Chances are, if you have teenagers at your house, you're friends with them on Facebook. The numbers are pretty amazing: 80% of US parents of teens use social network sites; of them 95% are in Facebook; and of those FB-using parents, 86% have friended their kids, according to a recent study. Friending can be very helpful – a casual way of keeping an eye on things (if we don't blow it and comment on … [Read more...] about How teens can use privacy settings on parents
Parenting
The benefits of parenting with respect
When I read "6 parenting rules for raising a critical thinker" by parent, author and child advocate Marjie Knudsen – who I had the pleasure of meeting last fall at the International Bullying Prevention Association conference in Seattle – I loved the rules but at first thought the headline was a bit off, since there didn't seem to be anything there about how to raise critical thinkers. Then I took … [Read more...] about The benefits of parenting with respect
New media monsters II: From digital people to ‘digital wisdom’
I'm using "digital people" as shorthand for "digital natives" and "digital immigrants," which together have become one of the "new media monsters" I wrote about, gosh, last April. This long overdue post is Part 2, because I want to be sure you know that even the person who coined "digital natives," Marc Prensky, himself has moved beyond this term that suggests children are alien life forms that … [Read more...] about New media monsters II: From digital people to ‘digital wisdom’
Videogames good for girls: Study
A study about kids and videogaming just published in the Journal of Adolescent Health found benefits for girls who play with their parents (and no real upside for boys). Slightly surprising to the authors, they told the Vancouver Sun they found "an increase in pro-social behaviour, a decrease in aggression and a stronger bond with parents. But when it came to boys, the study found absolutely no … [Read more...] about Videogames good for girls: Study
Understanding cyberbullying from the inside out
If you really want to understand cyberbullying, take advantage of a perspective that's essential to the discussion. View it from the inside-out – from teens' perspective, rather than that of adults on the outside looking in. "Friending" our kids online can help fill in the picture a bit, but talking with our own children and checking in on the work of researchers who talk with lots of other young … [Read more...] about Understanding cyberbullying from the inside out