This is not a review of TikTok. You can find many reviews, both credible and not so much, with a quick Web search. This post offers a bit of context on the app, its parent company and where social media's headed – for bigger-picture parenting. (BTW, if your child is a big fan of TikTok, a great family media literacy lesson would be to pick 3 random reviews or articles and, with open minds and … [Read more...] about The TikTok sensation
Youth
The Internet’s changing. Internet safety needs to too.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg just announced a sea change for Facebook, one that "will mean taking positions on important issues concerning the future of the internet," he wrote. I think he's right, and not just because Facebook is the Internet in some countries or because its products have affected elections and the public order (or lack thereof) in many countries, including ours. I agree, too, … [Read more...] about The Internet’s changing. Internet safety needs to too.
Safer Internet Day 2019: Risk vs harm, online & offline
What better way to mark Safer Internet Day than with clarity on the difference between risk and harm? Because, where online safety's concerned, the two words have been used interchangeably – inaccurately – for years. It was EU Kids Online, after surveys of more than 25,000 9-16 year-olds across Europe, that first made the distinction, reporting that, "as with riding a bike or crossing the road, … [Read more...] about Safer Internet Day 2019: Risk vs harm, online & offline
Wellbeing, digital or analog: A paper, a podcast
Confused about all that you’re hearing about the impacts of digital media and tech on young people? A just-published paper should clear that confusion up, reports Scientific American. Drawing from data on more than 350,000 teens, the paper, “show[s] persuasively that…technology use has a nearly negligible effect on adolescent psychological well-being.” Its authors, Oxford University researchers … [Read more...] about Wellbeing, digital or analog: A paper, a podcast
Tweens are smart about smartphones: Study
Everything about this study is smart — the 10-14 year-old respondents (average age 11), what the authors are modeling for pediatricians and parents, and the tweens' answers. For example, when asked what age kids should be given mobile phones, one answer was: "It's not an age. I think it's more of a maturity thing," said one young respondent. Another's answer was, "Probably when they know … [Read more...] about Tweens are smart about smartphones: Study