Dr. Pamela Wisniewski recently participated as a panelist at the Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT) Working Group Meeting on Shaping Safer Digital Spaces for Kids. She joined Dr. Alice Marwick, Director of Research at the Data & Society Research Institute at UNC Chapel Hill, and Dr. Brandie Nonnecke, Founding Director of the CITRIS Policy Lab at UC Berkeley, to discuss strategies for creating online environments that both protect and empower young people.
During the panel, Dr. Wisniewski highlighted several key points:
🔹 Privacy-protecting defaults – Platforms should minimize data collection for children while enabling them to make informed choices about their privacy.
🔹 Youth agency in design – Young people should actively co-design safety solutions rather than be passively included. Her research uses an apprenticeship model to build youth skills and confidence in digital safety.
🔹 Balancing safety & autonomy – This apprenticeship model allows teens to design their own safety tools while critically reflecting on their decisions. By scaffolding participation, young people engage in shared decision-making, gaining both empowerment and digital safety awareness.
🔹 Researcher access to data – Equitable and privacy-protective data access, as seen in the EU Digital Services Act, is essential for evidence-based solutions.
🔹 Partnering with tech companies – Effective change requires collaboration with tech companies, leveraging their data and expertise to implement meaningful safety measures at scale.
As a policy recommendation, Dr. Wisniewski emphasized the importance of centering U.S. child safety regulations on youth digital rights. This includes decriminalizing adolescent behaviors, such as consensual sexting, and ensuring that young people have ownership over their digital data.
We appreciate CDT for fostering discussions that advance child safety, privacy, and digital rights in meaningful ways!