Yesterday I highlighted the publication of the transcript from an event I hosted on age verification proposals for social networking sites. Today I want to highlight another excellent event that followed close on the heels of my event and expanded upon several of the issues we discussed that day.
On May 3rd, my friend Tim Lordan, Executive Director of the Internet Education Foundation, hosted a panel discussion on Cap Hill entitled "Just The Facts About Online Youth Victimization." The event featured the comments of 4 of the leading experts in the field of online child safety, including:
* Dr. David Finkelhor, Director, Crimes against Children Research Center (CCRC), University of New Hampshire
* Dr. Michele Ybarra, President, Internet Solutions for Kids and author of several studies on youth online
* Amanda Lenhart, Senior Research Specialist, Pew Internet & American Life Project
* danah boyd, Researcher, University of California, Berkeley and Fellow, University of Southern California Annenberg Center for Communications
It was an eye-opening discussion that shattered many of the myths driving legislative efforts aimed at regulating Internet sites or activities in the name of protecting children. I strongly encourage you to read the transcript, or just watch the video of the event here. It will change the way you think about these issues.