Celebrating the 2024 Youth Innovation Council’s Impact

Building a safer digital world for kids requires more than cutting-edge technology. At Thorn, we believe youth voices and experiences are essential to building safer spaces online. That’s why we created NoFiltr.

NoFiltr elevates youth voices in the digital spaces they care about, helping them embrace the power they have to build safe, supportive, and resilient digital communities together. This prevention program seeks to increase awareness among youth about the risks of sharing nudes online, change toxic attitudes that shame victims, and equip youth with the knowledge and tools they need to resist online threats.

At the heart of NoFiltr is the Youth Innovation Council (YIC). The YIC creates hands-on opportunities for youth to improve their digital landscape through its curriculum-like framework of innovation, creativity, and design.

Meet the YIC Class of 2024

Each year we review many applications from youth and select a diverse cohort that helps shape NoFiltr’s campaign efforts for the coming year. For 2024, we selected 25 outstanding youth representatives, five of whom identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community.

Their representation is crucial to the work being done at NoFiltr because LGBTQ+ minors are 3X more likely to experience unwanted and risky behavior online.

Here’s the breakdown:

Youth council members were then assigned various responsibilities based on their interests and skill sets:

• Digital Safety Ambassadors combine their passion for digital safety with public speaking skills to promote awareness on the internet’s emerging threats.   
• Digital Resource Experts use writing skills to craft engaging, educational monthly articles for the NoFiltr Resource Hub.
• Content Creators bring design and production skills to create content that intersects between digital safety issues and youth social media trends.

Together, this cohort embarked on a year of collaborating, creating, and elevating their perspectives on digital safety and wellbeing through key partnerships with online platforms and social media content creation. 

Seat At The Table Workshops

As leaders equipping platforms with the technology and resources they need to create safer online spaces for kids, we’re often called upon for our child safety expertise. These platforms want to engage directly with youth impacted by their products, so we designed Seat At The Table workshops to foster collaboration between these platforms and NoFiltr’s YIC cohorts.

For these workshops, each partner spends 90 minutes meeting with the Youth Innovation Council to determine a unique goal for digital safety on their platform. The YIC members then collaborate on innovative solutions for each partner’s objective. In these sessions, youth also have the opportunity to receive professional development advice from tech partners. 

Here are a couple of examples from this cohort’s Seat At The Table workshops:

• Discord Charter for a Better Place to Hang Out Online
  Objective: Provide Discord with real youth insights on their Discord experience and present innovative solutions to create educational awareness for Discord Youth “Bill of Rights.”
  Solution: A teen charter representing the expectations teens have of each other on Discord. This set of principles outlines Discord’s commitment to providing teens safe, inclusive spaces where they can be comfortable being themselves. The charter further promises teens’ right to privacy and transparency from Discord.
• Pinterest Youth Resource Board
  Objective: Offer youth-first recommendations for a Mental Health Awareness Campaign that seeks to bridge the knowledge and perspective gap on digital mindfulness among youth, caregivers, and educators.
  Solution: Digital mindfulness resources, built by youth for youth. The YIC produced 4 collections of original content for Pinterest: Scroll-Free Self-Care Challenge, Pinning Positivity, Check Your Digital Wellbeing, and YIC Tips for Digital Mindfulness.
  

Producing Impactful Youth Resources

In addition to partnering with the influential online platforms above, YIC members createdNoFiltr branded digital content for youth. NoFiltr content focuses on youth prevention strategies and framing digital mindfulness as a foundational skillset to navigate risks like sextortion, grooming, or being asked for nude images.

It’s essential to include youth perspectives when creating digital safety content for youth. NoFiltr’s content has the greatest opportunity for meaningful impact when it’s framed within authentic youth experiences. Youth like to see their own perspectives reflected back to them, and that’s why the YIC is so important to engaging youth in the spaces they connect online.

YIC members know what content and tips will resonate with their peers. In the span of just 10 months, this year’s cohort produced:

• 170+ videos exploring issues youth face online, from sextortion to the rise in artificial intelligence (AI) content.
• 65+ articles providing firsthand youth perspectives on navigating the digital landscape mindfully.
• 80+ pieces of social content bringing digital safety issues into current youth trends and culture.

We’re proud of the passion, creativity, and dedication this cohort displayed throughout the year empowering youth and providing them with opportunities to shape safer online communities for themselves is fundamental to creating safer digital spaces.

Bridging the Conversation for Parents

We created NoFiltr to empower youth in navigating digital safety, but we understand parents also need tools and resources to help support their children in staying safe online.

That’s why we also built Thorn for Parents—a collection of resources, tips, and expert information designed to help parents be their kids safety net as they grow up in a connected, online world. Together, these two programs empower parents and youth with the tools they need to help prevent harmful experiences and online abuse.

Join Us in Building a Safer Digital World for Children

The work we do at Thorn is only possible through the generous support of donors. The digital landscape is evolving rapidly. Now, more than ever, technology and educational resources like NoFilter and Thorn for Parents are critical to ensure kids’ safety in navigating this ever-changing landscape.

Every donation makes a difference. You can help us ensure a safer future for kids online by donating here.