Young people are both smart and thoughtful about using digital media and devices – for mental health and other purposes – a groundbreaking new study shows, and they are far from naïve about what doesn't work for them in social media. The study, by researchers Victoria Rideout and Susannah Fox, had both quantitative and qualitative elements, including a remarkable 2,200 personal responses from its … [Read more...] about How youth address mental health issues: Groundbreaking study
Risk & Safety
A book for wise (digital) parenting
The Art of Screen Time, by NPR's Anya Kamenetz, could not be more timely. What with hearings and headlines about digital privacy, so much talk about "tech addiction," and bad advice about "screen time," parents deserve this haven from the storm. And it's a haven not just because Kamenetz is a great reporter with sources representing multiple perspectives and disciplines. Also because she knows … [Read more...] about A book for wise (digital) parenting
Real news: UK lawmakers’ formal ‘fake news’ hearing in the US
They were historic conversations on many levels, and not just because 11 British Members of Parliament flew across the Atlantic to hold hearings with Google, Twitter and Facebook executives (as well as scholars, journalists and news publishers) at George Washington University last week. It was "the first ever live broadcast and public hearing of a House of Commons select committee outside the UK," … [Read more...] about Real news: UK lawmakers’ formal ‘fake news’ hearing in the US
We need to manage the social media backlash too
It's like a moral panic on steroids. Adding to the "reckoning" already under way since the 2016 election (see Related links below) is the news yesterday of a new, high-profile coalition of some of social media's creators and backers and Common Sense Media. The steroids part is the funding ($7 million from individuals, the Omidyar Network and Common Sense Media), the PR ($50 million in donated … [Read more...] about We need to manage the social media backlash too
Clearer picture of what hurts kids online, globally: Research
Even people under 18 would probably say we adults are getting smarter in the way we're viewing cyberbullying (we could ask them [#stuvoice @stu_voice]!). That is, if they knew there's growing consensus among researchers in many countries that "cyberbullying" isn't the most useful term for online hurtful behavior and may be inhibiting what we can learn from young people about what's harmful to them … [Read more...] about Clearer picture of what hurts kids online, globally: Research