Responsible Technology Youth Power Fund – Part 9 of 13
Re The Log Off Movement and Next Gen Connect
SGUK Ep 113
The Log Off Movement – About Us
The LOG OFF movement was created in June of 2020 by the then high school senior, Emma Lembke. The movement formed in response to Lembke’s personal struggle with social media usage, its negative impact on her mental health, and the absence of youth voices in the dialogue surrounding social media advocacy. Once launched, LOG OFF dedicated itself to uplifting and empowering youth to tackle the complexities of social media and its impact on younger generations. Initially, this mission was accomplished through an array of initiatives housed within their website: advocacy efforts, youth leadership community, podcast, and blog. As the LOG OFF movement has evolved over the past 3 years, so have its efforts.
OUR MISSION
LOG OFF is a youth-led, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization committed to helping kids, teens, and young people build healthy relationships with social media and online platforms.
Our Vision
We envision a world where kids, teens, and young adults feel empowered to build and promote healthier relationships with social media and online platforms.
Problems Vs Solutions
Think Tank
ONLINE NEWSPAPER – The Network Online Newspaper
LOG OFF’s Online Newspaper works to develop and share stories from diverse voices, ranging from experts in the tech-wellness sector, to youth from the LOG OFF community, and individuals with something to say about their online experience. Our writers form a global collective of voices working to challenge our current status quo through three distinct lenses of exploration: impact, ethics, and wellbeing.
Forks Up Phones Down
Forks Up, Phones Down is a public-awareness campaign that aims to reduce phone usage and encourage human connection at the table.
We know you’ve felt it – you are joining friends or family for a meal, and you look around and notice that everyone is on their phones. Everyone is together, but not really…
Some of life’s most precious moments are found in conversation with others and gathered around a good plate of food. Yet, the growing usage of technology (via QR code menus, ipads, etc.) in the dining experience places these moments of authentic human connection at risk. It is time to prioritize humans over internet connection at the table by putting our Forks Up and Phones Down.
We’re challenging young people and adults alike to put our forks up and our phones down. We believe that setting aside our phones – where we’re inundated with social pressures, stigmas and features that are often detrimental to our mental health and wellbeing – can have a profound positive impact! Let’s prioritize our digital wellbeing over our phones, our tech, and our internet connection.
Get Involved – Take Action
The Team
Emma Lembke – Co Founder and Executive Director
Claire Wasserman – Co Founder and Deputy Executive Director
Matthew Allaire – Director of Podcast
Ainsley Johnson – EIC of “The Network”
Parker Doggett – Director of Operations
Matthew Stevens – Director of Resource Development
Eric Willoughby – Director of Social Media
Next Gen Connect @ Fairplay
Mission
The Screen Time Action Network at Fairplay is a collaborative community of practitioners, educators, advocates, and parents who work to reduce excessive technology use harming children, adolescents, and families. We support practical solutions grounded in research by developing strategic partnerships, creating groundbreaking resources, and amplifying the work of our members.
We believe that creating a healthy media environment for children requires far more than individualistic and family-based solutions or unquestioning acceptance of the status quo. To this end, we support advocacy that challenges the business model for children’s media and policies that prioritize children’s wellbeing over tech companies’ profits.
We are a truly independent, nonprofit voice for children and do not accept funding from anyone who benefits financially from children’s time with screens.
Our Story
Many educators, pediatricians, and other professionals working with children are concerned about childhood tech use. They see that overuse of digital devices is negatively affecting kids’ wellbeing, and encourage children and families to spend less time with screens and more time in creative and active play. But trends, marketing, and the myth that tech is essential to children’s learning make reducing screen time challenging work. Professionals often report feeling discouraged, isolated, and unable to create their own resources for parents.
The Screen Time Action Network, a global membership organization, was born from the needs of these professionals and the families they serve. Whether reducing children’s screen time is a core part of your work, or just a small piece of what you do with families, the Action Network is designed to support you. Join other professionals who believe that reducing children’s screen time is both necessary and possible, share and access resources, learn about best practices, and help families raise healthy children.
Fairplay
The Screen Time Action Network is a project of Fairplay. Fairplay works to create a world where children’s lives are shaped by what’s best for them, not by corporate profits. Our advocacy is grounded in the overwhelming evidence that child-targeted marketing undermines healthy development and the belief that society bears responsibility for, and benefits immeasurably from, the wellbeing of children. Fairplay holds corporations accountable for their harmful marketing practices and advocates for policies to give children the commercial-free time and space they need. As part of our ongoing efforts to help reduce the amount of time kids spend with ad-supported digital media, we are the home of Screen-Free Week. For more information, visit www.fairplayforkids.org.
