Executive Summary

The online world provides information and connection in every realm of our society, from our business and politics to the education of our children and the ways that they communicate and share with each other. Yet it is also a realm of manipulation and threat that has exponentially grown in recent years. False and misleading claims and conspiracy theories have gone viral, threatening not just our democracy, but even public health. At the same time, the very ways that the online world works can present new challenges for a student just trying to find reliable information for school research or make plans for the weekend.

In facing this new world, new skills are needed. We call them cyber citizenship skills. They grow from the intersection of critical thinking that comes from media literacy, the positive sense of ethics and responsibility in digital citizenship and civics, and the cybersecurity field’s awareness of deliberate online threats and tactics that are used to target us all. They are skills to navigate an increasingly online world safely and effectively, including against the potential for manipulation at the individual and social level.

The following paper lays out the key concepts and case for building greater resilience to online threats by equipping our teachers and students with the tools and skills they desperately need. We begin with an exploration of the history of various terms and explains the cross of key concepts that cyber citizenship encompasses. By providing a framework for the intersecting components of cyber citizenship, we operationalize the term to align with the important role of coalition-building. We then focus on the state of the field and the efficacy of such programming. Descriptive synopses of several programs are provided along with measurable outcomes and findings from impact studies. We examine the challenges of implementing such programs in schools in the United States, which is not just a matter of resources, but also structure and approach. We also examine of the state of the field in terms of the new tools and sites developed for educators. We delve into the ways in which educators are also using new forms of technology for instruction and highlights the challenges with locating reliable tools. A solution for these challenges is presented next, via an online resource that will build a community for educators to gather, easily access, and rate instructional materials for their effectiveness in their classroom contexts. We then offer a series of recommendations for policymakers and philanthropies alike. And we conclude with a vision of what success might look like, a world in which our children and society are equipped to succeed in 21st century life and defeat the challenges of online threats.