TEENS & TECHNOLOGY

TEENS
AND
TECHNOLOGY

TEXTING AND WALKING CAN BE HAZARDOUS TO YOUR HEALTH!
We all know the perils of texting and driving. The statistics are alarming. But more and more, experts are cautioning to be aware of digital distractions during other activities as well -- like walking down the street! SafeSoundFamily posted a recent article on the importance of not letting cell phone use -- whether chatting, texting, reading, or listening to music -- distract users from being alert to the world around them. Check it out!

FUN VIDEO ON HOW CELL PHONES ARE CHANGING OUR BODIES & BRAINS!

WHAT ARE MIDDLE SCHOOL KIDS REALLY UP TO?
Today’s kids are digital natives, and they are using technology for school and entertainment more than ever before. In Brookline, 46% of middle schoolers report using electronic devices for non-school related activity more than three hours a day (up from 33% in 2015). So what exactly are kids doing on their electronic devices, and what can parents do to encourage smart and respectful behavior online – and off? Check out B-PEN’s special middle school Parent Update on “Social Media & Cyberbullying: What Parents Need to Know.”

WHAT SOCIAL MEDIA SITES AND APPS ARE POPULAR WITH KIDS?

By and large, kids these days are into way more adventures in social media than parents are aware of. Are you up on all the different sites your kids are flocking to, from the disturbingly popular Ask.fm to Instagram? Check out this excellent survey article from the blog "What Is Privacy." Also, psychotherapist Patricia Snell's Parent Resource Sheet offers invaluable information on cyberbullying, internet safety, online gaming information, and further web resources. The latest Parent Update for Middle Schoolers offers highlights of Snell's recent talk to Brookline parents on Bullying and Cyberbullying: What Parents Need to Know.

And here's a positive spin on teen use of social media that's well worth a read:
- https://www.commonsensemedia.org/blog/5-reasons-you-dont-need-to-worry-about-kids-and-social-media

Concerned about Google+ and how much your children (or you!) are sharing online? Check this info sheet on Google+ from Brookline AWARE officers, who also offer this excellent "Middle School Tips for Cyber Safety."

HEADS UP ON TINDER
In response to parents’ concerns, B-PEN offers a heads up on Tinder, a popular hook-up app that some BHS teens use to meet others in the area, including older college students and adults. The photo and messaging app has little privacy control and allows users to browse photos of potential matches within a geographic area, swiping right to "like" a photo or left to "pass." If both users swipe "like," the app offers the option to chat, which can evolve into setting up a meeting in person, sometimes resulting in Brookline kids going to college parties. This app is even filtering down to students in the middle school grades, which can be an open door to predators. According to Common Sense Media, this should be a “no-go” for kids. Talk to your teen about Tinder…

ASK THE MEDIATRICIAN
Boston Children’s Hospital pediatrician Dr. Michael Rich is a media enthusiast who offers his expertise via the Center on Media and Child Health. Through “Ask the Mediatrician,” parents can pose questions and get answers about how media use is affecting out children, with topics ranging from cyberbullying to the impact of multi-tasking on brain development. Check it out.

MEDIA LITERACY
Today, as never before, the lives of children are saturated with commercial marketing, targeted through DVDs, video games, the Internet, MP3 players, and cell phones. What do parents need to know about helping their adolescents develop healthy media literacy?

RESOLUTIONS ALL FAMILIES SHOULD MAKE
Common Sense Media offers an excellent tip sheet for helping families start the new year out right with Resolutions for Healthy Media Use . Check it out!

PARENT NETWORK NEWSLETTER ON
Cyberspace -- The Good, the Bad & the Ugly
Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, texting, gaming, skyping, internet surfing – kids as well as adults are often spending more time in the virtual world of cyberspace than interacting with the real world. With computers in the vast majority of households and smart phones now functioning as mini-computers, we are more “connected” today than ever before. This constant barrage of electronic stimuli poses new challenges for today’s teens, such as the pressure to be connected 24/7, navigating the rocky road to responsible cyber citizenship, and the very real concern that all the technological distractions combine to actually rewire the developing brain. Brookline Parent Education Network’s new Parent Newsletter reports on the latest Community Forum on “Cyberspace – The Good, the Bad & the Ugly.” Learn about some of the most concerning issues and find out what parents can do to help guide their kids toward safe and responsible use of technology.

For middle school parents, Brookline Police Office Prentice Pilot, who teaches cyber safety as part of the Public School's of Brookline health initiative, AWARE, offers an excellent TIP SHEET for talking to kids about internet use.

FAMILY GUIDE TO HIGH TECH TOYS

For holidays, birthdays and special occasions, some of the hottest gift items for kids of all ages continue to be electronics, from phones and tablets to e-readers and video games. If you give a digital gift, we urge you to include some parental guidelines for responsible use. The constant stream of stimuli that electronic devices offer can draw kids into hours of unproductive and ultimately unhealthy behavior that can lead to focusing and learning challenges. Take time to talk about basic limits for use and good cyber citizenship.

One of the best sites to help navigate the challenges parents face in the digital world is CommonSenseMedia.org. Check out the organization's new "Family Guide to Kids' High-Tech Toys." It offers invaluable advice on what's out there and how to help your kids wisely manage all this exciting new technology.

EXPERT JOANI GELTMAN SAYS "TURN OFF CELL PHONES & COMPUTERS AT BEDTIME!"

Joani Geltman

Parenting expert Joani Geltman recommends that cell phones and computers be turned off at bedtime. At the annual B-PEN event “Welcome to Teen Life,” a special presentation on “Parenting Strategies for Entering the High School Years” Joani uses humor, insight, psychology and storytelling to help parents understand some of the unique physical, social/emotional and cognitive changes that occur as young teens prepare to enter high school, explaining how behavior at this age is driven by major changes in the developing teen brain. She also addresses some of the most pressing issues that often arise during the summer before freshman year of high school, as well as some concrete, real-world strategies for smoothing this important developmental transition. (Many of Geltman’s tips, such as how to manage your child’s cell phone and computer use – “TURN THEM OFF AT BEDTIME!” – can be found on her blog, www.joanigeltman.blogspot.com).

PARENT ADVISORY -- Watch out for unsafe websites that teens may be drawn to, like:
www.chatroulette.com, an online phenomenon that allows kids to connect through webcams to a random, fathomless succession of strangers (possibly predators) from across the globe.

www.Formspring.me, which the NY Times calls “the online version of the bathroom wall in school, the place to scrawl raw, anonymous gossip.”

RESOURCES
Common Sense Media
Digizen
Center on Media and Children
Stop Think Connect
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
Children-Online
The Anti Drug
Safe Teens
Cyber Safety
Wired Safety
S tay Safe Online
Wired Teens
Ten Steps to Screen Proof Your Home
OwnYourSpace: A Guide to Facebook Security
Connect Safely
IKeepSafe.org
Educator Labs Top Sources for Tips on Internet Safety
"Your Brain on Computers"  NY Times's superb series of articles
"Teens, Social Media and Health" from Harvard Pilgrim Health Care's Spring 2016 Newsletter
"Teens, Social Media, and Health," from Harvard Pilgrim Health Care's Spring 2016 Newsletter