Katie Greer: Internet Safety

Maybe it’s because I’m a kid at heart, but I make this program educational and entertaining as possible. Kids today are digital natives and I want to help kids from a young age learn how to have a healthy relationship with technology.

Depending on the age, I can custom tailor my keynote speaker talks and exercises to suit the audience. My programs are hyper-interactive, real, and (dare I say) fun. Every program has a dedicated Q&A time, and I’m always floored by the meaningful, healthy conversations.

Here are some specifics I recommend covering per age group:

Pre-K through Grade 2

• Rules to follow for tablets and phones (that are useful for parents too)
• Understanding healthy boundaries for games we play
• Defining personal information and how to keep it safe
• Figuring out how to recognize safe sites and apps to use

Grades 3 through 5

• Benefits and risks of communicating with friends online
• Keeping personal information private when using social networks, games, and otherwise
• Privacy settings: How do they work? Are they effective? What does “private” really mean?
• Social Media 101: Rules, settings and healthy use
• Cyberbullying and what to do about it
• Cell phone and tablet rules to live by

As if being a pre-teen/teenager wasn’t hard enough, today’s adolescents have to deal with a whole new layer of complexity: the online world. School gossip isn’t something you can leave behind at 3pm, and the decisions you make about social media can haunt you for the rest of your life – or help get you into college or land that awesome, new job.

I’m not here to lecture kids about what’s appropriate and what’s not. Instead, my approach as a keynote speaker is to walk these kids through a decision-making process that considers the immediate and long-term impact of everything they do online – the AWESOME and the not-so-awesome. I want to have a meaningful conversation with the students so I can hear them out and empower them to question the big picture. And since every program I run has a dedicated Q&A time, I’m always awed by the breakthrough we make together.

Here are some specifics I recommend covering per age group:

Grades 6 through 8

• Social networking: The AWESOME, the “eh” and the ugly. How to effectively utilize social media to work FOR you.
• Privacy settings: What do they mean? How do they work? Is our info really private?
• Technology tattoos—what you put out there stays out there—and how to be proud of what you post
• Breaking down conflict versus cyberbullying
• Sexting: A real discussion about healthy relationships, pressure, breaches of trust, oversharing, and an empowering message of understanding and setting boundaries
• Going viral through kindness

High School

• Understanding that your online reputation (often for the rest of your life) starts with the decisions you make now and can be wonderfully powerful if done right
• Capturing your life on social media—and the risks that come with it
• Privacy: Is there such thing anymore? What do our settings guarantee? What are the long-term implications of our constant use of these devices/apps/platforms?
• Digital health: A down and dirty conversation about digital health and how these devices are impacting our moods, behaviors and relationships. The physical and psychological importance of giving our brains and bodies a break from screens
• Employment and college admissions risks and opportunities
• Let’s talk about sex…ting. It’s happening EVERYWHERE. Laws are all over the place. Long-term repercussions are currently unknown. Pressure is a driving force. Real talk about a pervasive social issue and healthy relationships

You did it – got into the school of your dreams, and truly the world is yours for the taking…so long as you (or your roommate) don’t post anything horrible, terrible, controversial, offensive, embarrassing, etc, we should be good – right? The pressure is real, and the world (today and 4 years from now when you graduate) is looking. Your information is more accessible than it has ever been, and making sure that your digital reputation matches up with your core values and authentic self can be a tricky balance. Tech and social media can also be a tremendous asset to you in college and beyond, so truly understanding how to manage and control your personal brand is an essential life skill.

Creating good habits, understanding and drawing clear boundaries, and being good and healthy consumers in our digital, social media-driven, and ever-connected world are all challenges we don’t talk about enough. While so much good has come out of the technologies college students and student athletes have access to today, it can also be a tricky minefield to navigate. Let’s talk, I love to listen and problem-solve with y’all on how we can make this all work for not against us.

