Thesocialinstitute
About Thesocialinstitute
The Social Institute is an education technology company founded in 2016, based in Durham, North Carolina, USA. The company is a small enterprise with approximately 42 employees.
It is an independent, woman-led business focused entirely on education. Their primary product is #WinAtSocial, a gamified online learning platform.
The platform teaches students modern life skills for navigating social media and technology. The Social Institute was founded by Laura Tierney, a former social media manager for Nike, Disney, and Duke Men's Basketball.
The company develops curriculum co-created with students to ensure relevance and engagement. Their approach focuses on empowerment rather than fear-based messaging.
The platform covers topics including social media use, device management, and artificial intelligence. Professional development resources are available for educators.
Family toolkits help parents reinforce lessons at home.
Schools and Education Markets
The Social Institute has worked with schools since 2016.They serve K-12 (Primary and Secondary schools in the UK) with lessons for Kindergarten through 12th grade. The platform was created with input from over 50,000 students.
Both public and independent schools use the programme. Charter schools, faith-based schools, and community schools are also served.
The company primarily operates in North America. US school districts include Issaquah School District in Washington and Greece Central School District in New York.
International customers include Glenlyon Norfolk School in British Columbia, Canada. Notable endorsements have come from Melinda French Gates and Duke University.
The programme has been featured in The Washington Post, The New York Times, and NBC News.
Data Protection and Security
The Social Institute stores data in the United States.Data may also be stored on cloud servers in other countries. The company acknowledges international users and notes that US privacy laws may differ from other jurisdictions.
No specific security certifications such as ISO 27001 or SOC 2 are publicly documented. The platform has separate privacy policies for the #WinAtSocial student programme.
The main website excludes users under 16 years of age. Third-party services are used for analytics and marketing.
Users can opt out of marketing communications and certain tracking features. Schools should review privacy terms to ensure compliance with their own data protection requirements.
