Aura Announces Digital Parenthood Initiative

Collaboration with Common Sense Media, Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop, Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence and others, will spark essential dialogues about healthy online behaviors

NEW YORK, May 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Aura, the all-in-one online safety solution for individuals and families, today announced its Digital Parenthood initiative, inclusive of an inaugural Summit, the launch of a free digital community and study with insights into how families today are interacting with technology. Aura will extend the conversation around Digital Parenthood by sponsoring a Parent Town Hall with NBC News. The initiative is designed to give parents the tools they need to support their kids' healthy use of technology.

Technology usage is clearly having an impact on our children's health and well-being.  The signs of the health impact on our kids can be seen in the increase of reported sleep deprivation and reduced physical activity, as well as even more troubling trends like the prevalence of cyberbullying on social media and gaming, the rise of online predators and increasing signs of youth mental health issues.  All of these trends highlight the urgent need for improved tools to support parents as they help their children foster healthy online behaviors. Through the Digital Parenthood initiative, Aura is convening the brightest minds in research, medicine, child psychology, education and advocacy for the youth experience online to jumpstart a national conversation around healthy online behaviors and to give parents the tools they need to to raise kids who can confidently and safely navigate the online world.

Inaugural partners of the coalition include the American Academy of Pediatrics, Common Sense Media, Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop, Walton Family Foundation, Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, among others. Together, these organizations will help ensure the Summit and ongoing programming meet the needs of families and help Aura to bring these important kitchen table conversations on technology into a public dialogue.

"Aura's mission has always been to make the internet safe for every family and we believe that the Digital Parenthood initiative represents the next phase of critical protection," said Hari Ravichandran, Aura's Founder and CEO. "The time is now to examine the content consumed, discuss the social pressures kids face today and to support parents as they navigate this exceedingly complex risk with their children."

On June 4, the company will launch a series of events and initiatives, including:

Aura's Digital Parenthood Summit on Raising a Connected Generation
The Summit, which will be held at The Times Center in New York City, will enable audiences to hear from today's authoritative voices on parenting, social media use, and adolescent wellbeing, including Dr. Becky Kennedy, #1 New York Times best-selling author, clinical psychologist and co-founder and CEO of Good Inside, Dr. Marc Brackett,  founding director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, and Dr. Lisa Damour, New York Times best-selling author and clinical psychologist, in conversation with journalist Reena Ninan, with more speakers to be announced.

Through fireside chats, roundtables, workshops, and presentations, parents will hear from kids, celebrities, and experts, and will walk away with valuable advice on navigating today's toughest topics, such as cyberbullying, social pressures, and other technology-based risks.  Session recordings will be made available on Aura's YouTube channel in June for all to watch and learn from.

Aura's Digital Parenthood Community
To further nurture meaningful conversations, Aura will introduce its Digital Parenthood Community: a free online forum providing access for parents to connect with peers and experts as they navigate safety-related issues tied to the use of technology. The Community will feature resources and encourage conversation from third-party experts like Boston Children's Hospital to provide a virtual parent support group, introducing additional features in the year ahead.

"After twenty years of studying what helps young people thrive in a digital world, Common Sense Media remains firm that open communication between parents, children, and their surrounding communities is critical," said Jill Murphy, Chief Content Officer at Common Sense Media. "We support Aura for creating a safe space for these discussions and for building awareness on these important issues facing kids–and families."

Aura's Report on Parenting in a Digital Age 
In a 2024 report, Aura insights around adolescent behaviors, coupled with findings from a National survey launched in partnership with Gallup, will reveal the state of how parents are engaging with the digital landscape today to inform healthier online behaviors to empower and support families.

To mark the launch of the Digital Parenthood initiative and open the national dialogue on the subject, Aura will sponsor an NBC News Town Hall.

NBC News' Town Hall: "Digital Parenting: Raising the A.I. Generation" 
Streaming for free on NBC News NOW on June 4 at 9:00pm ET, Aura will sponsor a special NBC News town hall featuring conversations around Digital Parenthood. Real parents will come together to discuss parenting, technology usage, and family well-being with experts and community leaders. The Town Hall will be anchored by NBC News' Kate Snow and Savannah Sellers.

For more information on Aura's Digital Parenthood initiative, please reach out to [email protected].

ABOUT AURA
Aura is one of the fastest growing online safety solutions for individuals and families. Whether you're protecting yourself, your kids, or your aging loved ones, Aura can meet your needs at every stage of life. Customers trust Aura's simple interface to effortlessly safeguard the things they care about most. Through real-time monitoring and alerts, Aura helps detect and mitigate emerging online threats, such as scams, predators and cyberbullying. To discover how Aura is reshaping online safety for people everywhere, visit www.aura.com.

AURA'S DIGITAL PARENTHOOD INITIATIVE
The Digital Parenthood Initiative is Aura's public commitment to starting a national conversation around healthy online behaviors for families. The time is now to examine the content consumed, discuss the social pressures kids face today, and give parents the tools they need to raise kids who can confidently and safely navigate the online world. This Summit, Community, and National survey are just the beginning.

SOURCE Aura