NEW YORK, Sept. 12, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — The Mental Health Coalition (MHC) announced today a new program called Thrive, the first cross-industry signal sharing program designed to help stop the spread of suicide and self-harm content across different internet platforms. The goal is to increase industry collaboration, prevent online challenges from spreading virally, and help improve early detection of content that could potentially pose a safety risk.

Suicidal and self-harm content online can manifest in diverse forms, including viral challenges, text posts, visual media (images and livestreams), etc. While approaches employed by internet companies to mitigate harmful content differ, they are crucial for safeguarding user and viewer wellbeing. The expeditious identification and removal of suicide and self-harm content through Thrive will enable companies who are part of Thrive to investigate, take action and prevent similar content from being disseminated on their platforms fostering a safer online environment. While the technological infrastructure underpinning Thrive is not new (provided by Meta, it is already used by the Tech Coalition’s Lantern program), this initiative marks the first industry-wide endeavor to address suicide and self-harm content comprehensively across different platforms.

“We at MHC are excited to work with Thrive; a unique collaborative of the most influential social media platforms that have come together to address suicide and self-harm content. Meta, Snap and TikTok are some of the initial partners to join “the exchange” committing to make an even greater impact and help save lives,” said Kenneth Cole, Founder of The Mental Health Coalition.

“The integration of signal sharing, coupled with cross-industry collaboration and moderated by an independent and neutral intermediary, represents a major breakthrough in industry collaboration and public protection on the global, public health crisis of suicide and ultimately save lives,” said Dr. Dan Reidenberg, Director of Thrive.

Thrive will leverage a centralized technology platform, enabling the aggregation of information from diverse sources (platforms), where participating companies can receive alerts of content that raises concerns or contravenes their respective company policies or community standards against suicide and self-harm. Platforms are then able to independently assess whether to take action on the content. This new signal sharing program will be underpinned by a technical infrastructure provided by Meta which allows tech companies to securely share signals about content that breaks their suicide and self-harm policies. This approach addresses harmful content while respecting the autonomy of each organization’s moderation strategies, reduce the risk of contagion or content becoming viral across platforms and ensure measures exist and only share de-identified signals to protect the users privacy. There will be no personally identifiable information shared through Thrive.

“At Meta, we have strict rules against content that encourages, glorifies or shows graphic suicide or self-harm, and remove it whenever we become aware of it. Unfortunately this content isn’t limited to any one platform – especially when it comes to viral challenges – and it’s imperative that the technology industry works together to help prevent it from spreading. That’s why we’re proud to partner with the Mental Health Coalition and our peers to launch Thrive, and help keep people safe across the many apps they use.” Antigone Davis, VP of Global Safety at Meta.

“The safety and well-being of the Snapchat community is a top priority. Our dedicated teams, technologies, policies, and partnerships help keep our community safe, healthy, and informed, and our well-being features are designed to educate and empower individuals who might be struggling with their own social and emotional well-being. We are honored to be founding members of the Thrive initiative – an opportunity to continue to work industry-wide on approaches that strengthen capabilities to halt the spread of self-harm content.” Jacqueline Beauchere, Global Head of Platform Safety, Snap

Advertisement

“TikTok is an uplifting and entertaining part of many people’s day, and we continually invest in protecting and securing our community’s experience. By becoming a founding member of The Mental Health Coalition’s Thrive, we’re strengthening how we prevent harmful suicide and self-harm content online. Through this important collaboration and collective action, we hope to keep people safe on TikTok and beyond.” Valiant Richey, Global Head of Outreach and Partnerships, Trust and Safety, TikTok

Thrive’s Director will oversee operational aspects of the program, ensuring its effective functioning through convening, facilitating, moderating, and monitoring activities. Participating companies will assume responsibility for uploading, reviewing and taking the appropriate action on the content shared through Thrive and leveraging the platform to share insights and best practices. Dr Reidenberg will collaborate with other signal sharing exchange directors on optimal moderation strategies, lessons learned, and transparency protocols. An annual report will be issued to provide insight into the exchange’s use and impact.

Meta, Snap, and TikTok have pledged their support and participation as founding members, with other companies expected to join.

The Mental Health Coalition relies on donations. If you want to help support Thrive and the lifesaving work of the Coalition, please contact Dr Dan Reidenberg.

