It was a picture-perfect example of how a law intended to protect children can be used to victimize them. But the juvenile judge didn't comment on the perversion of justice – or the prosecution's victimization of a teenager by ordering police to photograph the boy's genitals and threatening even more abusive treatment. He just eased the punishment meted out to the boy (his girlfriend was not … [Read more...] about Virginia teen sexting case: (Somewhat) reduced injustice
adolescent development
SID 2014: Teens’ own (wise) perspectives on life with social media
As panelists at Safer Internet Day US 2014 in Washington, D.C., high school students Arielle Ampeh (from Va.), Will Ashe (Va.), Zoe Parks (Ill.), David Rojas Rosario (D.C.), Hannah Thompson (D.C.), and Dursey Wade (Mich.) had a broad-ranging conversation about their experiences in all kinds of social media. But if you watch the video or keep reading, you'll probably notice, as I did sitting in the … [Read more...] about SID 2014: Teens’ own (wise) perspectives on life with social media
Important granularity on Net risk for teens: Study
An article in the medical journal Pediatrics this month makes significant additions to what we know about youth risk online in two areas: parenting and risk factors for older teen girls (the sample was girls 14-17). The authors of "Association of Maltreatment With High-Risk Internet Behaviors and Offline Encounters" pointed to what we already know: that "95% of American adolescents have Internet … [Read more...] about Important granularity on Net risk for teens: Study
Teens, social media & trolls: Toxic mix
This is and isn't about technology. Mostly isn't. But digital media allow for and expose a dangerous blend of two very different aspects of humanness, one destructive, the latter normative: social cruelty and teenage vulnerability (a lot of focus recently having been on the female variety). The cruelty, the extreme version called trolling – which feeds on outrage and weaponizes cultural … [Read more...] about Teens, social media & trolls: Toxic mix
‘Am I pretty?’ videos by teens
There is no data cited, but the San Francisco Chronicle's Mommy Files blog reports that "a growing number of tweens and teens, mainly girls, are posting videos on YouTube asking commenters if they’re ugly." Writer Amy Graff says, "Type ‘Am I ugly?’ or ‘Am I pretty’ into the YouTube search box and dozens of videos pop up." Sexuality researcher, author and educator Kris Gowen pointed one such … [Read more...] about ‘Am I pretty?’ videos by teens