Stephen Balkam

Building a Culture of Responsibility

Stephen Balkam | Posted 11.05.2009 | Technology


Stephen Balkam

We need to build a Culture of Responsibility online where government, law enforcement, industry, teachers, parents and the kids themselves accept differing yet overlapping areas of responsibility.

Cybercitizens of the World Unite

Stephen Balkam | Posted 11.18.2009 | Media


Stephen Balkam

Western civilization has a collective memory of what it means to be a citizen, stretching back to ancient Greece. But we are still learning what it means to be a citizen of the digital world.

A Tweet of Consciousness

Stephen Balkam | Posted 10.17.2009 | Media


Stephen Balkam

Where is Henry James when we need him? Or Carl Jung? Or Teilhard de Chardin? I wonder what all three of them would have made of Twitter. My guess is that James would have approved.

Schools Out for Summer: Kids Go Online

Stephen Balkam | Posted 06.30.2009 | Living


Stephen Balkam

Now would be a good time to have a talk with your children, tweens and teens about what they are doing online, where they are going and what they are uploading.

Qikker than Twitter

Stephen Balkam | Posted 05.28.2009 | Media


Stephen Balkam

We're going to have to get used to a Truman Show-type existence where we will both star and direct our own as-it-happens video show.

Sexting and the Law of Unintended Consequences

Stephen Balkam | Posted 04.24.2009 | Style


Stephen Balkam

Sexting -- teens sending sexually explicit photos of themselves via cell phones -- has become the latest in a line of highly charged issues involving kids and the internet.

Setting the Obamas' Parental Controls

Stephen Balkam | Posted 01.02.2009 | Media


Stephen Balkam

It would send a strong signal if the president established the post of Chief Online Safety Officer, directly responsible to the CTO, to help unify his administration's efforts.

What's Next In Online Safety

Stephen Balkam | Posted 11.17.2008 | Living


Stephen Balkam

Kids are now producing the kind of content we once shielded them from. There are cases pending in court where the kids are being charged with production of child pornography.

Rediscovering Online Safety

Stephen Balkam | Posted 11.10.2008 | Living


Stephen Balkam

The Protecting Children in the 21st Century Act is a sign that Congress is beginning to get it right when it comes to protecting kids online while not stepping over legitimate free expression rights.

Learning About The Family Online Safety Institute

Huffington Post | Posted 03.28.2008 | Business


The brainchild of Stephen Balkam, the Family Online Safety Institute was created with the goal of finding "innovative solutions for family online safe...