A THIN LINE can be used as a talking tool to open up a conversation on digital abuse, test awareness, and help encourage action on the issue at home or in school. We’ve provided a few tips on how our site can help.

Start a Conversation

Many parts of the A THIN LINE website lend themselves to conversation and debate. In particular, we suggest the following:

• The Get the Facts section of the A THIN LINE website provides information on digital abuse, including topics like sexting, digital disrespect, and constant messaging.
• The Over the Line? application engages young people on digital ethics, and asks them to consider the line between innocent and inappropriate digital behaviors. We suggest that you go through the stories with the young person in your life and ask them if they think the behavior exhibited is over, on, or under the line.
• Watching our public service announcements and programming can be a great way to start a discussion on the issues featured in each.
  • For cyberbullying, we recommend “Tattoo” and “If You Really Knew Me.”
  • For sexting, we suggest “Public Nudity” and the MTV News special “Sexting in America: When Privates Go Public.”
  • For digital discrimination, we recommend “Digital Prejudice” and “Library.”
  • For digital dating abuse, we suggest “It Is Private” and “Sneaking Peeks.”
  • For the role of bystanders, we suggest “Absolutely Everyone” and “Library.”
  • For others, visit the videos hub on the A THIN LINE website.

Assess Their Digital Know-how

The Digital Abuse Interactive Quiz, hosted by youth-friendly celebrities Michelle Trachtenberg and Asher Roth, tests young people’s awareness of digital abuse in their own lives and connects them to sections of campaign website that are most relevant for them.

Encourage Action

Encourage the young people you know to take positive action to counter digital abuse.

• Have them interact with Draw Your Line, an online visualization that celebrates all the ways young people are taking action to stop the spread of digital abuse.
• Show them ways to take control and connect to resources in the Take Control section of the website.

Additional Resources

Looking for even more ways to help the young people in your family or classroom take control of their digital lives? The below resources from A THIN LINE’s partners can help you figure out the best ways to address the subject and support the development of good digital citizens.

A Platform for Good provides resources for parents and educators to help teens connect, share, and do good online. 

Break the Cycle has resources to help parents talk to their children about abusive relationships and, if necessary, help their child get out of an abusive relationship. They also provide resources for educators on developing a dating violence policy for their schools, training school personnel, and educating students on the issue.

Common Sense Media provides advice for parents and a number of tip sheets on digital citizenship, featuring topics like sexting, cyberbullying, and illegal downloading. For educators, they also have information on their digital literacy curriculum.

Connect Safely has tips and advice for parents and educators on everything from Facebook and location-based services to sexting and cyberbullying.

iKeepSafe has a Parent Resource Center that includes videos, tutorials, lessons, and more on how to keep your child safe online. They also provide information and resources for educators.

Love is Not Abuse has information on warning signs of dating abuse and what parents should be looking for. They also have a curriculum and online training for educators.

loveisrespect.org also provides information on warning signs of dating abuse, as well as their National Dating Abuse Helpline.

The Trevor Project has resources for educators and parents on LGBTQ suicide prevention, including local resources, a survival kit, and a “lifeguard” workshop.

WiredSafety provides information for educators and parents on online safety, privacy and security.