About The Mental Health Coalition

The Mental Health Coalition (www.thementalhealthcoalition.org), is a coalition of the Nation’s leading mental health organizations, brands, and individuals who have joined forces to end the debilitating stigma surrounding mental health and to change the way people talk about, and care for, mental illness. Our mission is to catalyze like-minded communities to work together to destigmatize mental health and empower access to vital resources and necessary support for all.

The Mental Health Coalition was formed with the understanding that the mental health crisis is fueled by a pervasive and devastating stigma, preventing millions of individuals from being able to seek the critical treatment they need. We will not relent until mental health is no longer associated with stigma, shame or judgment and all people feel empowered to openly discuss and address their individual mental health needs.

SOURCE The Mental Health Coalition

Advertisement

Our Lifestyle section on STM Daily News is a hub of inspiration and practical information, offering a range of articles that touch on various aspects of daily life. From tips on family finances to guides for maintaining health and wellness, we strive to empower our readers with knowledge and resources to enhance their lifestyles. Whether you’re seeking outdoor activity ideas, fashion trends, or travel recommendations, our lifestyle section has got you covered. Visit us today at https://stmdailynews.com/category/lifestyle/ and embark on a journey of discovery and self-improvement.

Adam Jortner, Auburn University

Uncommon Courses is an occasional series from The Conversation U.S. highlighting unconventional approaches to teaching.

Title of course:

Science Fiction as Intellectual History

What prompted the idea for the course?

For most of its history, science fiction was a disreputable, throwaway genre. But sources of culture and thought aren’t just found in classic literature or in the writings of the great thinkers. They’re also in popular entertainment: movies, comics, pulp magazines, TV.

Big thoughts often come in chunks with labels like “The Future” or “Technology” or “Freedom.” And most ideas about these things are shaped by science fiction.

So in this class, my students explore how the theories of Charles Darwin, for example, are reflected in science fiction like “Jurassic Park,” “The Island of Dr. Moreau,” “X-Men” and “The Wrath of Khan.”

I’m lucky to be the third generation of professors teaching this course at Auburn. It’s an old staple here that I inherited.

What does the course explore?

I usually pick three big plot ideas from sci-fi: alien encounters, time travel and superhuman abilities. Then we trace the development of those ideas, primarily through American fiction.

Students might read H.G. Wells’ “The Time Machine,” which was written in the 1890s and tells the story of the Eloi and Morlocks, post-human races from 800,000 years in the future; C.L. Moore’s secret visitors from the future in the 1953 novella “Vintage Season”; and Steven Spielberg’s 1985 escape to an idealized 1950s in “Back to the Future.”

These works all include mind-bending theories about what time travel might look like. But students also see how each of them tells a different story about the anxieties and obsessions of the times in which they were created.

Advertisement

For example, Wells’ novel is a vision of how thousands of years of Victorian class divisions lead to the evolution of a group of cannibalistic underground humans. In “Back to the Future,” Marty McFly leaves the dingy, broken-down 1980s for a clean and shiny version of the 1950s, one that looks much more promising than 1985. The film taps into the 1980s political and cultural nostalgia for so-called “simpler” times. (Of course, in their version of 1955, Biff and Marty never deal with segregation or Cold War nuclear panic.)

Science fiction offers a kind of film negative of history – a back door into what made people worried or scared rather than what was heroic. Sci-fi captures that fear and anxiety.

Rod Serling’s 1960 “Twilight Zone” episode “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street” is the story of how neighbors turn on each other when they suspect an alien invasion is taking place. It parallels the American crisis over desegregation and communist subversion.

As Serling concluded, “For the record, prejudices can kill and suspicion can destroy, and a thoughtless, frightened search for a scapegoat has a fallout of its own – for the children, and the children unborn. And the pity of it is that such things cannot be confined to the Twilight Zone.”

Why is this course relevant now?

New technology, along with endless predictions and prophecies about the future, bombard students.

It’s important to take a moment to step back. How is the way we talk about and use technology influenced by the way we’re trained to think about technology and the future? And how much do past visions of the future dictate the choices of the present?

What’s a critical lesson from the course?

Students often think technology has rules and it will follow those rules. But technology doesn’t work like that.

Advertisement

That’s both terrifying and uplifting, because it means that we can still create and imagine our future as we see fit.

