A Social Ecological Approach to Empowering Foster Youth to be Safer Online

Foster teens are some of the most vulnerable youth who are subject to serious online risks, such as sex trafficking. My 2017 IDC literature review paper highlighted the need to develop effective sociotechnical interventions to empower foster youth against becoming victims of sexual predation. To fill this gap, my dissertation is comprised of three studies that will investigate: 1) how foster parents mediate their teens? technology use in the home, 2) how foster youth experience sexual risks online, and 3) working with foster youth to co-design effective socio-technical interventions that can protect them from these online risks. My goal for this research is to understand, design, and develop sociotechnical systems that can help promote more teen-centric approaches to online safety and reduce the digital inequalities experienced by teens in foster care.