Apart from parents, who are the other adults who need to keep children safe from harm online? And how can we start conversations with children about digital literacy?
These are the questions independent journalist Nica Hanopol seeks answers to in the second episode of our mini-series on children’s rights in the digital age. Family life and child development experts Keisha Constantino and Edgar Belda Jr. return to explain the role teachers, policymakers, and Big Tech executives play in creating safer digital spaces for the youth.
Keisha proposes expanding digital literacy to include “structural literacy,” which teaches children not only what to avoid online but also how to think critically about algorithms, platform design, and the attention economy. Drawing from their children’s book @Alpha, Edgar shares practical ways adults can start conversations about online risks with young people.
If you are interested in reading their storybook, @Alpha is available for download on Sigla Research Center’s website.