YouTube Video
Youth Digital Immersion: Cyber Readiness Builds Mental Health Resilience
Vivek Chaudhuri, SafeTeensOnline Global Head of Partnerships
Seventy percent of youth report negative online experiences annually, yet most interventions still rely on restriction, approaches that fail to reflect how young people actually navigate digital environments.
Drawing on a systematic review of 52+ studies and survey data from 1,869 students across four countries, I developed a Youth Mental Health Risk Assessment Framework mapping how usage patterns, individual characteristics, and environmental context shape online harm—and how awareness functions as a measurable protective factor.
Effective intervention means meeting youth where they are. Approaches that match how young people actually learn, gamification chief among them, are central to translating research into practice.
New developments include a prototype ML model identifying structured risk signals and connections with a gamified cybersecurity learning system built by HackerRangers for school deployment.
Ultimately, individualized digital readiness coupled with innovative learning approaches empowers youth to be capable digital citizens.
View the full USENIX Security '26 program at https://www.usenix.org/conference/usenixsecurity26/technical-sessions
Vivek Chaudhuri, SafeTeensOnline Global Head of Partnerships
Seventy percent of youth report negative online experiences annually, yet most interventions still rely on restriction, approaches that fail to reflect how young people actually navigate digital environments.
Drawing on a systematic review of 52+ studies and survey data from 1,869 students across four countries, I developed a Youth Mental Health Risk Assessment Framework mapping how usage patterns, individual characteristics, and environmental context shape online harm—and how awareness functions as a measurable protective factor.
Effective intervention means meeting youth where they are. Approaches that match how young people actually learn, gamification chief among them, are central to translating research into practice.
New developments include a prototype ML model identifying structured risk signals and connections with a gamified cybersecurity learning system built by HackerRangers for school deployment.
Ultimately, individualized digital readiness coupled with innovative learning approaches empowers youth to be capable digital citizens.
View the full USENIX Security '26 program at https://www.usenix.org/conference/usenixsecurity26/technical-sessions
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