Category: tweens and technology

Posted in 21st Century parenting, adolescent digital problems, digital health and wellness, digital parenting, parents and technology, social media, teens and technology, tweens and technology

Maybe Technology Itself Is Not the Primary Cause of Adolescent Digital Problems?

Posted on by Marti Weston

I’ve just finished reading a June 3, 2019 New York Times article, When Social Media is Really Problematic for Adolescents, by pediatrician Perri Klass and published for kids working on techher New York Times Check-up column. It’s an engaging read for parents of digital kids and for educators. (Check out other New York Times articles by Perri Klass.)

Dr. Klass makes a strong case for using a new paradigm when we consider the 21st Century digital world challenges of preteens and adolescents. She writes that technology activities such as gaming and social media may not be the primary cause of problems such as cyberbullying, addiction, or suicide, but rather interactive factors that further complicate the existing social-emotional and psychiatric problems of many young people.           

Continue reading “Maybe Technology Itself Is Not the Primary Cause of Adolescent Digital Problems?” →

Posted in 21st Century parenting, digital citizenship, digital devices, digital parenting, parents and technology, tweens and technology

Your 2014 Digital Parenting Resolutions?

Posted on by Marti Weston

os7iphone 2Read the excellent blog post by Sue Scheff over at A Platform for Good. In Digital Resolutions for Parents, the author reviews some of the 21st Century connected world parenting resolutions that parents will want to consider implementing as families move into 2014 digital life.

Scheff offers some good suggestions to help children and adolescents (and their parents) stay safe, learn more, and develop savvy digital street smarts.

If new gadgets and devices have arrived in your family it’s not too late to check out the holiday contract cards over at A Platform for Good. You can use the cards, take the language and organize  on your own paper, or personalize the cards themselves them a bit. These cards are a wonderful resource that can help family members get started in 2014 with clear and well-stated digital life expectations.

If you are searching for more information on digital age contracts to use with children and their digital devices, check out the  contracts and agreements page on this blog. It lists everything on the topic that Media Tech Parenting has discovered on the web and judges to be a worthwhile resource.

Posted in apps, cell phones, digital devices and gadgets, digital parenting, mobile phones, parents and technology, social media, social networking, tweens and technology

Getting to Know Instagram – Links to Bring Adults Up to Speed

Posted on by Marti Weston

In a matter of weeks last spring quite a few older elementary and middle school children whom I know jumped on the Instagram bandwagon, and they continue to have fun with it. The social networking photography app, now owned by Facebook, lives on their wireless devices, making it easy to use without getting encumbered with computers.

The minimum age for the Instagram app is 13, but that hasn’t stopped the site from attracting many children younger than that. While I tend to be someone who takes age requirements seriously, many parents, after checking out various sites, are more comfortable than I am with letting their children use sites when they are a bit younger than 13 years of age.

The biggest challenge for adults is keeping an eye on the content and quality of the photos that their children are uploading to Instagram. Problems can occur when children err in judgment as they make decisions about what to share (and what not to share).

In any event, all of us — parents, teachers, and any other adults in children’s lives — need to learn more about Instagram. I’ve added the app to my phone and plan to get acquainted with it. The list of articles below offers parents and teachers lots of information  — how Instagram works and how children socialize when they use the social networking app with their friends.         Continue reading “Getting to Know Instagram – Links to Bring Adults Up to Speed” →