They also have a victim services program with online reporting options and partnerships including NCMEC CyberTipline. Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) National network of 61 coordinated task forces across U.S. federal, state, and local jurisdictions focused on child exploitation and cyber-crimes involving minors. National Center for Missing & Exploited Children National centralized reporting mechanism for suspected online sexual exploitation of children, including CSAM and enticement; law enforcement uses reports for investigations. U.S. Department of Justice | Project ‘Safe Childhood’ Provides federal reporting and enforcement pathways for serious online harms involving children. StopBullying.gov | Identify bullying and become an ‘Upstander’ Centralizes prevention, intervention, and reporting guidance for bullying and cyberbullying across U.S. federal agencies. Promotes upstanders- those who sees what happens and intervenes, interrupts, or speaks up to stop the bullying.