This reminds me of a hypothesis David Finkelhor put forward in his talk on "juvenoia" last fall: "Several recent studies have found that digital communication can lead to more or better friendships online and off, greater honesty, faster intimacy in relationships and an increased sense of belonging, in addition to practical social benefits like an expanded circle for networking," the Wall Street … [Read more...] about Net use may be making us nicer: Studies
David Finkelhor
Net-related ‘juvenoia,’ Part 2: So why are we afraid?
Last week I wrote about why we don't need to be so afraid (of the Net where our kids are concerned); this week why we are. I've been asking myself that for more than a decade, and I have my theories, but watching David Finkelhor's talk "The Internet, Youth Deviance & the Problem of Juvenoia" was a breakthrough for me. See if it is for you.... Here's how Dr. Finkelhor, who has studied child … [Read more...] about Net-related ‘juvenoia,’ Part 2: So why are we afraid?
‘Juvenoia,’ Part 1: Why Internet fear is overrated
Referred to variously as technopanic, predator panic, cyberbullying panic, etc., a lot of fear and anxiety has developed around the intersection of youth and the Internet. Very interestingly, last fall David Finkelhor – director of the University of New Hampshire's Crimes Against Children Research Center (CCRC) and lead author of the US's first national study on youth risk online in 2000 – used … [Read more...] about ‘Juvenoia,’ Part 1: Why Internet fear is overrated
Facebook: Why a Safety Center, not a ‘panic button’
The Facebook news in the US today was its new expanded Safety Center. The news in Britain was that Facebook "STILL refuses to install [a] 'panic button'" on its pages, as the UK's Daily Mail put it. However, Facebook also announced today that its UK users will "now be able to report unwanted or suspicious contact directly to CEOP [the UK's Child Exploitation & Online Protection Center] and … [Read more...] about Facebook: Why a Safety Center, not a ‘panic button’
Kids experiencing less bullying, sexual assault: Study
Schools, keep up the good work! A new national study by the Crimes Against Children Research Center found that bullying, sexual assault, and other violence against US children ages 2-17 "declined substantially" between 2003 and 2008, the University of New Hampshire's CCRC reports. The study's lead author, David Finkelhor, credits schools' and other prevention efforts to reduce bullying and sexual … [Read more...] about Kids experiencing less bullying, sexual assault: Study