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Arson attacks paralyze French high-speed rail network hours before start of Olympics, the Obamas endorse Harris for President; A NY county creates facial recognition, privacy protections; Art breathes new life into pollution-ravaged MI community; 34 Years of the ADA.

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Harris meets with Israeli PM Netanyahu and calls for a ceasefire. MI Rep. Rashida Tlaib faces backlash for a protest during Netanyahu's speech. And VA Sen. Mark Warner advocates for student debt relief.

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There's a gap between how rural and urban folks feel about the economy, Colorado's 'Rural is Rad' aims to connect outdoor businesses, more than a dozen of Maine's infrastructure sites face repeated flooding, and chocolate chip cookies rock August.

On Safer Internet Day, experts offer tips to protect your family

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Tuesday, February 6, 2024   

Today is Safer Internet Day, a day to focus on ways to help your family thrive in the digital age.

The National Parent Teacher Association and a Silicon Valley company called ConnectSafely are offering an online presentation available starting today called Smart Digital Parenting: Navigating Screens with Children and Teens.

Yvonne Johnson, president of the National Parent Teacher Association, said parents and children need to have open, friendly, nonjudgmental discussions.

"The most important thing is we can't panic when things go wrong," Johnson explained. "You might hear something that freaks you out, right? But you have to listen calmly and ask questions, and then focus on solutions. I think that also creates the trust between the parent and the child."

The PTA advised parents to focus on what they call the three T's: talk, try and teach. This means parents should talk to their kids about the apps and games they like, try them together, and teach kids about security and privacy settings.

Mitchell Prinstein, chief science officer for the American Psychological Association, said when children are exposed to violence online, especially real-life incidents on the news, parents need to give context.

"It's very important that we talk with kids about their own level of safety, primarily, when they see scary images, to help them understand why what they're seeing online is highly likely or less likely to happen to them," Prinstein urged. "Because kids' fundamental issue is going to be their own personal protection, whether they can still rely on adults."

California lawmakers passed a landmark bill in 2022, forcing companies to ensure their digital products do not harm children and teens before they hit the market, and require privacy measures to be included from the start. However, last September, a judge put the law on hold to determine whether it violates the tech companies' First Amendment rights.

Disclosure: The National PTA contributes to our fund for reporting on Children's Issues, Education, Health Issues, and Social Justice. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


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