Cyber Safety in the News
Cyberbullying In Tennessee Now Comes with A New Penalty for Teens: Losing Driving Privileges
ABC News, July 1, 2025
Tennessee just enacted a new law allowing juvenile courts to suspend the driver’s license of minors convicted of bullying or cyberbullying for up to one year. The legislation passed with strong bipartisan support (85–10 in the House, 26–0 in the Senate), emphasizing that revoking driving privileges sends a clear message to deter harmful behavior. First-time offenders can still apply for a restricted license, which permits driving only for essential purposes such as traveling to and from school, work, or church. To qualify, the teen must apply within ten days of the court ruling, pay a $20 application fee, meet age requirements, pass driving tests, and secure judicial approval specifying permitted times and locations. These restrictions explicitly bar driving to social gatherings and extracurricular events.
Advocates praise the law’s symbolic and practical impact but caution against relying on punishment alone. Scott Payne, of Contact Care Line in Knoxville, welcomed the move but stressed that bullies often arise from environmental factors, not inborn malicious intent; he urged lawmakers to couple legal penalties with mental health support and counseling initiatives. Other advocates stated the need for deeper engagement, saying support systems for students who bully or cyberbully should be part of all solutions going forward.
Study Finds Smartphone Bans in Dutch Schools Improved Focus
Reuters, July 4, 2025
A Dutch government‑commissioned study released in July 2025 found that the nationwide ban on mobile phones and similar electronic devices, beginning January 2024, has led to positive outcomes in secondary education. Among the 317 high schools surveyed, about 75% reported improved student concentration, two-thirds observed a more positive social climate, and approximately one-third noted better academic performance. State Secretary Marielle Paul praised the results, highlighting reduced distractions, increased lesson focus, and greater social engagement in classrooms.
While the ban also applies to primary schools, its impact there was limited, since most younger children do not yet bring smartphones to school. Most schools still allow medical‑related exceptions (for example, devices connected to hearing aids). The survey’s scope underscores broad early support for the measure despite initial resistance from some stakeholders, like parents and students. We see similar phone ban or reduced smartphone policies in schools across the United States as well.
Children Limiting Own Smartphone Use to Manage Mental Health, Survey Finds
The Guardian, July 10, 2025
Children aged 12 to 15 years old are increasingly choosing to step away from their smartphones, computers, and tablets on their own initiative to better manage their mental health, personal safety, and attention spans. A recent survey covering 20,000 young people and their parents across eighteen countries shows that 40% of children in this age group now take intentional breaks from digital devices, which is an 18% increase from 2022.
Young people are internalizing messages about screen harm and exploring strategies like pausing social media, turning off notifications, deleting certain apps, and in some cases quitting platforms entirely to protect their well‑being without fully abandoning digital life. Activists such as Daisy Greenwell, co‑founder of Smartphone Free Childhood, view these choices as a quiet form of rebellion—teenagers are rejecting the attention‑driven design of apps that profit from their time and self‑esteem being monetized.
The survey also reveals a generational shift: many young adults and teens today expressed they would delay smartphone access for their own children, seeing their own early unrestricted exposure as a mistake. Reports indicate that concerns over social media addiction now rank alongside global issues like climate change and housing costs among parental fears. Many younger users are voluntarily adopting digital curfews, app deletion, or self‑imposed limits as part of managing their mental health proactively. The education we provide to students and parents outlines why digital mindfulness is so important.
CNN, July 16, 2025
A new study conducted by Common Sense Media reveals that a staggering 72% of U.S. teens (ages 13–17) have tried AI companion chatbots like Character.AI or Replika, with around 52% using them regularly, some even daily or weekly. While teens turn to these companions for entertainment, curiosity, and advice, especially during a personal crisis, the research highlights a critical issue: adolescence is a pivotal time for social and emotional development, and kids might be turning to AI instead of real people such as friends, family, or professionals when they’re in need.
Experts caution that AI companions are lacking in real empathy. They prioritize pleasing the user rather than modeling healthy friction or challenge which are key components of interpersonal growth. As Michael Robb, lead researcher at Common Sense Media, notes, such bots do not teach kids to interpret body language or manage difficult conversations, leaving them unprepared for real‑world social dynamics. While AI may offer immediate relief from loneliness, overreliance can reduce meaningful human interactions and heighten long‑term isolation.
Privacy and safety concerns are also significant. About 24% of teens admitted to sharing personal struggles with AI companions, often unaware that this data is stored by companies and may be used indefinitely. Teens might also face exposure to inappropriate content, receive misguided advice, or develop unhealthy emotional bonds. We often encourage parents to engage in open conversations, set usage boundaries, and emphasize the importance of seeking real-world support when needed.
A.I.-Driven Education: Founded in Texas and Coming to a School Near You
New York Times, July 27
This article highlights Alpha School, launched in Austin, Texas, which offers a streamlined academic day: just two hours of core subject learning guided by AI tutors, tailored to each student’s pace and interests. The rest of the school day is devoted to project‑based learning and life skills—public speaking, entrepreneurship, wilderness training, and teamwork activities like building a food truck. Alpha currently enrolls approximately two hundred elementary/middle school students and fifty high schoolers across two campuses and plans to expand to over a dozen cities this fall, including New York City and Orlando.
Supporters argue that this school model accelerates personalized learning and liberates students from traditional lecture‑based schooling, framing education as a creative and adaptive process. Co‑founder MacKenzie Price describes classrooms as “the next global battlefield,” insisting that this future is not years off, it is already unfolding. Critics from the American Federation of Teachers, counter that replacing human educators with AI risks undermining critical thinking, social development, and human relationships that are core to education. They warn that schools must strike a balance between technological innovation and the essential interpersonal elements of learning.
