"Kids most likely to spend a lot of time texting and on Facebook, among other networking sites, may be more well-adjusted," the Los Angeles Times reports, pointing to several new studies. The body of research on how kids use digital media is growing fast, and new articles in academic journals are confirming what we collectively already knew: that a child's experience online is very much a … [Read more...] about Most teen social Web users well-adjusted
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Net safety: How social networks can be protective
Hmm. It's arresting to think about what Stewart Wolf, MD, discovered and presented at medical conferences – as told by Malcolm Gladwell in Outliers – in the context of social media and online safety today. Back in the 1950s, he found a community in Pennsylvania statistically very free of the No. 1 medical concern of the time, heart disease, and looked into what was going on there. When Wolf … [Read more...] about Net safety: How social networks can be protective
Online ‘walled garden’ aimed at tween girls
Here's an innovative idea for parents (of girls 8-12) who are concerned about predators: My Secret Circle. It gives new meaning to the safe playground or walled garden idea, because - with this hardware product, the My Secret Circle Access Key (pictured here), which plugs into a computer USB port - groups of real-life friends can socialize online while being completely closed off from the Internet … [Read more...] about Online ‘walled garden’ aimed at tween girls
Meaty perspective on sexting
Teens sharing nude or provocative photos is not brand-new, says Dr. Richard Chalfen at the Center for Media and Child Health, and there are "at least 4 kinds of sub-cultures crucial to understanding the 'sexting' phenomenon"; "media culture," "digital culture," "intense visual culture," and "adolescent culture." Chalfen explains each one in "Teen Culture," the first of a very digestible three-part … [Read more...] about Meaty perspective on sexting
Sex offenders in social sites: Consider the facts
The only way we can have solid, progressive parent-child and public discussions about children's online safety is if we can keep the facts in mind when we read the latest news about predators in Facebook and MySpace - facts based on consistent, peer-reviewed academic research about online risk. So here are the key facts to keep in mind: Not all children are equally at risk of Net-related sexual … [Read more...] about Sex offenders in social sites: Consider the facts