New shoes, new binders, new phone. This year, add one more thing to the list. Every August we stock up on the visible stuff: backpacks, notebooks, a fresh pair of sneakers. But the biggest change in most kids’ school year isn’t in the supply aisle. It’s in their pocket. A new school year means more screen time for homework and socializing, new group chats, new apps, and new friend requests from people they’ve never met in person. It’s the perfect moment to add a digital safety setup to your back-to-school routine, and it takes less time than a run to the store. 

Growing up, we were constantly told to be a part of the change or stand up for what’s right. It’s an idea woven into the fabric of our education, repeated in graduation speeches, plastered across posters, and echoed by historical figures whose legacies seem entirely out of reach. But as we transition into adulthood and look out at a world injured by crisis, economic instability, and suffering, those words can start to feel hollow. What does that phrase really mean in practice? Has it become too cliche? What could I possibly do that would actually matter?