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Hands up if you’ve read the Terms & Conditions when you signed up for a social media account (or anything else online for that matter!)?

The Children’s Commissioner tested social media platforms’ terms & conditions out on children and none of the kids they asked understood them. Did you know that:

“Snapchat can publically display or sell any content young person puts on Live or Local Snapchat, meaning they can use a young person’s face and voice in any way, how Instagram can read a user’s Direct Messages and how all companies collect a range of person information including how long you spend on certain pages, where you are and who is in your phone book. They remind children that YouTube is owned by Google, so if you create a YouTube account, your data will be collected by Google and linked to other information Google has about you.” (childrenscommissioner.gov.uk)

Thankfully, the Children’s Commissioner has published handy versions for us so we can better understand what we’re all signing up to. If you’re a parent, you could use these to discuss them with your children.

We don’t think parents should ban kids from using social media. We do think children (and everyone else) should properly understand what they’re signing up to.

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We’re holding a special event as part of the Spring Forward Festival, a month-long celebration of the role of women in digital culture and runs throughout March in parallel with Women’s History Month.

The speed of technological change has created a landscape that often makes little sense to today’s parents. How do teens understand technology? Has it rewired the teenage brain? Is the teenage experience in 2019 any tougher now than it was for previous generations?

Join teens, parents and experts for a frank and open discussion about the positive and negative aspects of being a teenage girl today – from the future of work to behavioural trends, body image and a digitally networked life.

Book your ticket today!

  • Brighton5 founder, Daisy Cresswell, talks about our mission and our work with teens 
  • Screening: Short film, Teens and tech
  • Analytics company, Station10, talk about algorithms and the future of our increasingly networked world 
  • Q&A: Teen and parent panel discuss the teenage brain and how we can arm the next generation with the resilience to succeed
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Brighton5's Daisy Cresswell with BBC Sussex presenter Danny PikeBrighton5 founder Daisy Cresswell was a guest on BBC Sussex this morning talking to presenter Danny Pike about  screen time,  parenting and how social media companies need to change. Children’s Commissioner, Anne Longfield has today written an open letter to social media organisations about this very issue,

She discussed how Brighton5 is teaching children how social media platforms work and how they are designed (with Vegas style gaming techniques). Banning children isn’t necessarily the answer. Let’s start a conversation with our teens and arm them with knowledge.

Have a listen to a clip here!

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Running a Crowdfunder has been all-consuming. It’s meant putting everything else on hold to rally round and badger people for money and help with getting the word out. We’ve been so humbled by the way everyone has pitched in and got involved. But thankfully it was all worth it – last night we reached our target! This means that we have the funds to get going with our project, working with teens and local schools and colleges. Watch this space!

So if you donated, shared our posts, sent us a supportive message, told friends and family about us… a huge thank you. Your support made this happen.

From Daisy, Tayler, Jane and the teens x

Brighton5 teens in Brighton

Brighton5 teens on Brighton beach.