What materials does the course feature?

I anchor the course with a series of novels; the list changes, but it always includes “The Time Machine” and Ursula K. Le Guin’s 1971 novel “The Lathe of Heaven.”

Beyond that, I try to pepper in a mix of pulp stories, TV shows, radio dramas, comic books and films. I assign the 1970s avant-garde sci-fi stories of Brian Aldiss and Joanna Russ, and underground literature from the 1980s, such as the graphic novel “Ed the Happy Clown.”

I shape the course like a traditional “great books” course – those that feature the works of intellectual and literary giants – by assigning a different work every week. I just have a different idea about what makes a great book.

We also spend a delightful week examining the economic and cultural history of “so-bad-its-good” B movies and late-night features, where I have them watch an episode of the Canadian sci-fi show “The Starlost,” considered one of the worst shows in television history. Sometimes you have to learn what not to do.

What will the course prepare students to do?

They learn to read and think. They learn that all stories have ideas and philosophies, whether simple or complex, wise or foolish.

I hope they learn to watch for nonsense in public debates about technology and the future – like how some people assume computer modeling for human language is the same thing as language – and keep an eye out for ideologies masquerading as action films.

I hope they learn to love an author they’ve never read before – and learn to appreciate how much reading and stories make life worth living.

Advertisement

Adam Jortner, Goodwin Philpott Eminent Professor of Religion, Auburn University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Our Lifestyle section on STM Daily News is a hub of inspiration and practical information, offering a range of articles that touch on various aspects of daily life. From tips on family finances to guides for maintaining health and wellness, we strive to empower our readers with knowledge and resources to enhance their lifestyles. Whether you’re seeking outdoor activity ideas, fashion trends, or travel recommendations, our lifestyle section has got you covered. Visit us today at https://stmdailynews.com/category/lifestyle/ and embark on a journey of discovery and self-improvement.

This fall, families can collect toys with tiny books inside, featuring characters from Paramount’s PAW Patrol^™, Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and PMI’s very own Monster Tales!

Booksy’ collectible toy line

TEL AVIV, Israel, Sept. 11, 2024 /PRNewswire/ – Uniting the exciting world of toys with the imaginative world of books is the brand new patented and trademarked ‘Booksy’ collectible toy line by renowned global toy company, PMI Kids World. In an era where screens dominate, this collectible toy line offers children and families a unique way to foster a love for play and reading. Featuring tiny books cleverly housed inside unique collectible figures, Booksy engages children in the tactile and imaginative experience of play and reading, one Booksy at a time. The line will launch in October with PMI’s original Monster Tales at Amazon, followed by an expansion in November with licensed character versions from the hugely popular worlds of PAW Patrol, produced by Spin Master Entertainment and airing on Nickelodeon, and Paramount+ original series Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, at Walmart.

Designed, written, and illustrated for children and families, Booksy collectible figures are the perfect steppingstone to nurturing children’s literacy through the excitement of collecting both books and appealing figures. The core Booksy collection, titled Monster Tales, introduces a series of original characters, stories, and a special Monster Tales bookcase for young readers to place and display their growing mini book collections. Characters from mega popular franchises, such as Chase and Skye, pups from PAW Patrol, and Raphael and Michelangelo from Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, will also bring familiar faces to the world of Booksy, making reading even more exciting for young fans of the beloved franchises.

Patented and trademarked, the Booksy toy line and the Monster Tales brand are PMI’s very own intellectual properties that introduces an innovative story-focused product variety featuring the talents of Christian Tremblay, branding specialist and a titan of the family entertainment industry with over 30 years of experience.

“As a parent and lifelong reader, I understand the importance of encouraging children to discover a love for reading and play that truly ignites their imaginations,” says Omer Dekel, CEO at PMI Kids’ World. “Booksy is particularly special to me because it’s an IP we’ve developed in-house and patented, blending the excitement of toys with the educational value of relatable life lessons and adventures in collectible books. I’m incredibly excited to see how Booksy will inspire and nurture the next generation.”

