Facebook Launches Digital Literacy Library to Promote Safe Online Tech

Facebook on Friday announced the launch of a "Digital Literacy Library" to help young people build the skills they need to safely enjoy online technology. "Today, we're launching our Digital Literacy Library, a collection of lessons to help young people think critically and share thoughtfully online," Antigone Davis, Global Head of Safety at Facebook, wrote in a blog post.

"There are 830 million young people online around the world, and this library is a resource for educators looking to address digital literacy and help these young people build the skills they need to safely enjoy digital technology," Davis added.

The interactive lessons and videos, developed in partnership with the Youth and Media team at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University for educators of youth aged 11 to 18, can be downloaded for free.

Divided into themes such as privacy and reputation, identity exploration, security, safety and well-being, the lessons reflect the voices of young people from diverse socio-economic backgrounds, ethnicities, geographies, and educational levels.

"We know that educators already manage busy classrooms and learning environments. The lessons were designed to make it as easy as possible to integrate them into formal and informal learning environments - letting educators know how much time each lesson will take and providing written prompts to follow along the way," said Karuna Nain, Global Safety Programmes Manager at Facebook. "These lessons work well together or on their own, in after-school programmes or at home, and can be modified to incorporate educators' own experiences and ideas," Nain explained.

Currently, the 18 lessons are in English language and Facebook is planning to launch these in additional 45 languages soon.

Further, the networking giant is also "working with non-profit organisations around the world to adapt these lessons and create additional new ones for educators globally", the blog post read.

The lessons can be found on Facebook's Safety Center as well as on Berkman Klein's Digital Literacy Resource Platform.

Earlier this year Facebook added Youth Portal on the Center, which includes tips for young people on things like security and reporting content, as well as advice and first-person accounts from teenagers around the world about how they are using technology.