Internet safety

This article separates facts and myths on online safety: https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2019/11/04/myths-about-internet-safety-that-are-freaking-parents-out/

A study out of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America takes a closer look at the cognitive and emotional impacts of social media use on teens, and find a lot of the fear is not justified: https://www.pnas.org/content/early/2019/04/30/1902058116

A new survey by Pew Research Center surveyed kids between the ages of 13 and 17 in the United States to look at the actual habits and impacts of their use of social media: http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2018/11/american-teenagers-social-media-study.html http://www.pewinternet.org/2018/11/28/teens-social-media-habits-and-experiences/ And a study out of Villanova University surveyed students about their cell phone use during sleep, as well as […]

Some tips on how to manage social media with your kids: https://www.sciencealert.com/why-it-s-a-mistake-to-ban-teenagers-from-social-media?utm_source=ScienceAlert+-+Daily+Email+Updates&utm_campaign=157096abc2-MAILCHIMP_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_fe5632fb09-157096abc2-365490661

Research shows that teens are more savvy than adults give them credit for about social media and its potential impact on them:   https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/01/180125085119.htm

Facebook has bought TBH – a social media app for sending anonymous praise and compliments – with the intent of letting it continue to run   Facebook acquires anonymous teen compliment app tbh, will let it run  

A new study suggests that of all social media, Instagram can be the most harmful to mental health http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/19/health/instagram-worst-social-network-app-young-people-mental-health/index.html  

This article discusses how to help your teen manage how technology and devices can be a distraction from schoolwork: When Technology Distracts Teens from Completing Their Homework  

Researchers explored how much online friendships can be ‘real’ friendships for teens: http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/DigitalEducation/2017/10/teenagers_friendships_online_provide_emotional_support.html  

A warning for parents of kids or teens who use social media: http://boston.cbslocal.com/2017/07/07/blue-whale-challenge-natick-schools/  

How to discuss how social media does not actually represent people’s real lives: Facebook Is Not Real Life: The Talk You Need To Have With Your Teen  

Kids who spend more time chatting on social websites feel reduced satisfaction about all parts of their lives except for their friendships, according o a survey in the UK by the Institute of Labor Economics. The study found that the more time kids spent chatting on social networks, the less positive they felt about school work and […]

Common sense Media has a new study looking at parenting habits regarding screens: http://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2016/12/06/496907205/real-parents-real-talk-about-kids-and-screens https://www.commonsensemedia.org/research/the-common-sense-census-plugged-in-parents-of-tweens-and-teens-2016

The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children in England has issued a warning that the app Yellow, which is considered a parallel of Tinder but marketed to teens, is a high risk for sexual predators because it does not verify users’ ages. The app claims to have five million users: https://www.yahoo.com/tech/tinder-teenagers-app-accused-enabling-102600676.html http://www.standard.co.uk/news/techandgadgets/sex-predator-warning-issued-over-tinder-for-teenagers-app-a3400426.html https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/other/sex-predator-warning-issued-over-tinder-for-teenagers-app/ar-AAkyBC1  

Some thoughts on the differences between the two Social Media and Narcissism: Is Selfie Obsession a Problem?

Some tips for parents of teens regarding apps and social media: http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/local-news/tips-parents-need-to-know-about-some-of-the-internets-dangerous-apps  

According to a study commissioned by CNN, called Being Thirteen. “42 percent reported having a serious conflict with someone online at least monthly,” says Robert Faris, Ph.D., a sociologist at the University of California Davis who worked with CNN on the study. “And the majority of them said it was with friends  …  and we’re not talking […]

A new study in the journal Psychological Science looks at the effects of digital and social media on an adolescent’s brain. The researchers found that teenagers are more enticed to “like” a social media post if it already has many “likes,” influenced by the conformity effect. The study also found that social media photos that depict risky behavior like […]

This study observed teens’ brain activity while they engaged in social media online, and the results are very interesting: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/05/160531104423.htm

A new paper by Murdoch University suggests that teens experience similar feelings of happiness and lower levels of sadness, jealousy and worry when with friends on social media and other online forums as they do when they are actually in the company of their friends than with their families http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-05-03/online-friends-equally-potent-teenagers-murdoch-university-study/7380810