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
David Finkelhor
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
Post-FOSI: Online safety now, predictions for 2020
"Trust and civility" were, so very appropriately, the focus of the Family Online Safety Institute's just-ended annual conference this challenging year. "We have witnessed countless examples…of ways that trust in institutions, in organizations and even in each other has been eroded," FOSI CEO Stephen Balkam noted in his opening remarks. "And we have watched how basic civility has been challenged … [Read more...] about Post-FOSI: Online safety now, predictions for 2020
The generation-destroying smartphone: Researchers push back
Two years ago, the headline in the Washington Post about researcher Jean Twenge's work was, "Happiness levels are rising for teens, but not for people older than 30," and she was quoted as saying, "our current culture is giving teens what they need, but not mature adults what they need." I'm confused – because the headline in the latest Atlantic Monthly about Dr. Twenge's work suggests the … [Read more...] about The generation-destroying smartphone: Researchers push back
6 takeaways from 20 years of Net safety: Part 1
I usually write about other people's work – especially that of the researchers I've followed through the years. But now that I've just passed the 20-year mark in writing about youth and digital media (yikes!), I thought I'd share with you my own top takeaways as a participant observer of Internet safety's early years (1997-now). Here's Part 1 (Part 2 on this page): 1. A generalization about … [Read more...] about 6 takeaways from 20 years of Net safety: Part 1