Here are some details for these fully-customizable programs:

College Students

• What it means to be a college student in a time of constant connectivity – the good, the bad, the opportunities and the pitfalls
• There are opportunities like never before for students (future employees) in tech. Let’s talk about how we can make tech in college work for you now and in future, professional opportunities
• Privacy settings: Older generations are historically TERRIBLE at caring about privacy online – be better! Let’s collaborate on ways we can be better with our info
• Relationships. Technology has really changed the game, but recognizing healthy relationships and being able to understand and set boundaries are just as – if not more – important
• Digital health: A down and dirty conversation about digital health and how these devices are impacting our moods, behaviors and relationships. The physical and psychological importance of giving our brains and bodies a break from screens
• We are a generation that is consuming media more than ever before. Let’s chat about how to be critical, healthy, responsible consumers

Student Athletes

• Being a student athlete comes with tremendous opportunities and privileges, and also tremendous responsibilities and visibility. Our every actions are accessible and recordable with the click of a button, and realizing this can either work for us or against us in this digital-world
• Catfishing: This isn’t anything new, but student athletes seem to be frequent targets of people looking to take advantage athletes’ visibility and vulnerability. This program will offer case-examples and sensible tools to prevent catfishing
• Student athletes are looked at as leaders in their college communities and beyond. Recognizing the tremendous power social media and technology can bring to our lives and in turn our schools and athletic programs has the potential to make – or break – an athletic career. Let’s talk about how to leverage technology so that it can work for us, our schools, and athletic programs

While much of my work is directed to a younger audience, you’d be surprised by how many adults are mystified by the world we live in. For this reason, I make sure to offer programs that help “big kids” navigate the new normal of technology. It’s no longer sensible to bury our heads in the sand and hope all this goes away – it’s here to stay. With that, I’ve developed programs that help parents, techies, administrators, employees and law enforcement stay on top of what’s now and what’s next in this digital world.

From parents wanting to better understand the boundaries (and opportunities!) of tech to corporations that want their employee groups to brush up on the latest apps and social media trends, to school staff trying to wrap their brains around healthy tech balance, my message is tailored and digestible to any audience. My goal is to educate in a way that helps audiences use the internet in a safer, more productive way, from recognizing health traps to protecting yourself with privacy precautions. We cover a lot and – and it often is coming directly from what the kids are divulging that very day. So take a deep breath, perhaps smile and laugh – we got this…piece of cake.
+ Specifics
Here are some specifics I recommend covering per adult group:

Parents

• Updates on the latest tech trends including popular apps, social networking trends, gaming, sexting and more
• Social media age limitations – and how often kids are breaking them
• Privacy settings, location services, check-ins: Are your devices set-up safely?
• Advice for having real conversations with your child to foster a positive online experience for your family, with suggested restrictions and rules
• Digital health check-in: Is your family doing a good job balancing life and technology? Most KIDS say “NO!”
• Smartphones & Age: What’s the average age kids get smartphones? Are there alternatives? Is there a right age for kids to get smartphones?

School administrators

• Professional development workshops
• Proactive measures to keep kids safe in schools, including a breakdown of the current trends in social networking
• Digital health: How does your school rank in taking into account digital health? Is there a good balance?
• Opportunities and recommendations with devices in schools, including 1:1 programs and best practices, user agreements, parent education, and policies
• Overview of sexting and child pornography, including appropriate school handling of reported incidents
• Cyberbullying identification, implications, and preparation, complete with case studies
• Designated Q&A for personalized feedback on real school issues

Corporate keynotes and workshops

• Reinforce your commitment to social responsibility by promoting a safer environment for employees and their families, aligning with the values of many socially-conscious corporations. Previous audiences have included
• Fortune 500 and Global 2000 corporations, ERGs, and corporate keynotes
  Social media 101: Explore the world of the hottest social media apps, how they work, with live demonstrations – pros & cons, tips and tools to help employees and their family members be safe
• Digital literacy & responsibility: Providing caregivers with strategies and tools to enhance their digital literacy, empowering them to help keep their families safe at home – in turn creating a more cybersecure culture at work
• Promoting online privacy & personal information protection: Importance of safeguarding personal information online. Practical steps empowering families to protect their privacy in the digital space street
• Screen time, social media & mental health: Exploring the relationship between increased screen time/social media use and mental health. Practical tips for managing screen time and social media so that impacts can be healthy