Avoiding Dark Side of Mental Health Apps
#NEWSLETTER | Today I joined the NYCLU and the Parent Coalition for Student Privacy to ask New York City officials to rethink their partnership with Talkspace... here is why...
**Update** Media coverage of our efforts to raise awareness for flaws in NYC partnership with Talkspace:
Data privacy advocates raise alarm over NYC’s free teen teletherapy program, Chalkbeat, Sept 10, 2024
Data Privacy Advocates Raise Alarm Over NYC’s Free Teen Teletherapy Program, The74, Sept 12, 2024
Privacy advocates are concerned by NYC’s online teen counseling service, StateScoop, Sept 11, 2024
$26M Talkspace contract with NYC stirs student data privacy concerns, K-12 Drive, Sept 16, 2024
Last November, New York City announced that all teenagers ages 13-17 would be eligible to receive free mental telehealth services from Talkspace.
Branded as “Teenspace,” the partnership’s announcement was largely lauded for its focus on teens and mental health.
But… Talkspace had been criticized publicly and widely in the past for its invasive marketing tactics and other data privacy issues. Had these issues been considered? Resolved?
Or were the same tactics going to be used on our kids? Well, the answer was yes, and I wrote about it frequently over the past eight months. For example, here and below here ⤵️
But more needed to be done. So today I joined forces with the NYCLU and Parent Coalition for Student Privacy and delivered a letter to City Hall. Please read and let me know your thoughts. Even if you don’t use Talkspace and/or aren’t in NYC, it’s an important study in how not to lose sight of privacy just because a service addresses an important issue.
Hopefully this will get the ball rolling so the practice stops. Stay tuned…
Hot off the Podcast Presses
Speaking about kids and data, I’m so excited to share that I was a guest on What the Hack with Adam Levin recently and the new episode dropped today!
What the Hack with Adam Levin is an award-winning weekly true cyber crime podcast that is equal parts compelling stories and super helpful tips & tricks.
I can't tell you how much I enjoyed talk to Adam, Beau Friedlander and Travis Taylor. We spoke about kids, schools, data and privacy. Please have a listen and spread the word.
Back-to-School
Finally, for my paid subscribers, there is a new section of the site with the information you need to navigate AI during the 2024-25 school year. Look forward to sharing information, policy updates from around the country and tips for using AI in the classroom on an on-going basis.
