The Local Action initiative implemented by OZ Mládež ulice aimed at supporting critical thinking among young people, enhancing awareness and communication in the field of cybersecurity.

The issue of mobile phones in schools is becoming an increasing challenge for both teachers and students. While technology can enhance the educational process, constant phone use in the classroom is distracting, reduces student engagement, and negatively impacts academic performance. Additionally, social media and entertainment on smartphones often take priority over the lesson content, further hindering both learning and teacher effectiveness.

The recent initiative of a group of educators and psychologists, supported by the Estonian Minister of Health Riina Sikkut, to restrict the use of cell phones in schools has sparked lively debate. Disagreements have surfaced not only among politicians, but also among educators, students, and parents. However, it is clear that Estonia is moving towards regulating smartphone use among kids and teenagers.

To moderate, or not to moderate - who can answer me... Is it better to respond to disinformation spread in the online space, or is it better to let it be? Will I anger people who follow me more if I delete some comments from the discussion, or if people come into contact with hate and lies on my profile? Is there a right to express any opinion, or is it more the case that hate is not an opinion and does not belong in the public space? How do we choose which content is harmful? What steps can we take? And do we have to do it all ourselves?

Imagine this moment but without the internet. It is impossible, as you are reading this online, right? Have you ever wondered what the “insides” of the internet look like? How is data stored and how is the internet transmitted? Or what consequences does it have for the environment?

What can we learn about our organization using social media monitoring tools?

To find out what influences social media reach and how we can put the algorithm to work for you, read on!

Unlike misinformation, which is often spread unintentionally, disinformation is characterized by its purposeful intent to deceive. It typically involves a well-thought-out plan that includes the creation of false or misleading content, as well as a strategy for its dissemination to reach and influence a wide audience.

With phones practically glued to our hands and constantly going off with notifications, we are in an era where devices dictate our every move. The pressure to remain constantly informed and up to date with current events can sometimes become too big and overwhelm us. This marks a period where it is necessary to take a step back and create some distance from the devices dominating our lives.

Rapid technological advances affect all areas of society, including NGOs. The tipping point for many nonprofits was the Covid-19 pandemic, when moving online and introducing remote working with clients became necessary.

In Lithuania, as in many other countries, children are spending more and more time on the internet. New technologies, social media platforms, games and social networks are becoming an integral part of children’s daily lives. Youngsters spend more than a few hours a day online. This includes gaming, social networking, watching videos, studying and other online activities. Of course, the amount of time spent on the internet can vary depending on a child’s age, hobbies, family agreements and other factors, but there is a trend that children are starting to use the internet and spend their leisure time online at an increasingly younger age.

Cyber security is very important in Lithuania due to the rapidly changing technologies and the growing popularity of Internet use. More and more residents, companies and government institutions in Lithuania are becoming dependent on internet and digital technologies every day. One of the most significant reasons why cyber security is of extreme importance in Lithuania is personal data protection. More and more sensitive personal data, such as bank logins, health and identity data, are being stored online.

Crises come in various forms, often unpredictable, and the organization's ability to ensure operational continuity, adaptability, and prevent reputational risks is directly tied to its preparedness. Staff members must be able to make quick decisions and implement crisis management strategies effectively. The readiness to adapt and respond promptly is crucial. In this article, we will outline steps for your organization to swiftly respond to a crisis and ensure that you are equipped with the knowledge to handle a crisis in a confident and professional manner.

Let’s come together to learn on how to strengthen young people in being more resilient (online and offline) and improve their (as well as our own) wellbeing in the times of widespread disinformation, limited attention span and general information noise.

A third piece by Karol Wilczyński on disinformation around the War in Gaza. This time the author gives some tips how to take care of your own digital well-being while digesting the news.

Engaging in activism is both a rewarding and tough journey, requiring strong dedication and resilience to overcome obstacles. Beneath the passion for change lies a growing concern: the burnout.

The population across the European Union is ageing. This is a fact that is more often looked at as a problem, rather than an opportunity. However, it is time to reverse the perspective. One of the main problems especially in countries like Bulgaria, is that opportunities are not given and sought for the active inclusion of the elderly in public life. Due to the digitalization of the world a big part of social debates has migrated to the digital space. Elderly people want to participate and be heard.

Logical fallacies and cognitive bias go hand in hand. It takes critical thinking skills and positive self-doubt to avoid these traps that contribute to stereotyping, stigmatization, misrepresentation, and other negative outcomes of the lack of media literacy skills. This is the fourth article in the series produced together with the Baltic Media Centre of Excellence, where we explore the intricacies of the human mind and the potential traps in decision-making, while reminding you of 12 common cognitive biases and 10 logical fallacies that often shape our understanding of information.

Not all time spent online is a time well-spent (let’s be honest – more frequently it’s not even time well-wasted). While media literacy skills are crucial for understanding and structuring the great wave of information coming our way every day, doing it while maintaining a healthy relationship with technology is another matter. This is the third article in the series produced together with the Baltic Media Centre of Excellence, where we explore the psychology behind online interactions, as well as provide tips for digital well-being.

