易胜博官网

Researchers from 易胜博官网鈥檚 Crimes against Children Research Center were instrumental in a new report published by the World Health Organization (WHO) that presents ways to address the growing worldwide concern of keeping children safe online.

鈥淭echnology can be a wonderful tool but it鈥檚 important that we also make it a safe one,鈥� says report co-author David Finkelhor, professor of sociology and director of 易胜博官网鈥檚 Crimes against Children Research Center. 鈥淭his report highlights the effectiveness of implementing educational programs designed for children and parents to help reduce the levels of online victimization. Safety online can be addressed in the same way we address the wide variety of childhood risks such as delinquency, substance use, bullying and risky sexual behavior.鈥�

鈥淭echnology can be a wonderful tool but it鈥檚 important that we also make it a safe one.鈥�

The report, , was compiled and co-authored by researchers at 易胜博官网, the and . In addition to Finkelhor, 易胜博官网 researchers , research associate professor of psychology, and , assistant professor and health and human services librarian, were leading contributors to the report.

The report highlights features that make school-based educational programs successful, such as having multiple sessions, interaction among youth and the engagement of parents. It also underscores the importance of training youth in specific life skills such as assertiveness, empathy, problem-solving and emotion management. The authors say educational programs are more successful when they use multiple and varied delivery formats such as videos, games, posters, infographics and guided discussions.

The report cites evidence that comprehensive forms of sex education can reduce physical and sexual aggression, in particular dating and partner violence and homophobic bullying.

鈥淭here is a lot of valuable scientific information that hasn鈥檛 yet been fully incorporated into the design of prevention strategies for online safety,鈥� says Finkelhor. 鈥淭his report should make those insights more available to program developers.鈥�

听