Meta has partnered with Childhelp to launch a groundbreaking education curriculum aimed at protecting young people from online exploitation, including sextortion and grooming. This initiative, announced on Safer Internet Day, is fully funded by Meta and is free for educators, parents, and organizations that work with youth. The curriculum has been developed with insights from leading child safety experts, including the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) and Thorn, and includes comprehensive resources such as lesson plans, interactive activities, and engaging videos.
The curriculum focuses on teaching middle schoolers how to recognize signs of online exploitation and develop essential skills for navigating both online and offline environments safely. It is integrated into the Childhelp 'Speak Up Be Safe' program, which addresses various safety issues. Additionally, Meta is collaborating with LifeSmarts to adapt the curriculum for high school students, allowing them to teach younger peers, thereby fostering leadership and knowledge sharing.
Meta's Global Head of Safety, Antigone Davis, emphasized the importance of equipping students with the confidence to identify potential harms and seek help. Childhelp's Chief of Staff, Michael Medoro, expressed gratitude for Meta's support in empowering young people to speak up about online dangers. The curriculum also incorporates feedback from the NoFiltr Youth Innovation Council to ensure relevance and practicality.
This initiative builds on Meta's recent anti-sextortion PSA campaign, which aimed to educate teens about recognizing sextortion scams through videos shared on Instagram. Meta has implemented various safety features to combat sextortion, including removing scammers, notifying users of removed accounts, and enhancing privacy measures for sensitive content shared through its platforms.
