Abandoned but Not Forgotten: Providing Access While Protecting Foster Youth from Online Risks

Teens in the foster care system often have histories that involve severe trauma, such as physical and sexual abuse, substance use, incarceration, and early pregnancy. While studies have investigated foster teens' engagement with high-risk behaviors offline, there is a dearth of information regarding foster teens and their engagement in online activities that may facilitate increased risk behaviors. Moreover, the extent to which technology acts as a positive versus negative influence on foster youth is unclear. We synthesize the current literature on foster youth and online safety to illustrate: 1) the tensions between providing access to networked technologies versus keeping foster youth safe from risks, 2) the lack of empirical research or technology-based interventions to ensure the online safety of foster youth, and 3) the importance of pursuing future research to design solutions that can alleviate some of these tensions. Our goal is to inform researchers, designers, and educators on the importance of keeping in mind the needs of particularly vulnerable populations, such as teens within the foster care system, when designing interactive systems.