UNPLUGGED

A simple noise…a ding, a swoosh, a chime, a ringtone or the pulse of airdrop causes a reaction that immediately disconnects us from the real life moment we are experiencing. In a split second, we decided to diverted from all sensory in order to check a status or dig deeper into another person’s life.

We laugh roughly 15 times a day and we check our smartphones 10 times more than that. (Source: Internet Trends, Kleiner Perkins)

It’s time we learn to UNPLUG and pass that power on to today’s youth. Who’s in with me?

I am one of 20 girls who won the 2019 VS PINK GRL PWR PROJECT . My project is to continue and power up my GIRL TALK Curriculum and GIRL POWER Corporate Camps. My mission: To empower girls to be confident and cyber smart as they face the tough pressures of today’s media driven society. After the excitement of receiving the news from VS PINK, they invited all the winners to their first ever PINK GRL PWR UNPLUGGED retreat in Sedona, Arizona. Part of the deal – turn in your cellphones for an entire weekend. Was I up for the challenge? YES, Please!

Meeting my fellow GRL PWR PROJECT winners was amazing! The food was delicious. The landscape was breathtaking and the conversations were REAL and without disruption. I found myself totally immersing myself into REAL life and the in-the-moment experiences were indescribable. My eyes and mind took in every sensory and those memories are now crisply etched and saved like no photo could ever replicate.

When I was 18 years old I gave a TEDx Talk titled: #TextMe – The Elimination of Human Interaction. Today, I feel even more empowered to do my part to shape the lives of youth by being an example of the importance of face-to-face interactions. Technology has changed our lives. Shopping with 1 click, Groceries delivered with 1 click, weather updates with 1 click, travel directions with 1 click. Technology saves us time in our busy daily lives. All the time we saved can now be used to spend even more time having those face-to-face conversations and taking in all the sensory life has to offer. The evenings spent in Arizona were amazing…I found myself looking up to the stars. Thank you VS PINK for inspiring me to push forward and use technology and social media for good. In the meantime, you can find me empowering girls and creating even more REAL conversations with those important to me in my life.

Lauren ~

SOCIAL MEDIA - OH, HOW I LOVE YOU!!

The internet and social media have changed the way sex traffickers operate. I know what you’re thinking. “It would never happen to me, I’m really careful.” Abusers will often target children who've expressed vulnerability online, mainly through sharing thoughts and feelings in social media posts and livestreams, which many children are likely to be doing, especially during lockdowns. Think about this for a second. What’s stopping a predator from using photos of a young girl your age to create a fake profile and try to connect with all of the students at a local school? And, since girls tend to post about everything going on in their lives, predators search/wait for the perfect opportunity to befriend and groom girls online. Girls tend to reveal more about themselves, their locations, how they are feeling, and who they are with on a regular basis. Yes, it’s that easy! Girls fall victim to fake profiles lurking in their personal business more often than you might think.

Every post, comment, like and follow affects your communication with others online. By sharing personal information, consider social media posts as an advertisement for anyone to see. Your digital footprint can put your job or college application in the trash faster than you can text your BFF. Today, you might not be worried about college or job acceptance and depending on your age, this may seem a little dramatic and futuristic, but know that everything you put online is there to stay. Do overs don’t count, HOWEVER you can stay safe & maintain a positive online footprint with a few easy habits.

1. The popular trend to list your school, sports, hobbies, BFF’s, neighborhood and grade level in your Instagram bio are exactly what predators are looking for. Think about it…that’s a LOT of info to give to the world. Let’s end the lost list bios and keep your private info just for your BFF’s eyes only. Changing your Insta bio might not be a popular choice, but you could help create a new trend of short bios without personal information. That would be pretty awesome. Go ahead, try it!

2. In settings, ensure you’ve checked New Follow Requests to be accepted only with permission. Only accept followers you personally know. If you haven’t met them in person, click DENY. I do this all the time…it’s not lame, it’s smart!

3. Do not participate or ask to be rated.  You don’t need to be rated, you’re already awesome. Confident girls who know their self-worth never need anyone else to validate who they are. Ratings are just another way to spread hate, bullying and drama. Who needs the extra stress? Just be kind when you comment on friends pics as you support each other online and most importantly, offline and in person.

4. Turn off geo-tagging and never share locations when you post!  Scenario: You’re out with your friends and you stop at Starbucks and decide to post a pic. I know it might be hard but wait until you get home to share the epic pics, but adopting this habit keeps predators from determining your location. Predators are masters at locating girls based on their location because they felt the need to post that “in the moment” pic.

In case you didn’t know, Human Trafficking is on the rise. My younger self had no idea just how dangerous and vulnerable we as girls are while we are online. Unfortunately, I have experienced being approached by an online predator with the intent to traffic. The police were involved and my ordeal has inspired me to educate and empower girls to be safe online. I was lucky and did not become a victim. With this in mind, I decided to take my mentorship to young girls and extend it beyond my normal GIRL TALK empowerment.

We all love social media, but don’t allow it to consume you! The best way to share those lasting moments are to really be in the moment as we create lasting memories with our friends. Remember, those last way longer than the 1.5 seconds others spend peeking at your post as they scroll through their feed!

#BeThatGirl who is Confident & Cyber Smart! XOXO Lauren

THE NEW MEANING OF POPULAR!

Seeing beyond the girls who always seem to receive attention 24/7 for being pretty and liked by the boys isn't always easy. I wasn't a popular girl in school, in fact I spent a fair amount of time observing the "popular" girls and couldn't help but realize there were two different categories when defining popularity. There were the girls who lost their self-worth, morals and values and made risky choices because they placed great focus on being liked by boys and looking perfect. Then there were the girls who were really kind and smart and genuine. The latter group wasn't talked about so much, but that was the group I chose to associate myself with.

I'm glad I did because today I am still drawn to the same type of girls. They are driven, smart, loyal and most of all, this type of girl empowers another girl, making us stronger and united. I vividly remember being in middle school and high school. Your world is made up of schoolwork, teachers, family, hobbies and the dreaded daily drama and judgement girls place on each other. It is also world of good friends, a curiosity for learning and great teachers who become mentors. Spend your time spreading kindness and making good grades.

Stay connected with your family and make only those who hold the same values as you a priority. It's not easy navigating the idea of wanting to be popular. As you scroll through Instagram and Facebook, remember that those girls you are striving to emulate are only showing you their "highlight reel". You have the power to change what being popular means. Empower each other instead of tearing each other down. I feel like my friends and I were very popular...after all it's a matter of opinion right? XOXO Lauren