FOSI 2022 Annual Conference

The FOSI 2022 Annual Conference, Trust & Assurance: Online Safety in an Uncertain World took place in-person on Monday, November 14, at the InterContinental Washington D.C. - The Wharf. FOSI convened the best online safety thinkers, practitioners, and experts from around the world for high-level discussions and debates, engaging networking opportunities, and a first-class exhibition of online safety technologies, products and services. Attendees had the chance to explore topics such as content moderation, privacy policies and practices, safety in the metaverse, digital wellbeing, and much more. Video recordings of the plenary sessions are available on the FOSI YouTube channel.

Congress has been quite productive on kids’ digital safety and privacy policy this summer. Senate and House committees advanced the first major reforms to online privacy in decades, and introduced the very first federal bill that focuses specifically on online safety. The Senate Commerce Committee passed the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) and the Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA 2.0), while the House Energy and Commerce Committee passed the American Data Privacy and Protection Act (ADPPA). These are significant developments, but the bills still face some obstacles before becoming law.

On September 7th, the Family Online Safety Institute hosted a webinar on Emotional Intelligence and EdTech: Essentials for 21st Century Classrooms. This panel of experts was moderated by Laura Tierney of The Social Institute, and featured Jimmeka Anderson of the National Association for Media Literacy Education; Richard Culatta of the International Society for Technology in Education; and Amy Koester of the Association of Library Service to Children.

On Thursday, 23rd June, the Family Online Safety Institute hosted the 2022 European Forum - our first in-person event since 2019. Hosted in partnership with event sponsor, Google, with additional sponsorship and support provided by TikTok and Yoti, the event aimed to capture multiple perspectives on the online safety landscape between the US, UK, and Europe.

This Congress has seen a bevy of legislation focused on regulating popular technology products, services, and platforms. Dozens of bills have been introduced regarding antitrust, data privacy, content moderation, and most importantly for this discussion, online safety.

As the digital world expands into new frontiers across virtual and augmented realities, the metaverse, and more, it is imperative that the safety of young people remains paramount. Coming together in online spaces is commonplace for today’s youth as they navigate complex social lives, academics, and growing up in an increasingly virtual world. On March 1st, we welcomed four youth speakers from across the US and EU for a transatlantic dialogue about the challenges and opportunities that technology brings to their lives. As part of their work on Microsoft’s Council for Digital Good, panelists discussed how media literacy, digital citizenship, and personal safety impacts peers in their communities and around the globe. 

On Tuesday, February 15th, the Family Online Safety Institute and Aura, a provider of intelligent safety solutions, convened a panel discussion entitled, “Teen Relationships: The Good, The Bad, & How Parents Can Help in a Digital World.” Stephen Balkam, FOSI’s Founder & CEO moderated the conversation between these leading experts: Dr. David Greenfield of The Center for Internet and Technology Addiction; Erica Olsen of the National Network to End Domestic Violence; Rita Smith of DomesticShelters.org; and Ryan Toohil of Aura.

On November 15th, FOSI hosted its live, virtual 2021 Annual Conference, Recovery & Renewal: Creating a path to a new normal. This year’s event highlighted our most important insights from this past pandemic year, to ensure our new normal includes revamped best practices for ourselves, our families, and our world.

As kids and teens head back to school, families across the country and around the world are facing new challenges for this unusual school year. Students are returning to classrooms in a variety of ways, including online, hybrid, and in person — alongside anxious thoughts, worry, and apprehension.

As a post-pandemic world begins to emerge, we find ourselves in a drastically altered “new normal” when it comes to the online world.

As kids and teens spend more time on screens and devices, the impact on their mental health must be considered.

On Thursday March 11, the Family Online Safety Institute hosted the latest installment of its FOSI Briefs the Hill series, “In Conversation With Representatives Lori Trahan (D-MA-03) and Jennifer Wexton (D-VA-10).” 

This online workshop compared attitudes toward digital parenting in the US and APAC regions, bringing together representatives & participants from industry, civil society, academic and the public sector to discuss online safety, how we think of digital citizenship and how to respond to the many challenges and opportunities that digital technology poses to children and families.

On November 18th, we hosted the premier online safety event of 2020 – live and virtual! This year’s event, “Building Resilience,” covered the many changing elements of online life, for ourselves, our families, and our world. The inherent obstacles and vast benefits of the digital world have become apparent to all of us now more than ever, and we explored these issues against the backdrop of a quickly changing social and cultural landscape.

As many families prepare for distance learning during this unprecedented back-to-school season, concerns around the efficacy of virtual education and increased screen time are coming to the forefront.