For Parents

Stephen Balkam is the Founder & CEO of the Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI), an international, nonprofit organization headquartered in Washington, DC. FOSI’s mission is to make the online world safer for kids and their families. FOSI convenes the top thinkers and practitioners in government, industry, and the nonprofit sectors to collaborate and innovate and to create a “culture of responsibility” in the online world. 

Carmel Glassbrook manages the Professionals Online Safety Helpline (POSH) in the UK as part of the UK Safer Internet Centre. The helpline offers unique support to members of the children’s workforce in the UK dealing with online safeguarding issues. Carmel has worked on the helpline since 2014, supporting hundreds, if not thousands of professionals across the UK. In addition to her work on the helpline, Carmel has written for and contributed to many recognized charities and organizations in the UK, such as Ditch the Label, Internet Matters, VICE, and the BBC. She has also spoken in parliament as part of the Dare2Care campaign launched by Sarah Champion MP.

Karl Hopwood is an independent online safety expert who works in schools across Europe with children, young people, parents, and teachers to develop safer online behaviors and the promotion of digital literacy. He is a member of UKCIS (UK Council for Internet Safety) and sits on the evidence and education groups as well as on the advisory board for the UK Safer Internet Centre. For the past 12 years, Karl has worked as an in-house consultant for INSAFE where he is responsible for the coordination of safer internet helplines across Europe. Karl is the Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Marie Collins Foundation and is also a trustee of Childnet International.

Larry Magid, Ed.D. is the CEO and co-founder of ConnectSafely.org, a Silicon Valley, California-based nonprofit organization dedicated to educating users of connected technology about safety, privacy, and security. A syndicated columnist and radio commentator for over two decades, Magid is a leading expert on internet safety and technology. He also founded two popular internet safety sites, SafeKids.com and SafeTeens.com and is the author of several parents and educators guides for ConnectSafely.

Dr. Rich is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School and Social and Behavioral Sciences at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. He practices Adolescent Medicine at Boston Children’s Hospital. Dr. Rich is also the Founding Director of the first evidence-based medical program addressing physical, mental, and social health issues associated with digital technology, the Clinic for Interactive Media and Internet Disorders (CIMAID). As The Mediatrician®, Dr. Rich offers research-based, balanced, and practical answers to parents’, teachers’, and clinicians’ questions about children’s media use and the positive and negative implications for their health and development. 

Shai Samet is the Founder and President of the kidSAFE Seal Program, a global independent safety certification service and seal-of-approval program designed exclusively for children-friendly websites and technologies. Many well-known brands around the world are members of the program. An experienced and award-winning privacy consultant and father of five, Samet is a frequent speaker on topics related to online privacy and safety, social networking, virtual gaming (AR/VR), targeted advertising, Internet-connected toys, and many other cutting-edge digital safety issues.

Elisabeth Secker joined the Entertainment Software Self-Regulation Body (USK) as Managing Director in January 2018. Due to her prior function as Deputy Head of the Division Protection of Minors at the joint management office of the German media authorities in Berlin, she gained extensive experience in the field of Youth Protection of minors in the media. Before her position at the German media authorities, she worked as Public Affairs Consultant for leading IT-companies in Berlin after finishing her studies in Communication Sciences at the University of Salzburg.