By Ben Cox
Photos submitted
Miss Illinois Teen and Jacksonville native Lillie Brown continues to use her platform to warn young people and families about the dangers that lurk online.
Brown has been visiting schools throughout the state speaking to her peers about her own story about how she was stalked online by a stranger at a young age. Her advocacy for online safety has earned her a spot this week as a featured speaker at the Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI) 2025 Annual Conference in Washington, D.C.
“A few years ago, I came across the FOSI website and immediately started searching for ways we could partner together,” Brown explained on the Miss Illinois Teen Facebook page, “Since then, I’ve distributed thousands of their Online Safety Agreements to students all across Illinois, educating them on the importance of online safety education and cyberbullying prevention. However, I never believed that work would lead me to the conference.”
The conference literature says that “in an era of rapid technological change, geopolitical uncertainty, and growing concerns about youth well-being, conversations about online safety have never been more urgent — or more complex.” The conference brings together global leaders from government, industry, academia and civil society to explore how to safely use the internet and mitigate harms that can inject themselves into everyone’s daily life. The conference’s theme is “Online Safety in Tumultuous Times,” which reflects the need to address evolving challenges with thoughtful, collaborative solutions.
Brown joined experts on November 10 in a panel entitled “Nothing About Us, Without Us: Centering Youth Voices in Digital Safety,” which explored ways to protect families, and especially young people, as they embark on a digital future in a digital age. Brown hopes that the panel and her work in online safety will leave her peers “Crowned in Confidence” to navigate the perils of the internet.
From regulatory shifts and platform responsibility to the changing roles of parents, educators and young people themselves, FOSI and Brown hope to provide timely insights and actionable strategies for safety in this digital age. To learn more about FOSI, visit fosi.org.
