Seton Hall Law’s Institute for Privacy Protection Develops Outreach Program for Elementary and Middle Schools

The new Institute for Privacy Protection at Seton Hall Law School recently launched an innovative outreach program and curriculum that partners with parents and educational leaders to raise awareness about personal privacy and social media.  The Institute’s curriculum focuses on elementary and middle school children in New Jersey and New York and highlights topics such as reputational impact, advertisements and content choice, with a focus on balancing time spent on screens and time spent offline. The Curriculum was designed by the Privacy Institute’s faculty and is taught by the Institute’s law student fellows.

“We teach students about privacy at the age at which they receive their first cell phone,” explains Professor Gaia Bernstein, Director for the Institute for Privacy Protection. “The students learn how to manage their reputations online and how to maintain a healthy online-offline balance. Our program is unique in reaching students and parents, seeking to educate both about the risks of privacy mismanagement and technology over-use and to foster trust as parent-child relationships are increasingly affected by technology.” 

According to Najarian Peters, Assistant Professor and Faculty Fellow for the Institute, “Behavior is the toughest element to change in our daily lives; however, making a positive impact on behavior is key to creating a healthy relationship with technology. Fundamentally, the curriculum will help children make good choices online.” 

“The lessons developed by the Institute of Privacy Protection engage our students,” explains Namita Tolia, Head of School at Montclair Cooperative School, where Seton Hall Law Fellows teach the outreach program. “It is active, effective learning with exercises. We are thrilled to have Seton Hall Law teaching our fifth graders and beginning a conversation that will continue during their middle school years.”  

The curriculum will expand into New York in February 2018. By the end of the project’s first academic year, the Institute’s student fellows will have taught ten 5^th and 6^th grade classes in New Jersey along with several more in New York. 

About Seton Hall University School of Law

Founded in 1951 and located in Newark, Seton Hall University School of Law is New Jersey’s only private law school and a leading Catholic law school in the New York metropolitan area. Seton Hall Law is dedicated to preparing students for the practice of law through excellence in scholarship and teaching, with a strong focus on clinical education. The Law School also offers a robust selection compliance programs for law, graduate students, as well as mid-career professionals in the health, life sciences, and financial services sectors.

###