A study cited in "When Popularity Backfires" at Time.com found that socially ambitious kids can be just as likely to experience bullying and harassment as "social outcasts" at school. Interested in the "hotspots" of social aggression in students' social experiences at school, sociology professors Robert Faris at University of California Davis and Diane Felmlee at Pennsylvania State University … [Read more...] about Popularity: The other kind of vulnerability
drama
Parenting in the digital age: Major insights
A lot of insights into digital-age parenting have been surfacing in the research this year – so much good stuff, in fact, that I'm going to crunch it way down into brief snapshots and give you the links so you can find what's relevant to you. 1. Tech parenting Right up front in "Toward Predicting Youth Resistance to Internet Risk Prevention Strategies," Sahara Byrne and Theodore Lee at … [Read more...] about Parenting in the digital age: Major insights
How teens view ‘the drama’
I've written a lot about "the drama" at school as a context for bullying and cyberbullying, suggesting that we can help our kids build resilience and avoid trouble by helping them get a little emotional distance from it. A commentary in the New York Times by social media researchers danah boyd and Alice Marwick clarifies what teenagers themselves think of drama. First, it's not all bad. It's … [Read more...] about How teens view ‘the drama’
Ultra safe playgrounds turn out to be not so safe
This story in Australia isn't about technology, but consider children's online safety as you read, ok? News.com.au reports that playground equipment has become so safe as to increase harm to children. How can that be? Super-safe playgrounds keep children from learning calculated risk-taking. "Playground injuries were often a result of children being poorly coordinated because they did not know how … [Read more...] about Ultra safe playgrounds turn out to be not so safe