Media literacy is the key to navigating the vast sea of information that surrounds us. This is the second article in the series produced together with the Baltic Media Centre of Excellence, where we remind you of the very basics of media literacy. In this article, you’ll find a concise recap on what the five core concepts of media literacy are, as well as a more detailed explanation why representation matters.

The concept of “think before you click” is one of the most important factors in terms of information safety. This regards everything that is offered to you on social networks, the advertisements that pop up as you read a text on a web-page, links that “invite” you to open them as you are watching a YouTube video, and the "like" button.

We are living in times when there is much more information gathered, structured, created, and shared than ever before. Even the most cautious of us can fall for a fake ad. Today, technologies, social media and artificial intelligence tools can bring positive change to individuals and communities, but they can also destroy them. How can people protect themselves from misleading content? This series of four articles, produced in cooperation with the Baltic Media Centre of Excellence, will remind you of the basics of media literacy skills that you cannot do without in the digital environment.

The digital age is both present and future. Protecting humanity from the risks and dangers they are exposed to every time we click or share potentially misleading content are just some of the challenges facing the world today.

In a conflict situation, tension rises, hearts race, and blood boils. There is no need to meet in person anymore; a comment on Slack can cause the same reaction! It is impossible to stay calm in such moments; empathy is a distant memory. The art of selecting words thoughtfully and listening deeply to comprehend others' perspectives seems unattainable. Communicating effectively is crucial to resilience, and it is thus important to break down barriers that tend to prevent effective communication.

During tough times, resilience becomes more than just a buzzword; it becomes vital to survival. Through the growth mindset, we can adapt to chaos by shifting our focus from unnecessary perfection to what truly sustains us. The more energy we conserve and the more we focus on what keeps us alive - both personally and professionally - the better equipped we are to handle any situation.

Online violence involves using digital technologies to perpetrate acts of violence. This can occur on social media platforms, messaging apps, gaming platforms, and mobile phones. According to UNICEF, it refers to repeated behavior aimed at intimidating, angering, or shaming those it targets.

The number of online purchases by Macedonian citizens is increasing, and concurrently, scams targeting citizens shopping on virtual stores are proliferating. To avoid "emptying" credit cards through scams, there are several recommendations that we, as citizens, should follow when making our online purchases.

Beata Zwierzyńska: Increasingly our world emerges through the lens of online reality, social media, streaming videos, image sharing by witnesses of events. How do drastic images influence? Perhaps, we are becoming more immune and indifferent to such content?

The influx of media texts, videos, photos, as well as social media posts, nowadays is immense, as they constantly appear on our devices through which we communicate on the internet daily. Bombastic headlines and announcements of spectacular discoveries in such content often lead us to forget one of the fundamental rules of creating media content — the signature of the author behind them.

Two headlines of news articles appear to you simultaneously: the first one reads, “Wonderful Weather Today!” whereas the second one announces, "Terrible Storm Is Approaching the Country!". Which headline would you click on?

Civil society organisations (CSOs) play a vital role in society, serving various causes and providing essential services. However, like any other entity operating in the digital age, CSOs are not immune to cyber threats. In fact, these organisations can be attractive targets for cybercriminals due to the valuable data they possess and their potentially limited cybersecurity resources.

The internet has taken the globe by storm for the past 30 years, and it’s almost impossible to imagine the world without it. Digital privacy can be at risk without the proper online precautions in place.

Vacationing? Keep your devices safe abroad!

In the digital age, online campaigning is crucial for political and social activism. Whether promoting a political cause, raising awareness about an issue or rallying support for a charity, online campaigning can reach a wide audience and drive real change. To help maximize the impact of your outreach efforts, this article provides tips and tricks for effective online campaigning with a focus on search engine optimization (SEO).

It is important to find ways to cope with stress stemming from the Internet and the BASIC Ph model can help with this. The pandemic, the ongoing war in Ukraine, and the earthquakes in Syria and Turkey are just a few of the most recent events that have been circulating online and their sheer density can easily lower our resilience to stress. Drastic images are shared in viral posts and used to produce fear-inducing disinformation. In the below article, we present the BASIC Ph model, which outlines six channels to foster your emotional wellbeing online.

This practical guide outlines an approach to restoring energy and productivity for both individuals and teams during times of crisis. It offers actionable strategies and techniques to help reignite motivation and drive performance. Let us begin with the most essential, yet underrated solution for anyone who lacks energy: rest! Rest is the most underrated remedy for stress that we have at our disposal.

Making organization resilient through emotion-conscious leadership.

Cyberpsychologist Gordon Ingram explains the social and psychological consequences of the dynamics promoted by the Internet and social networks.

Learn the information you need to be aware of the risks that young people and children are exposed to when using the Internet.

