Here we are again. Remember “Blue Whale,” then “Momo”? Well, the B.W. challenge, or self-harm “game,” has been warmed over and repackaged with a new name and face with the creepiness of a Momo. This time it’s a weird, scary version of the cartoon character Goofy. [I don’t know—does familiarity make it less scary or more so?] In any case, its predecessors were both hoaxes, so it would be hard for … [Read more...] about Yup. New ‘Blue Whale’ with a Momo-style twist
Parenting
Amid #Covid: Gift to her peers from a once depressed teen author
I can’t let Mental Health Month go by without a blog post on the subject, especially this year. So this one’s not about tech, media or the Internet. It’s about – and by – 19-year-old Ruby Walker, author of Advice I Ignored: Stories and Wisdom from a Formerly Depressed Teen. It is true wisdom, maybe especially helpful because it’s a gift to her peers (and herself, she writes) from someone who’s … [Read more...] about Amid #Covid: Gift to her peers from a once depressed teen author
Parenting (in RL) during a pandemic
This is no time for perfectionist parenting, digital or otherwise, right?! With so many of us working from home with kids, endless news about Covid-19, volatile global markets and social distancing, we’re all in social-emotional survival mode. This pandemic seems to be a reset. It's changing the patterns of everyday life, definitely making some things harder – but maybe some things better. … [Read more...] about Parenting (in RL) during a pandemic
Screens kids use, Part 1: Everywhere and ‘irrelevant’
The webinar was set up as a debate, a transatlantic one between psychology Prof. Sonia Livingstone at the London School of Economics and health sciences Assoc. Prof. Kristi Adamo at the University of Ottawa. They were asked to talk about “screen time” by their hosts at the International Society of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity – whether it’s good, bad or both. Dr. Livingstone was … [Read more...] about Screens kids use, Part 1: Everywhere and ‘irrelevant’
Digital wellness: What is, & isn’t, parody
“Social media seriously harms your mental health” goes the message on the back of smartphones ironically held in the perfectly manicured hands of super models and other social media influencers, two of whom get “hundreds of thousands of likes on nearly every photo they post to Instagram,” the Verge reports. The message is on the back of a clear plastic phone case that has gone viral but not … [Read more...] about Digital wellness: What is, & isn’t, parody