When our son asked for his own smartphone I, like many parents, suddenly felt a digital invasion into our family life. Will the (far too expensive) device expose him to the worst ills of society by the back door, before his time?? Will the glowing rectangle zombify his brain? Is Fortnite safe? Is Snapchat good? Parenting in the digital age is not easy.

The demands of the technology take family struggles to a different level. Whilst my journey was one of trial and error, I wished I had a tool that would help me to navigate the ever growing media environment. Instead of pop-science and arm-chair psychology, I needed a compass, a system simple and reliable enough to work for all upcoming trends and fads.

During the MA in Media and Communication I decided to combine the academic knowledge and my vast experience of working with children to conduct a study. The focus of the study was the role of social media in teenage friendships. The results were thought-provoking and called to change our focus in teaching and parenting.

As Media specialist and a parent, I believe that the ability to think critically is the key to build digital resilience. Based on academic research I have developed a unique program directed at fostering the new generation to be not just tech-savvy, but responsible and happy digital citizens.

DigiScope was developed out of a passion and commitment to help young people, their educators and their families make wise and informed choices around technology. Based in Southwest London, I provide workshops for children, parents and teachers around the hottest topics in the digital world.

Iris Urazov MA