Weekly News from Around the Web – 5 Must Reads

Posted in Cyberbullying, Mobile Phone, News, Social Networking

Welcome to the first Weekly News from around the Web.   Find interesting  news, opinions and research about loads of fascinating subjects related to parenting in this digital age.  Click on the links to read the full article.  Hopefully  this will help you stay two steps in front of  your kids so  know the issues you’ll need to have a handle on as they grow and evolve.  Enjoy. 

•  Teenagers and technology: I’d rather give up my kidney than my phone -  A rather drammatic title that certainly got my interest!   Great article about how teens are using mobile phones and social networking sites.   Aside from the statistics – 75% of teens use a mobile phone, 73% use social networking sites – the best insights come from the interviews with real teens giving you a picture of how digital communication shapes their lives.   It concludes by saying technology has simply added another layer to teen communication. “The telephone, the car, the television – they all, in their time, changed the way teens relate to each other, and to other people, quite radically.   And how did their parents respond?   With the same kind of wailing and gnashing of teeth we’re doing now.   These technologies change lives, absolutely.   But it’s a generational thing.”   This article is part of a series from The Guardian – there is more great insight into teen lives here. 
• Facebook announces it has reached 500 million users - Putting that into context if Facebook were a country, it would be the third largest behind China (1.3 billion people) and India (1.1 billion).  To celebrate, Facebook are inviting users to submit Facebook Stories describing the impact Facebook connections have had on their life.   Amazing to think this has all been achieved in 6 short years.  (Note to self: I must set up my Digital Parent Facebook page and stop procrastinating !) 
• For Those Facebook Left Behind -  If you’ve been under a rock and missed the whole social networking thing this New York Times article about 5  social networking sites might get you or your grandparents up to speed on why it’s such a phenomena.  It gives an overview on Facebook,  LinkedIn,  Twitter,  Foursquare and  Yelped.  Great why you’d bother / why you’d not bother insights.  
• Cyberbullying and Jessi Slaughter  - Confronting and scary overview of an 11 year old Florida girl  Jessi Slaughter (screen name) involved in cyberbullying .  Local teens had posted online rumors about her and she responded with an online video posted to You Tube full of profanity and vulgar comments.   Things got worse, her Dad got on the webcam and provided  demanded the harrasers stop.  The situation heightened so much police were called in and she is now supposedly in a safe house.   See her interview with Good Morning America here.   Bottom line, she has a webcam in her bedroom and her parents have no idea what she does on the internet.   A real life teachable lesson to discuss with your kids. 
• PBS Frontline Growing Up Online series - A great set of resources available to parents that is updated frequently.  If you want to understand more about daily life in the age of nonstop connection this is the place.  A full library of interviews with teens, parents and experts.  Spend 15 minutes there, choose something that is of value to you and then re-visit another time.

I hope you found something of interest that will help you stay informed about how technology is evolving and the impact this has on bringing up our kids.

Wendy