News Stories

June 7, 2018

Harvard’s Useable Knowledge on identifying fake news

In a post titled “From Digital Native to Digital Expert,” a researcher at the Harvard School of Education takes cues from fact-checkers on how to determine whether something you see online is “true.” The first of four steps: Don’t trust appearances. Ignore a source’s layout, references, and even domain (although .com and .org are superior to .net or .anythingelse). It’s easy to look credible. The article is a super helpful read for adults and students.

June 1, 2018

The ADL on the difficulties of telling an adult

We encourage kids to tell a trusted adult if they are ever threatened or bullied. Turns out, it’s not so easy. The Anti-Defamation League reports on the moral dilemma of “snitching.” The article provides a huddle-like scenario to prep kids to more easily get adults involved when necessary. One of the most helpful sections is the unspoken benchmarks of what kids deem reportable (and what isn’t).

May 31, 2018

The Pew Research Center on teens, social media, and technology in 2018

The Pew Research Center released the findings of a new study for which they interviewed 743 teens and 1,058 parents who have a teen ages 13 to 17. The biggest news is that nearly all teens own a smartphone — regardless of gender, race, and ethnicity and socioeconomic backgrounds. And gaming is “nearly universal” for boys.

May 15, 2018

Teens Unlikely to be Harmed by Moderate Digital Screen Use

Less is not always more when it comes to screen time. You may be asking, “But when does screen time turn potentially harmful?” Well-being peaks after more than 4 hours of using a computer, more than 2 hours of using a smartphone, and over 90 minutes playing video games during a typical weekday (it peaks after even more screen time, not less, over the weekend). Read more about the study’s findings on the Association for Psychological Science website.

May 8, 2018

The Independent on what makes social media so addictive

It’s called cortisol. It’s in your brain. And apps like Facebook and Snapchat are structured to release it, making you want more. But YOU control your device. It does not control you. Head to The Independent to read more.

April 23, 2018

The Washington Post on the question that helped one writer stop overparenting

“What do you do?” We ask students this question after describing common (and often tricky) social media scenarios each time we work with them. This Washington Post article says we’re on to something: “Kids hear and respond to the statements in our questions, more than the questions themselves. Asking them how they will handle an issue suggests that they can own the solution as well as the problem.” YES!

April 3, 2018

The Washington Post on why Fortnite is so popular

Within months Fortnite became the most-watched game on Twitch and YouTube Gaming. Its iOS mobile app topped the charts in the U.S. within 12 hours of its release (yesterday). And an Android app is coming. In summary, kids (and adults) are loving this game so hard. Read up on it in The Washington Post and elsewhere on our website.

March 30, 2018

Netflix on a conversation about “13 Reasons Why”

To understand if and how Season 1 of “13 Reasons Why” really got teens and parents talking about tough topics like suicide and bullying, Netflix commissioned a global research study. The results are in: Teens reported apologizing to each other for poor treatment, and adults need more resources. Downloadable viewing guides to help parents and teens start tough conversations will be available for Season 2.

March 12, 2018

Teenage brothers on sex, social media, and what their parents don’t understand

The Cut published an interview with two teenage brothers. Here’s what one had to say about social media: “In some ways, social media is making it harder to grow up. But in other ways, it makes it easier. Because we can watch everybody do it. We can see how other people are coping.” THIS is why role models are important.

March 8, 2018

Harvard blog on when to give your child a smartphone

The Usable Knowledge blog from Harvard’s Graduate School of Education is a fantastic resource for thoughtful articles like this one. Your child is ready for a smartphone “once you’ve talked about responsible use and modeled the behavior on your own device.” Start while they’re young, know the devices available, and be a savvy user yourself before handing them one of their own. But that’s just the start — this article is chock-full of excellent advice.

February 22, 2018

BOLD on blaming smartphones, but missing the point

The Blog on Learning and Development (BOLD) interviewed psychologist Candice Odgers, who explains why the use of digital media by adolescents is not a black-and-white issue. She also tries to set the record straight about the research being done on social media’s role in adolescent suicides (at less than 1%, it’s minuscule).

January 26, 2018

Teach students to use social media (the right way) and the possibilities are endless

A teacher in Kansas showed his students the power of Twitter (in the classroom!) to spread information quickly, and the potential for good that can have. #loveit Read the article on NPR.

January 25, 2018

Harvard blog on social media and teen anxiety

“How parents can help their kids navigate the pressures of their digital lives — without pulling the plug on the positives” 👍 is the subtitle of this blog post. The writer does a great job quickly putting the problem of teen anxiety into a historical context and then focusing on technology’s role in today’s version of the same problem. Short on time? ⏰ Scroll to the last section, “For parents, strategies on mitigating anxiety — without overreacting.” So. Right. On.

January 24, 2018

The Washington Post on what teens wish their parents knew about social media

That title says it all. Head to The Washington Post to be enlightened.✨

January 24, 2018

USA Today on the effects of social media on college recruiting

How you use social media — not just what you post but also who you follow and what you “like” — as a younger student may well determine your college 🏈🏑🏀🏒⚽️⛸⚾️🏹🎾⛳️🏐 future. The USA Today article gives common-sense advice and includes tips on what to do when (not if!) you make a mistake.