The Lahainaluna High School Parent Teacher Student Association will receive a grant from the social media company TikTok and the National PTA to promote digital safety for teens.
TikTok awarded over $300,000 to 100 local PTAs at high schools across the country. The grant will help Lahainaluna implement the Create with Kindness Program. It aims to encourage conversations between keiki and their families about digital literacy and safety online.
The program offers panel discussions, interactive role-playing for real-life scenarios and a deep dive into TikTok’s resources for online safety.
Eric Ebenstein, TikTok’s senior director of public policy, said it’s up to Lahainaluna High to use the money.
"These programs are fantastic opportunities for the community to come together, usually in the high school, where parents, teachers, the teens themselves get to meet and discuss a number of different things," he said. "There's breakout programs, there are panel discussions, so teens can be really honest about how they use TikTok, or really any platform, and what's helpful and what they want their parents and the caregivers in their lives to know about. We think listening to the experiences of teens and parents is a critical step in building a safe platform for families."
The funding will also help remove barriers for Lahainaluna’s PTSA, such as child care and translation services.