The challenge that many organizations face in communications is to build content that touches the lives of their audiences. But there is an even bigger challenge; towards the construction of content of joint value, collectively and making impact visible.

Learn about the basics that will help you understand the risks you are exposed to when using the Internet.

We will navigate the characteristics and experience that the use of the Internet has left us as human beings and understand what we leave on the Internet.

It has become increasingly common to read news on the internet where young people participate in viral challenges that have harmful consequences for their health or even for the rest of their lives and those of their families.

In the international media market, the children's news programme is a television format with a decades-long history in many countries. This is a complex, mindset-shaping programme aimed at 8-12 year olds. In Europe, the British Broadcasting Corporation's (BBC) “Newsround” and the German Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (ZDF) “Logo!” are the leading examples.

Baby faces covered in chocolate, baby feet splashing in the water, cheeks soaked in crocodile tears. As we read the list, we might think of a post or story from social media that we sometimes encounter in the online space. But is it safe to share not only your personal information, but also that of a child who is in our care? What does it mean to be a responsible digital parent?

The war that is currently taking place in Ukraine has devastating consequences, but it is also more present in the media – both traditional and social ones than any other armed conflict in the past few years. In a webinar organized by MAKAIA (with support from TechSoup), guests from different parts of Latin America discussed the conflict and its context, its influence on the LatAm region as well as the propaganda and disinformation strategies used in the war – also targeting Latin America.

Strengthen your abilities to access and critically analyze information in digital media with the free and self-paced online course: "Think twice: media literacy Online"

It’s been a difficult 2 years. And on February 24th, 2022, when Russia attacked Ukraine it got even harder... It’s a challenging time which is testing us as activists, but also, more importantly, as people. We’re doing the best we can, but living in a constant state of unknown, having to prepare for the unexpected or currently focusing a lot of energy and resources on supporting our Ukrainian friends, who are in a much more difficult situation, takes its toll.

AC-LAC is a platform that promotes and defends encryption and fosters capacities and knowledge in citizens to maintain an ecosystem of trust, security, and stability [of ICTs] in the region.

Every day millions of people access the internet and browse through countless content within the reach of a few clicks. Children and teenagers are connecting more and more frequently, finding facilities to access information, knowledge and opportunities, while exposing themselves to different risks such as cyberbullying, sharing private information with strangers, sexual exploitation online, among others.

What would you do if you are a victim of cyberbullying? Laura Zapata Ortiz lived this experience and decided to help those who face a similar situation. Today she is part of our program "School of Influencers". This is her story.

A survey recently conducted by TechSoup has revealed how social organizations around the world are working with data. At the same time, collaboration, communication and technological trends for the social sector explain the panorama where 5 major trends for the sector stand out.

Social media platforms allow users to interact in a faster and easier manner. On one hand, this phenomenon helps establishing relationships and bonds beyond physical boundaries, leading to the exchange of information and content of all kinds. It is also not a secret that these platforms offer users tools for commercializing goods, products and services.

We live in the Information Age. Our ability to synthesize and use information well is crucial to our fate and future well-being. Our Experts have been designing bespoke courses on topics that are relevant, set in a meaningful context and important. From making sense of the news online, to protecting your own or your organization’s digital safety and privacy.

"The Social Dilemma" movie has been made available by its makers for educators worldwide in a free, classroom-friendly, 40-minute format that can be screened during a single lesson.

Here are some guidelines for your greater well-being as a media consumer. Yes, we are all media consumers. You got that correctly. In the following video, you will find a number of useful tips and tricks that will aid your digital transformation from a regular media consumer to a Media Literacy Expert!

According to Peter Ditto from the University of California, one of the many reasons why people fall prey to the influence of misinformation lies in so-called motivated reasoning (MR).

If this pandemic has taught us anything, it’s the fact just how important basic, daily hygiene habits are in our daily lives, and how much can they protect us from billions of bacteria and viruses. Did you know that perhaps this very behaviour has probably “saved us” in the past while we were exposed to a viral pathogen, maybe even COVID19?

If you’re still wondering why you need to be media literate (a skill that is in high demand today more than ever!), you’ll find the answers to this question in this short video. We have singled out the five most important reasons that will help you decide to start studying the media and their messages. The process is relatively straightforward, and you will gain all the necessary skills by simply following our channel. Let’s go!

Do you ever look at the screen-time analysis on your smart phone and cannot believe the high number it displays? If not –great, but if you do –then this podcast is for you.

In this episode you will hear Jakub Górnicki talking to Kamil Śliwowski -

a Media Literacy, Open Educational Resources and Online Privacy expert.

Kamil explains how he has gone from becoming a techno-enthusiast to a real techie helping people better understand the negative effects of using technology...

Welcome to the Hive Mind podcast series: “Let’s Talk Digital Resilience!”, where we would like to offer you a chance to enjoy 5 meaningful conversations led by top experts in the field of media technology, online security, and digital wellbeing.