Next Gen Connect Network
Intergenerational mentoring for digital wellness leaders
When we carefully match young people with our activists and researchers, just imagine what can happen!
NextGen Connect is a youth-led, intergenerational program grounded in our mission to provide youth leaders with the resources they need to educate and advocate for tech accountability.
Video Link with information
https://vimeo.com/871658064
Are you a youth leader?
- Young adult between 18-24 years old
- Desire to create a healthier digital environment with a project focused on tech accountability, screen time education or advocacy
- Able to collaborate with a professional partner
- Able to dedicate 5+ hours a week to your project
Josh Golin, MA
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, FAIRPLAY
Josh started at Fairplay as an intern in 2003 and has been with the organization in a variety of capacities ever since. While Fairplay is perhaps best known for its highly publicized corporate campaigns, it has increasingly focused its efforts on helping families unplug from ad-supported screens. Josh is thrilled that Fairplay is the home of the Screen Time Action Network and looks forward to seeing the collaborations that develop. Josh’s daughter, Clara, is also a vocal advocate for limited screen time who is not shy about reminding her parents that she is infinitely more interesting and important than the content on their devices.
Jean Rogers, M.S.Ed.
DIRECTOR, CHILDREN’S SCREEN TIME ACTION NETWORK
Jean Rogers is Director of the Screen Time Action Network. She is a parent educator, speaker and author. In her role leading the Action Network, she creates a collaborative environment among practitioners, educators, social workers, childcare providers and parents regarding healthy child development and screen time. She is host of the popular Action Network Live!, our online interviews with the experts, tackling topics from play impact, behavior, character development, and screen overuse. She earned her M.S.Ed. and Certificate in Parenting Education from Wheelock College (BU). She consults with schools to form Technology and Media Committees, implementing Strengths-Based Family Engagement concepts with screen time. Jean is available for keynote and guest speaking, both virtually and in person. She is the author of the parenting text, Kids Under Fire, which helps parents empower children to make healthy screen choices.
Lauren Paer
PROJECT MANAGER
Lauren is passionate about helping families raise healthy children in our screen-saturated society. As Project Manager for the Screen Time Action Network, she supports the heart of the Network, its Work Groups, as they advance impactful initiatives. Before joining Fairplay, she worked on screen time legislation and hosted the show, Screen Time Reset. Lauren studied economics at the University of Pennsylvania and worked on Wall Street in a previous life. She now lives in her hometown, Honolulu, where she enjoys hiking, boogie-boarding and spending time with friends and family.
Natasha Wade
ADMINISTRATIVE COORDINATOR
Natasha is passionate about empowering families through education and creating support systems to assist them. With a background in healthcare education, Natasha has worked to improve the lives of children and their families for many years. Prior to joining Fairplay, she earned her B.S. in Nursing and worked as a Registered Nurse with a focus on family services. Meeting families wherever they are within their own wellness journeys is a priority and privilege for her. Outside of work, she has volunteered her time to several youth based sports and health initiatives and enjoys spending time with her close-knit family.
Rachel Franz, MEd
EDUCATION MANAGER, FAIRPLAY
Rachel is an advocate for young children, with a deep commitment to helping children and families find meaningful connections in a media-heavy world. Rachel earned a B.A. with honors in Environmental Studies, where she published her innovative research on picture books as a tool for consumerism education, and received an M.Ed in Early Childhood Education from Champlain College, focusing on nurturing preschoolers’ self-control in an “instant gratification society.” Rachel has worked as a founding Director and Lead Teacher at the nation’s largest all-outdoor preschool, and is a founding member of the NAEYC Young Professionals Advisory Council.
Amy Hendershot
DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS
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Amy is dedicated to equity, access and social justice especially when it comes to technology. She believes that everyone should have equitable access to becoming creators instead of consumers or targets of predatory practices that have grown with the influence of digital society in our everyday lives. Amy brings over 15 years of experience in the nonprofit and education space to Fairplay. She has earned her Associates of Science from Triton College, Bachelor of Arts from DePaul University, Chicago and Masters of Science in Social Work from Columbia School of Social Work with a focus on Management and Social Enterprise Administration.
David Monahan, JD
CAMPAIGN DIRECTOR, FAIRPLAY
David worked for 15 years as an Assistant Attorney General in the Consumer Protection Division of the Massachusetts Office of the Attorney General, and handled enforcement actions to address unfair and deceptive business practices. From 2009 until 2015, David served as Deputy Chief of the Consumer Protection Division. He previously served as Prosecuting Counsel for the Massachusetts Division of Professional Licensure. David is on the adjunct faculty at New England Law Boston, where he serves as the Writing Specialist. Responsible for devising and implementing Fairplay’s campaigns, David is passionate about protecting children from the inappropriate influence of corporate marketing. He devotes weekends to time outdoors with his dog, Beatrice.
