The digital world is here and parents, teachers and kids need to know how to use technology properly so that it becomes a positive tool rather than a distraction. That is Utah-based nonprofit Digital Citizenship Foundation’s mission, to create responsible digital citizens through education.

“We take a holistic look at the internet,” said Carrie Rogers-Whitehead, DCF Board Chair and Founder. “From digital clicks to ethics and how that makes you feel.” 

The program is meant to supplement what’s going on in school and with parents too, she said. “We address eight different classes and each one has a specific topic. There are activities and small groups, etc. We go by the three Ms, Model, Monitor and Manage. The Foundation offers free resources and support for parents.”

Rogers-Whitehead said her background was as a librarian. “I love teens. I would see them in the library and thought there was a gap in knowledge about how to use tech responsibly. I decided to start a for-profit business and the classes grew and grew.”

Tech touches so many areas like mental health, she said. “I decided a nonprofit would be a better way to deliver services in the state.”

This is based on years and years of work, said Rogers-Whitehead. “There is always a lot to learn because technology is always changing. We’re in the trenches.”

The Digital Citizenship Foundation, in consultation with North Carolina State University's William & Ida Friday Institute for Educational Innovation (Friday Institute), was recently awarded a $200,000 Institutes for K-12 Educators grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), a release said. 

The grant will fund “From Abacus to Algorithms: Preparing Students in a Digital Age,” a comprehensive three-week professional development institute combining one week of in-person training at the Friday Institute with two weeks of virtual programming. The institute will take place in summer 2026, according to the release.

“It focuses on teachers, parents, families and kids,” said Rogers-Whitehead. “There will be back and forth discussion.”

 Rogers-Whitehead said she could talk about all of the dangers of the internet. “But that won’t help us as parents. We have to be kind of flexible. Maybe we’ll jump to phones as being the problem but it can be a different cause.”

There are strategies at different ages, she said. “We need to be collaborative and not turn it into a combative thing.”

Look for the red flags, said Rogers-Whitehead. “You need to see what else might be going on. Could it be something at school or with a friend? Look beyond the tech and figure out what’s going on.”

Tech is not going away, she said. “We’d love to partner and share. We’re here to support this great state.”

For more information about the Digital Citizenship Foundation visit https://digitalcitizenshipfoundation.org/.