In October 2024, the Booksy Monster Tales Six Pack, featuring Monster Tales Dome figures, will launch on Amazon in the USA. This collection offers six unique characters for children aged 3-8 to collect. Additionally, the Booksy Monster Tales Bookshelf Collector Set, including a Monster Tales Booksy figure and a Collector’s Bookshelf, will also be available on Amazon. The first licensed version will be launched November 2024, introducing Booksy One Pack PAW Patrol and Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Dome figures at Walmart, and offering 12 beloved characters for young fans. Globally, the Booksy Monster Tales toy line is set for a Fall 2024 release, with key markets including the United States, United Kingdom (exclusively distributed by Character Options), France (exclusively distributed by Bandai France), the Middle East (exclusively distributed by iBrands), Canada (exclusively distributed by Red Planet), and more. The Booksy PAW Patrol and Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles toy lines will be sold exclusively at 3,000 Walmart stores across the USA.

Renowned for turning trending IPs into must-have toys, PMI Kids World is excited to introduce their very own brand and line of Booksy toys, right in time for the holidays.

About PMI Kids World
Established in 1995, PMI Kids World is a leading gaming-sector toy manufacturer focused on licensing consumer products in over 170 countries. PMI Kids World gives licensed intellectual properties (IPs) a vibrant existence by creating high-quality, innovative, affordable toys and collectibles. We’re here to bring the mega children’s brands and the coolest lines to kids worldwide. Our lineup includes esteemed names like Sonic Prime, Pudgy Penguins, Brawl Stars, and many others. Rooted in our purpose is the aspiration to ensure that every child can partake in the delight of play, irrespective of their circumstances.

Advertisement

For more information on PMI Kids’ World, follow PMI on:

• Instagram: @pmi_toys
• Facebook: @pmiltd
• Twitter: @pmitoys
• TikTok: @pmi_toys

About Booksy
Patented and trademarked by PMI Kids World, Booksy is the global toy company’s newest innovation in collectible toys and storytelling. Launching with PMI’s very own Monster Tales IP in October 2024, each Booksy character figure houses a miniature, full-colored storybook that empowers kids’ imagination by merging engaging play patterns with storytelling. Following Monster Tales, Booksy will also release versions based on popular kids licenses such as PAW Patrol and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in November 2024. Designed for boys and girls ages 3 to 8, each story introduces kid-relatable life lessons that children, families, and teachers will love and enjoy.

About Paramount Consumer Products

Paramount Consumer Products oversees all licensing and merchandising for Paramount (Nasdaq: PARA, PARAA), a leading global media and entertainment company that creates premium content and experiences for audiences worldwide. Driven by a diverse slate of consumer brands, Paramount Consumer Products’ portfolio is based on content from platforms including Paramount+, CBS (including CBS Television Studios and CBS Television Distribution), cable networks (including MTV, Nickelodeon and Showtime), and Paramount Pictures. Additionally, the division operates Paramount Game Studios. With properties spanning animation, live-action, preschool, youth and adult, Paramount Consumer Products is committed to creating the highest quality product for some of the world’s most beloved, iconic franchises. To view our range of consumer products and Paramount branded apparel, visit ParamountShop.com.

SOURCE PMI Kid’s World

Looking for an entertainment experience that transcends the ordinary? Look no further than STM Daily News Blog’s vibrant Entertainment section. Immerse yourself in the captivating world of indie films, streaming and podcasts, movie reviews, music, expos, venues, and theme and amusement parks.

Discover hidden cinematic gems, binge-worthy series and addictive podcasts, gain insights into the latest releases with our movie reviews, explore the latest trends in music, dive into the vibrant atmosphere of expos, and embark on thrilling adventures in breathtaking venues and theme parks.

Join us at Looking for an entertainment experience that transcends the ordinary? Look no further than STM Daily News Blog’s vibrant Entertainment section. Immerse yourself in the captivating world of indie films, streaming and podcasts, movie reviews, music, expos, venues, and theme and amusement parks.

Advertisement

Discover hidden cinematic gems, binge-worthy series and addictive podcasts, gain insights into the latest releases with our movie reviews, explore the latest trends in music, dive into the vibrant atmosphere of expos, and embark on thrilling adventures in breathtaking venues and theme parks. Join us at our Entertainment Section and let your entertainment journey begin! https://stmdailynews.com/category/entertainment/

Please leave this field empty

Want more stories
“Your morning jolt of Inspiring & Interesting Stories!”

Sign up to receive awesome articles directly to your inbox.

Email Address *

We don’t spam! Read our privacy policy for more info.

Please check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription.