Recently, I was asked to share my personal views on technology, the internet, and today’s youth. In response, I’ve put together a three-part series of articles to explore some of my thoughts specific to these topics.
With over 25 years of experience in digital literacy and internet safety education, I have closely studied how technology impacts youth and families – as most who follow me know, I look to the good evidence-based peer-reviewed research to help guide my beliefs and teachings when it comes to digital literacy and internet safety education. In today’s hyper-connected world, the internet has become more than just a communication tool – it is a core element of youth culture, influencing how young people learn, socialize, and grow. Some adults may willfully choose to overlook this reality, but with these opportunities come significant responsibilities. As adults, whether parents, educators, or policymakers, we must help guide young people through this vast digital landscape together. Youth have valuable insights to offer adults; it’s up to us as parents, caregivers, and educators to engage with them and listen.
Technology offers endless possibilities. It has revolutionized how youth access information, allowing them to learn about cultures, sciences, and experiences far beyond their immediate surroundings. The digital world opens doors to creativity, self-expression, and social interaction that previous generations could never have imagined. However, this onlife world also brings real risks such as privacy concerns, cyberbullying, misinformation, inappropriate content, toxicity in all its forms, and exploitation – all very real threats that young people can face online. It’s not a matter about “if” our kids come across this content, it’s more about “when” they do!
I believe that the challenges our kids face shouldn’t be addressed by banning, delaying, or heavily restricting technology, as some suggest. Instead, the focus should be on teaching youth how to use it responsibly and safely in a manner that’s appropriate for their age and emotional development. Much like we wouldn’t throw a teenager behind the wheel of a car without driver’s education, we shouldn’t let them loose in the online world without equipping them with digital literacy education, critical thinking skills, and access to developmentally age-appropriate technology.
I have found that when adults discuss youth and technology, the conversation often centers around fear. Fear of cyberbullying, fear of online predators, fear of what some call social media addiction, fear of age-inappropriate content. As Dr Candice Odgers, a well respected researcher in the area of teens and their use of technology stated in her most recent article in the Atlantic , “Caregivers are frightened, and people are just trying to do the right thing for young people. No one wants their children exploited online, or to be fed misinformation or sexually explicit and violent content. Pointing a finger squarely at smartphones and social media offers people common and unlikeable enemies. But we simply do not know that these are the right targets.”
While these fears are extremely valid, they should not dominate our approach to youth, technology, and the internet. Instead, we need to shift our focus from fear to empowerment. By teaching young people how to manage risks, we enable them to embrace the internet as a positive and enriching force in their lives thus building resiliency, especially when outside the home when parents aren’t around. Rather than being “threatened” about how our kids are using technology, let’s get “challenged” about how we can teach them to use it in a positive rather than a negative way – something we do here at the White Hatter.
One of the biggest mistakes we can make is assuming that technology is inherently harmful or inherently good. The reality is, it’s not the technology itself that’s the issue, it’s how it’s used. When young people are educated on digital literacy, online safety, privacy settings, recognizing manipulative content, and understanding how algorithms work, they become informed users who can make informed decisions that protect their well-being.
I believe that in today’s onlife world, digital literacy education is an extremely important skillset for youth and teens. It encompasses much more than just knowing how to use a smartphone or navigate a social media app. True digital literacy involves understanding the ethical and practical implications of online behavior, recognizing the potential impact of one’s digital dossier, and being able to critically assess the reliability of online information.
Social media is often painted as a space where youth are vulnerable to harmful content. But with proper education, young people can learn to discern between real and manipulated images, recognize misinformation, and develop healthy online habits that protect them from this harmful content and support their mental health in their use of technology. This shift from passive consumers to active participants in their digital experience is key to building a healthier relationship with technology.
One issue I frequently encounter in my work with parents is what U.S. lawyer Dorrian Horsey calls the “arrogance of disbelief.” Many parents believe that because they have raised “good kids,” their children are immune to the dangers of the internet. This belief, while well-intentioned, can place youth at greater risk. The truth – online risks don’t discriminate based on how “good” a child is. Predators, scammers, and exploitative forces prey on youth indiscriminately, exploiting their natural curiosity, desire for validation, and limited life experience – digital literacy education, combined with parent involvement, can act as the shield to help blunt these challenges.
Parents need to understand that no child is invincible in the onlife world. A proactive approach, built on open communication and trust, is far more effective than a reactive or fearful one such as delaying all technology until a certain age or covertly spying on what your kids are doing online. Encouraging dialogue about online experiences, setting realistic expectations, and teaching youth to navigate the internet as critically as they do the physical world can protect them from harm – it’s not about “no” tech, it’s all about “know” tech.
Parents, caregivers, and educators are crucial in helping youth develop healthy relationships with technology. The goal should not be to demonize the internet, technology, or restrict its use, but instead foster resilience and adaptability in young people. By embracing technology as a part of their lives, we can guide youth toward making safer and informed choices that allow them to thrive online, again building resiliency. When we share our concerns with our kids about their onlife world, we should do so in a way that ties into where they are today and is relevant to their life and appeals to their intelligence and experience. This will help them make good onlife decisions.
We must also model good behavior ourselves whether that’s respecting privacy, engaging thoughtfully on social media, or being conscious of our screen use. If youth see us using technology responsibly, they are more likely to follow suit – I truly believe that we parents and caregivers are the best role models when it comes to the use of technology.
The internet and the technology to access it is here to stay, and it will only continue to evolve – case in point, the transformative development of artificial intelligence (AI). As it does, so too must our approach to guiding youth through its complexities. Rather than focusing on controlling or fearing technology, let’s get challenged and focus on educating, empowering, and equipping young people with the skills they need to succeed in an increasingly digital world in a developmentally age-appropriate way. By doing so, we will help them become not just passive users but savvy, responsible, resilient, and thoughtful participants in today’s onlife world.
My personal perspective – just saying!
Darren Laur
The White Hatter
PART 2: “Nostalgia vs. Tech Progressivism– Preparing Our Children for the Digital Age” will be posted on Sunday Oct 6th
PART 3: “A Paradigm Shift from Delay to Empowerment” will be posted on Monday Oct 7th
