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
Christopher Ferguson
The videogame discourse: Default to open-mindedness!
My heart sinks when I see uncritical thinking in commentaries from Internet safety advocates about the media young people love – thinking that defaults (and contributes to a society-level default) to fear that new media's harmful and young users are either potential victims or up to no good. Take videogames, for example. We know that… "Videogame play is pervasive throughout our society," as … [Read more...] about The videogame discourse: Default to open-mindedness!
Addendum: But isn’t videogame play bad for kids?
This is an addendum to my post yesterday, "Why kids love video games & what parents can do about it".... There has been a lot of legislation written, news stories published, and research conducted about the effects of violent videogames on kids. New laws have consistently been rejected by the courts as unconstitutional, and the research has shown that "a very small number of kids, about 3%, … [Read more...] about Addendum: But isn’t videogame play bad for kids?
The wisdom of Finn, 10
"The most imaginative" of Stephen and Fi's three kids "in trying to invent reasons to go online," Finn suddenly proposed a day a week of family "NST" (non-screen time) because, he thoughtfully proposed, "it would make us more imaginative as a family," Stephen writes in The Guardian. They considered this together, as a family, because they'd been consciously trying to find the right balance of tech … [Read more...] about The wisdom of Finn, 10
‘Research’ aimed at fueling fear: Prime example
There's research and then there's "research." Let's take a look at the latter: the very credible-sounding "National Survey on American Attitudes on Substance Abuse XVI: Teens and Parents," linking social media use to drug abuse in teens. How could the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University (CASA) publish a commentary and call it research? I can think of no better … [Read more...] about ‘Research’ aimed at fueling fear: Prime example