Meet The 2 Teens Educating Millions Of Young People About Online Safety

Sisters Meghna “Chili” and Siona “Dolly” Pramoda are on a mission to reach 1 billion teens. That may sound like a lofty goal for most young adults, but the digital safety advocates and co-founders of SafeTeensOnline (STO) are well on their way to making their dream a reality. Their organization educates young people about Internet safety and currently reaches 5 million teens.

On Oct. 10, Chili, age 17, and Dolly, age 16, were among 10 young leaders recognized at First Lady Jill Biden’s “Girls Leading Change” event in honor of International Day of the Girl. The two tell Elite Daily they hope that by being at the White House, especially as Latino women from Puerto Rico, they’ll inspire others who want to make a difference.

“Our island is very small, and there are so many girls that I’ve witnessed personally who want to make that change, but they just don’t know where to start,” says Dolly. “And I feel like us being here shows them that it’s possible. Just put yourself out there and so many amazing things can happen.”

Below, the sisters tell Elite Daily about getting their organization off the ground, how STO is working with local policymakers, and what’s next for them.

We learned how to take the word ‘no’ and turn it into a ‘not yet.’

Elite Daily: What inspired you to start STO?

Dolly Pramoda: There are two main things. The first is kind of funny. We were 11 and 12, and as kids do on the Internet, we made secret Instagram accounts. We were spending a lot of time on those accounts. And obviously, it's really fun, but there’s also a lot of danger that comes with that. Our mom found out, and she told us that it’s important and it’s great to use, but that we needed to learn how to use it as an invaluable tool.

And the other is more sad. During COVID, we lost one of our orchestra bandmates to suicide because he had gotten into a digital accident and he didn’t see any other way out. A family friend started a campaign for this, and we knew we had to participate. It was the perfect opportunity. That’s what really got us started, and now we have over 5 million teenagers around the world, and we’re still expanding, growing, learning, and sharing every single day.

Elite Daily: What were some obstacles you had to overcome to get STO off the ground?

Chili Pramoda: One of the biggest things is convincing people this is an important issue because obviously on paper everyone agrees that, yes, we should care about cyber safety. But it’s just trying to get ourselves higher and higher on their priority list so people feel like they should focus on cyber safety education. We tried to start chapters in schools and integrate them into the curriculum, we did community organizations, and we, finally, went to government bodies and policymakers, and I feel like that was the most difficult part.

We want to help bring the community together. Not just to support the teenagers, but to support everybody.

ED: What did you learn from this challenge?

DP: We learned how to take the word “no” and turn it into a “not yet.” It’s like you’re not there yet, but if you come back, try again, and work harder, you will get there. And it’s amazing how quickly that can happen if you stay with it.

ED: What are the big cyber safety issues you're especially focused on today?

DP: Phishing is a huge issue. It’s not talked about enough. I also think that sexual harassment is very, very big, and not just with females but also with males. School curriculums usually focus on cyberbullying. It’s the main topic, but there are so many other issues that need to be addressed, and that’s something that we’re really trying to do in our organization — bring in webinars and speakers to address all different types of issues and show preventative measures so that these things don’t happen.

ED: During the pandemic, you also began educating older members of your community about cyber safety. What was your goal?

CP: We wanted to reach out to parents, teachers, and elders so that they could support kids in navigating their digital journey. What’s been most helpful for them is us giving them resources. A lot of them are very scared for their kids or they’re worried about the Internet in general. This helps them feel safer about their kids using the Internet so they don’t see what their children are doing as bad.

DP: The Internet is honestly a pretty new thing. And it’s rapidly evolving, and so it’s new for our parents too. We have to be very conscious of that and we have to be kind as we help them through their journey too.

As an organization, we believe that digital safety is a fundamental right.

ED: Where do you see STO going next? What are you manifesting?

DP: We want to reach as many teens as possible. One billion is our number. It sounds so far out there that if we ever got to it, that would be a dream. We want to keep expanding — to younger kids, to older generations. We want to help bring the community together. Not just to support the teenagers, but to support everybody.

CP: We are in around five countries right now, but we would love to get into as many more as possible because people are using the Internet everywhere. As an organization, we believe that digital safety is a fundamental right. And so we’re working towards some policy right now with the Kids Online Safety Act. Some of our ambassadors are working with their local policymakers to try to pass these digital bill of rights for kids of all ages.

ED: What advice do you have for young girls who see an issue in their community and want to make a change but are afraid to take that leap?

CP: Don’t expect to have all the answers yourself. A lot of the time when you’re starting off, you think you’ll have to figure it all out by yourself — but you really don’t. Some people might support you because they care about you. Some might support you because they care about your cause. You’re going to get wisdom, and through that, be able to grow, adapt, become so much better, and expand your cause.

DP: First, put yourself out there, take a leap, and see what happens. Because most likely, the first time, it’s not going to go exactly how you think it is, and that’s completely normal. But the more you do it, the more it’ll go according to plan. Second, try different ideas, share them with other people, and see where it goes. Stay optimistic.