Bzu Shiferaw
CAMPAIGN ORGANIZER
Bzu is a believer that childhood should be a time composed of human connection and a natural curiosity for the world, without the heavy influence of a digital society. She is a passionate advocate for youth and is inspired to uplift young people to have the freedom of maintaining their own creativity and interests. Before joining Fairplay as the Campaign Organizer, she studied journalism and political science at Boston University. She has volunteered in various youth based services, like running a summer camp for kids in Belize and as a peer mentor in Boston Public Schools.
In her free time she enjoys baking and creating homemade skin care products.
Sam Garin
COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER, FAIRPLAY
Sam supports Fairplay’s programs, including corporate campaigns and the Screen Time Action Network. Prior to joining Fairplay, she served as an AmeriCorps member at BEST Hospitality in Boston, where she taught English, civics, and computer skills to members of Local 26. Sam studied online volunteer communities and the politics of European migration at Harvard University, where she graduated with a BA in Social Studies. In her spare time, she enjoys exploring Boston’s green spaces, finding new favorite restaurants, and cooking.
Kia Ansine
COMMUNICATIONS AND DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR
Kia is passionate about prioritizing the rights and protections of children especially within the modern digital landscape that treats them as an afterthought. Before joining Fairplay, Kia coordinated wellness-oriented projects and campaigns for the Rutgers University Honors College community, and she worked in the medical field. Her work focused on hosting events, curating infographics, and mobilizing digital campaigns that would allow her community to take advantage of and readily navigate the wellness resources available to them.
Outside of work, Kia’s hobbies include drawing, kickboxing, and cooking for her family and friends.
Action Network Live! gets personal with experts who know families, children, and tech. For practitioners, educators, and professionals, here is an hour for you to glean insights and real solutions for the families and children you serve. For parents, you’ll never get to read all the books. So tune in to get the best tips and tools from Action Network director Jean Rogers in conversation with renowned screen time experts.
Recordings and certificates of attendance are available for all of our events.
Raise your voice! How to get manipulative edtech out of your child’s school
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2023 4:00 PM ET | 1:00 PM PT
Last school year, Action Network member, Kailan Carr, was able to get the gamified math app, Prodigy, out of her children’s school. As an observant parent and former teacher, she saw that the app had very little math and lots of manipulative, non-educational game play– and knew there were better ways to get kids excited about math. Join us for our free Action Network Live! event on October 26 to get the full story and learn how you can raise your concerns and make change in your school, too! With guest Rachel Franz, Fairplay’s Education Manager, we will highlight what to look out for in popular education technology, how to approach teachers and other parents without judgment, and how to ask the right questions to ultimately inspire responsible tech use in your child’s school!
Register Here!
About Our Guests
Kailan’s mission is to prioritize playtime for kids living in this digital world! She is a mom of two and a former teacher with a masters in Literacy. She founded Quiet Book Queen & Crafts in Between to help parents and grandparents provide screen-free activities through her quiet book templates, page kits, and printable activities. She’s also an author of 5 books and a speaker advocating for more play! Find out more at www.kailancarr.com.
With special guest, Rachel Franz (she/her), who serves as Fairplay’s Education Manager. Rachel led Fairplay’s investigation into Prodigy’s math game, highlighting grotesque manipulative practices used to pressure kids into buying an expensive membership. Her report led to a complaint to the FTC in 2021 that was featured by NBC News and has inspired many schools across the globe to ban Prodigy from their schools.
89 South St. Ste. 403
Boston, MA 02111
(617) 896-9368
info@screentimenetwork.org
Fairplay is the home of the Children’s Screen Time Action Network. To learn more, watch this short video.
© 2023, Fairplay. All Rights Reserved.
- Log Off empowers young people to rethink and rebuild their relationship with social media.
- NextGen Connect is a youth-led, intergenerational think tank that provides youth with a runway for their ideas, energies, and endeavors, so that they can effectively educate and advocate for tech accountability. Their program is grounded in the belief that youth have a vision for responsible technology, and we offer them the resources they need to succeed as well as the respect and freedom to execute their projects and make real changes.
Ivy Barrow
15 October 2023
Reference Sources:-
logoffmovement.org/about
logoffmovement.org/think-tank
logoffmovement.org/resources
logoffmovement.org/community
logoffmovement.org/campaigns
https://screentimenetwork.org/next-gen
https://screentimenetwork.org/work-groups
https://screentimenetwork.org/resource-library