Archive for August, 2010
Cyberbullying: Girls More Likely to Become Cyberbullies than Boys
New research by the Cyber-bullying Research Center at Florida Atlantic University suggests that female teenagers are noticeably more likely to engage in cyberbullying than their male counterparts. Of the 2,000 middle schoolers surveyed, teen girls were also more likely to report cyberbullying to parents and school administrators. Girls generally spread rumors as a means to [...]
Texting: Students Spend Class Time Texting
According to a recent study by the creators of an app called textPlus, 43% of teenagers use their cell phones to text during class. Many kids hide their cell phones under their desks, in pockets, or in their backpacks to avoid getting caught by teachers or school administrators, and use texting for things like gossiping [...]
Parenting: Online Communities Are Surrogate Families for Teens
A new study of 4,299 teenagers from Spain, Japan, and the United Kingdom, found that teens feel more connected to online communities than their offline peer groups and neighbors. The study was conducted by two researchers from the Helsinki Institute for Information Technology (HIIT) and the University of Turku in Finland, and was published by [...]
Texting: Can you decipher these text messages?
According to the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project, 64% of parents check their children’s cell phones for inappropriate content. Kids have caught on, and they’ve started to communicate in code. Here are just a few examples of text messages that, if discovered on a child’s phone, should concern parents. N2 2CB. WBU? Translation: [...]
Video Sites: Kids Emulate Deadly Game From YouTube
“The Choking Game” is a deadly trend in which a child or teen ties something around their neck in the hopes of stopping blood flow to their brain to reach a so-called “high.” The game can be played alone or with a group of people, and videos of kids playing the dangerous game can be [...]
Internet Safety: Tips for Using GPS-based Websites
Knowing how to work and play safely with GPS-based sites such as FourSquare is paramount. They are gaining in popularity and can pose security risks to unwitting users. These sites are member based and involve frequent “check-ins” from members via a cell phone app that uses the phone’s geolocation technology – the technology that gives [...]
Cyberbullying: Kids Use Technology to Harass Other Kids
An astounding 25% of American children have been victims of cyberbullying and 20% of American teenagers say they’ve participated in sexting, according to a recent article published in U.S. News & World Report. “With the increase in technological devices, children are now using [them] to harass and harm other children,” says Bridget Roberts-Pittman, an assistant [...]
Video Games: Online Game Safety Tips
Online games are wildly popular, deeply immersive, and a whole lot of fun. Players are encouraged to abandon their realities and explore a virtual world on their own, or among a group of online friends. Parents, however, need to be alert. Online games launch children into a world with hundreds, maybe thousands, of other real [...]
Sexting: Online “Sextortion” of Teens Increasing
Federal Authorities have made it official: online cases of sexual extortion or sexual exploitation of teenagers are mounting. It starts with a teen who takes a nude photograph of him/herself. At first glance, it seems harmless. They send the photo to a boyfriend or girlfriend via cell phone. This act is otherwise known as sexting, [...]
Texting: Top Reasons Why Teens Text While Driving
A recent survey by Seventeen magazine and the American Automobile Association (AAA) found that almost 9 out of 10 teenage drivers have completed a distracting activity while driving, such as texting or talking on their cell phones, even though most of them are aware that the activity can increase their risk of getting into an [...]
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