Over the 15-or-so years I've been covering family technology, I've noticed a kind of siege mentality that developed among parents about kids' use of digital media. Then, a few years ago, when sociology professor David Finkelhor at the University of New Hampshire gave his milestone talk, "The Internet, Youth Deviance & the Problem of Juvenoia," I heard him offer the most plausible reason I'd … [Read more...] about Media siege mentality: Antidote for parents
Social media more like medieval than mass media: Example
In a way, social media's circling us back to medieval times, when media "products" were never really finished – they were crowd-sourced, adaptive, and usually shared by their developers (minstrels and storytellers) in public spaces, from castles to villages. The makeup and mood of the crowd had a lot of impact on the content of the story and how it would unfold. Social media products are just … [Read more...] about Social media more like medieval than mass media: Example
GromSocial.com: By a teen, for teens
No pressure or anything, but we'll be watching GromSocial.com – a social network site for people under 16 – to see if it isn't one of the best ways for kids to learn safe, constructive use of social media. It was started by 13-year-old Zach Marks in Florida after his parents kicked him off of Facebook, Florida Today reports. Even the county sheriff, Wayne Ivey, believes that there is no better … [Read more...] about GromSocial.com: By a teen, for teens
Safety tools for summer video viewing & search
Do the YouTube and Google search fans at your house know about SafeSearch and Safety Mode? Google made these safety tools available starting a few years ago (see my 2009 post about the former here), but software engineer Matthias Heiler just posted a heads-up about them for users who might be a little more active online during summer vacation. Even before summer was in full swing, 182 million … [Read more...] about Safety tools for summer video viewing & search
For families: ‘Digital detox’ vs connecting mindfully
It takes a lot more than "digital sabbaths" to become grounded, but it sounds like the creators of Camp Grounded in northern California get that. I think. As described by writer Matt Haber in the New York Times, the three days were as gluten-free as they were tech-free and packed with activities aimed at human connection, if not so much reflection. "Designed less to be a spiritual journey than a … [Read more...] about For families: ‘Digital detox’ vs connecting mindfully