Navigating Life in the Digital Age

Leading keynote speaker on digital citizenship and responsible social media visits Eagle Hill School.

Ben Tracy, speaker and founder of Safe Social Network, presented to faculty and students on Tuesday, January 18th, about the importance of keeping an appropriate online presence.  

As a high school student, Ben himself created social media posts and made comments online that impacted him far into his professional career. After graduating college and landing a dream job as the personal assistant to the former Governor of Illinois, Ben arrived to his first day of work only to be fired for inappropriate social media posts he made as a teenager. Ben has since made it his mission to share his experience with schools and colleges across the country in the hopes of preventing others from making the same mistake.  

Ben teaches the importance of responsible social media use and how to navigate life in the digital age. He encourages his participants to build an online presence that is representative of the best versions of themselves—a representation that their future selves would be proud of. Ben’s company Safe Social Network provides materials and strategies to help students, parents, and young professionals cope with topics like cyberbullying, the impact of social media on mental health, and the significant consequences of inappropriate social media use.  

Some of the key topics, tips, and takeaways of the presentation included:  

• Limit access to social media apps until students are at least 13 years old. 
• Be aware of online predators: how to recognize them and take action to report them to law enforcement. 
• Set all your accounts to private. 
• Understand the link between social media use and mental health. 
• Be a positive influence among your peers while using social media! 
• Be the change! 

Ariella T. ’26 stated that much of the information covered by Ben was reinforcement for her, as her dorm counselor went over the dos and don’ts regarding social media with her dormmates at the beginning of the year. However, she did say that after hearing Ben’s story, she will be more careful with what she posts on her social media accounts moving forward. “I will make sure everything I share will be something I wouldn’t mind my grandparents seeing!” Ariella said.  

For additional information on Ben Tracy and his company visit:

Safe Social Network