Dr. Pamela Wisniewski virtually presented at the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) Symposium for Employee Engagement and Development (SEED) as part of its Digital Force Protection theme.
Her talk, “Cognitive Resilience in the Digital Age: SHIELDing Families from Online Risks,” examined how families can navigate an increasingly complex digital environment shaped by AI-driven influence, persuasive technologies, scams, social engineering, and persistent privacy risks.
Wisniewski discussed how these risks affect both adults and teens and why fear-based approaches to technology often fall short. Instead, she emphasized building cognitive resilience through awareness, open communication, privacy literacy, and practical protective habits that help families recognize and respond to emerging online threats.
The presentation also addressed the particular challenges facing military families, who may be vulnerable to AI-enabled manipulation, impersonation, scams, and emotionally charged narratives, especially during periods of deployment, uncertainty, and stress.
Rather than attempting to eliminate online risk entirely, Wisniewski emphasized helping families develop the trust, skills, and support systems needed to engage safely and thoughtfully in digital spaces.
The goal is not to eliminate all online risk, but to equip families with the resilience to navigate it.