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The official U.S. event will by hosted by ConnectSafely.org at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. The U.S. event will bring together elementary, middle school and high school students and online safety experts, youth advocates and leading technology companies to discuss youth perspectives and practices in social media. This year’s global theme is “Be the change. Unite for a better internet.” Safer Internet Day is designed to promote safe, effective use of the Internet and mobile technology.
The event will be streamed live on SaferInternetDay.us/livestream. Speakers include ConnectSafely CEO Larry Magid, National PTA President Laura Bay, School District of Philadelphia Superintendent Dr. William Hite Jr., Microsoft chief online safety officer Jacqueline Beauchere  and Comcast chief information security officer Myrna Soto
The event, live from the National Constitution Center, will also include a  panel on “Youth & Parents Mentoring Children & Teens”  and another featuring“Youth & Tech Industry Issues in Perspective” moderated by Michelle Ciulla Lipkin, President of the National Association for Media Literacy Education and featuring student leaders and executives from Google, Facebook and the After School app.
Students will have a chance to have their voices heard with an activity focused on “What Would George Washington Think of the Internet?” led by Kerry Gallagher, ConnectSafely’s Director of of K-12 Education and Digital Learning Specialist at St. John’s Prep in Danvers, Massachusetts.
“ConnectSafely is excited to once again host the U.S. Safer Internet Day celebration,” said ConnectSafely CEO Larry Magid. “We picked the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia to emphasize how the issues we face online such as freedom of expression, privacy, accuracy of information and personal responsibility have been with us since the founding of this nation.”
“Technology and the internet have opened up a world of opportunities in every aspect of life, but their use comes with risks and potential pitfalls. Just as we teach children to look both ways before crossing the street, we must also talk to them about being safe and responsible in the digital world,” said National PTA President Laura Bay. “National PTA is committed to empowering families to help children build good digital habits and ensure they have the skills they need to be safe and responsible online. We are proud to collaborate with ConnectSafely and be a part of Safer Internet Day.”
Supporters and national partners for Safer Internet Day USA include Comcast NBCUniversal, Facebook, Google, Ask.fm, LifeLock, LinkedIn, Microsoft, Snapchat, The Smart Talk, Trend Micro, and Twitter along with Committee for Children, Common Sense Media, the Family Online Safety Institute, #iCANHELP, the iKeepSafe Coalition, the Internet Education Foundation, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, the National Cyber Security Alliance, the National PTA and STOP. THINK. CONNECT.


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