I don't know about the millions of people in developing countries going online for the first time with mobile phones but, here in the developed world, something strange happened when we moved onto the Web nearly 20 years ago. It's as if we checked our thousands of years of social-norms and ethics development at the door of cyberspace. Somehow we saw that space as "technology" and got stuck there – … [Read more...] about ‘Disconnected’: Crucial book for closing the ‘ethics gap’ online
child development
Takeaways from premier US anti-bullying conference
This Thanksgiving week in the US, I'm thankful to have heard the following from two outstanding researchers and a well-known author in the bullying prevention field speaking at the just-ended International Bullying Prevention Association's (IBPA's) annual conference in San Diego: "We don't talk enough about the ecosystem around kids," said educational psychology professor Dorothy Espelage at … [Read more...] about Takeaways from premier US anti-bullying conference
Do surveys about parents’ concerns increase digital-parenting confidence?
Predictably, the media coverage of a new survey of parents on digital-age parenting focused mainly on their concerns about tech and the Net. We need to question that – question the value of repeatedly reporting about concerns if, as a society, we want parents to feel confident in helping their children navigate today's media. Here are some questions we might ask, for example: 1. UK psychologist … [Read more...] about Do surveys about parents’ concerns increase digital-parenting confidence?
Perfect digital parenting doesn’t exist
I'm stating the obvious – that perfect digital-age parenting doesn't exist – but let me explain why it doesn't. Writer Heather Havrilesky got me thinking about this with her commentary "The 'Mommy' Problem" in the New York Times this weekend. She focuses on mothers (since our culture does so much) and on offline parenting. I'll add the digital part. She writes that "the current culture demands … [Read more...] about Perfect digital parenting doesn’t exist
Online harassment, bullying far from ‘kid stuff’: Fresh data
A new study from the Pew Internet Project confirms yet again that no particular demographic has a monopoly on online harassment and bullying, certainly not kids and teens. "Fully 73% of adult Internet users have seen someone being harassed in some way online and 40% have personally experienced it," Pew reports – and, astoundingly, 70% of the youngest adults … [Read more...] about Online harassment, bullying far from ‘kid stuff’: Fresh data