Internet access lets today’s youth travel the world without leaving their homes, do research for school, and play live video games with friends.

But they also have to handle situations their parents never dealt with, like making safe, secure decisions in the digital world.

That’s why on Friday, Feb. 19, AT&T, State Rep. Donna Howard, Austin ISD Superintendent Paul Cruz and others will join together at Akins High School for a “Digital You” event geared toward ninth-grade students to talk about making positive decisions while navigating the Internet.

The Friday event culminates a week of teaching at Akins High School which introduced new curriculum elements aimed at keeping students safe online and teaching them how to use technology wisely. As part of the unit of study, students created brief public service announcement videos. These videos were subsequently entered into a contest. During the Friday assembly the winning videos will be showcased.

AISD used elements of AT&T’s new Digital You website to deepen existing content for teachers and incorporated elements from the district’s recognized Social Emotional Learning (SEL) program to the lesson plans.