This NJCCIC-hosted event was delivered via webinar on Thursday, May 13, 2021.

Over the past year, the education sector was – and continues to be – heavily targeted by cyber threat activity such as ransomware, DDOS, phishing, credential compromise, and unauthorized access. As the need for schools to maintain online services has become more vital than ever, it is essential for schools to achieve resiliency to these various cyber threats. This two-hour webinar provided K-12 schools with information on cybersecurity best practices and featured presentations from the NJCCIC, CISA, MS-ISAC, and FBI regarding the free resources available via their respective organizations.

SPEAKERS:

Michael Geraghty, Director of Cybersecurity & State CISO, NJCCIC
Michael Hastings, CISA
Kyle Bryans, MS-ISAC

As more children live out their lives through smartphones there is a need to equip them to deal with things they may experience online. Dr Linda Papadopoulos offers advice on the importance that digital resilience can play to help children deal with online risks and get the best out of their digital lives. Visit our site to learn more: https://www.internetmatters.org/advice/digital-resilience-toolkit/

�� Links:
Check out our Digital resilience toolkit supporting 6-10 year: https://www.internetmatters.org/advice/digital-resilience-toolkit/digital-resilience-toolkit-6-10-year-olds/

Check out our Digital resilience toolkit supporting 11-13 year: https://www.internetmatters.org/advice/digital-resilience-toolkit/digital-resilience-toolkit-11-13-year-olds/

Check out our Digital resilience toolkit supporting 14+ year: https://www.internetmatters.org/advice/digital-resilience-toolkit/digital-resilience-toolkit-14year-olds/

�� FOLLOW US
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InternetMatters
Twitter: https://twitter.com/IM_org
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/internet-matters-ltd/

�� About Internet Matters
We’re here to empower every parent in Britain to make confident, informed choices about their children’s safety in this ever-changing digital world. Visit https://www.internetmatters.org/ for more advice.

Our second keynote lecture series of the year under the theme ‘Resilience’ with BSSC Associate Professor Priti Parikh.

On Wednesday, September 8th, Children and Screens hosted “Establishing Character in a Digital World: Building Grit, Resilience, and Socioemotional Skills,” where interdisciplinary experts discussed how children and adolescents are utilizing digital media as a tool for strong character development, the ways digital media can interfere with this growth, as well as how grit and resilience develop over time in response to children’s environments and experiences.

[2:01] Michael Ungar, PhD, the moderator of our first panel, begins today’s webinar by offering advice to parents hoping to grow resilience in their children. He dispels the belief that grit is an individualistic trait, and instead challenges parents to consider resilience as something that can be grown in children by the supportive networks of trusted adults in their lives. By creating a manageable amount of risk with the resources to overcome the challenges, adolescents and children will begin to grow more and more resilient. As the saying goes, “You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.”

[7:10] David Yeager, PhD, expands on the idea of cultivating resilience by implementing two strategies: finding purpose in learning and transferring experiences. Dr. Yaeger explains how children and adolescents are not as insular as parents might assume, but rather do care about the world around them and their place within it. By giving them the space to talk about social issues they’re passionate about, they can be encouraged to find spaces to develop and utilize these passions, both on and offline. Dr. Yaeger also encourages parents and educators to provide opportunities for children to reflect when they overcome challenges; this reflection will be an incredibly useful tool the next time there is a concern!

[17:45] Mindfulness in a time of constant connectivity is an incredible tool for resilience-building. Christopher Willard, PsyD, walks participants through a mindfulness exercise, looking at how to stay in the present moment and overcome feelings of stress. Dr. Willard also discusses using “time wasters” (e.g., “I Spy” and “Simon Says”) as a means of building executive functioning and resilience skills.

[30:07] The first three speakers then engage in a lively conversation about grit and resilience, wrestling with the question of privilege, how some communities are more exposed to hardships than others, and which children ultimately are able to develop grit.

[48:53] Deborah Gilboa, MD, joins the discussion to moderate the second half of the webinar. She explores the idea of helping kids understand that bad things will happen in their lives, but there are ways to support children to help them learn resilient coping strategies.

[54:38] Resilience and gratitude go hand in hand, according to Andrea Hussong, PhD. Gratitude is a skill that develops over time, and encouraging moments of gratitude will help children find support systems in their communities, whether online or in person. After all, as the world becomes more digital, the relationships that children develop with their online friends are increasingly becoming a greater part of their support system than ever before.

[1:06:36] Echoing Dr. Hussong’s sentiments, Melanie Sage, PhD, explores resilience in marginalized communities– particularly children in foster care and LGBTQ+ youth. She offers the advice that potential risk is not the same as harm, and resilience requires exposure to difficult situations. She suggests caretakers support their children and adolescents by replacing worry with curiosity, allowing children to explore online and ask thoughtful, non-judgmental questions about their digital activity.

[1:20:18] To round out the second panel, Lisa Fiore, PhD, frames her remarks with the idea that “hope is a discipline.” She notes that, in order to build grit, students must be willing to grow. She promotes having a growth mindset, and encourages helping children to set goals as smaller stepping stones rather than taking on larger problems head-on. She also points out that the role of a caretaker in this situation is to provide unconditional positive regard, as every student has something worth celebrating!

[1:36:06] The second panel concludes with questions around supporting children in a world of impossible beauty standards, helping children prepare for making mistakes online, and ways for parents to step back and give the children space to make mistakes, so that they may become stronger in the future.

To learn more about Children and Screens, visit our website: www.childrenandscreens.com

Follow Children and Screens on social media!

Instagram: @childrenandscreens

Facebook: Children and Screens: Institute of Digital Media and Child Development

Twitter: @childrenscreens