Cyber Safety in the News
Worried About Your Tween’s Screen Time? Check Your Own, New Study Says.
The Washington Post, June 17, 2024
For families who want to keep their tween children from spending too much time in front of screens, a new study offers illuminating advice: Parents, you’ll need to put your phones down first.
The study, published this month in the journal Pediatric Research, examined the links between parenting strategies involving digital media and early adolescent screen use. Among the most striking findings: Parental screen use was strongly associated with higher adolescent screen time and problematic social media or video game use. Parents should be pleased to know that being present and available to their children, without a phone in their hand, can really make a difference.
We agree that the best approach is to have a clear family plan for media use, with understood guidelines and an open line of communication as both parents and children navigate our screen-saturated reality.
Surgeon General Wants Tobacco-Style Warning Applied To Social Media Platforms
NBC News, June 17, 2024
In a recent op-ed, Dr. Vivek Murthy said immediate action is needed to protect young people from the potential mental health harms of social media. He said his vision of the warning includes language that would alert users to the potential mental health harms of the websites and apps.
“When adolescents spend more than three hours a day on social media, we’re seeing an association with a doubling of risk of anxiety and depression symptoms,” he said.
The American Psychological Association says teenagers spend nearly five hours every day on top platforms such as YouTube, TikTok and Instagram. In a 2019 study, the association found the proportion of young adults with suicidal thoughts or other suicide-related outcomes increased 47% from 2008 to 2017, when social media use among that age group soared.
We agree with Dr. Murthy that steps can be taken by parents, social media companies, and others to mitigate the risks, ensure a safer experience online and protect children from possible harm. Education really is key!
Los Angeles School District Bans Use Of Cellphones and Social Media By Students
USA Today, June 18, 2024
Over 429,000 students in the nation’s second-largest school district will be prohibited from using cellphones and social media platforms during the school day. The Los Angeles Unified School District’s Board of Education voted 5-2, approving a resolution to develop within 120 days a policy that bans student use of cellphones and social media platforms during the entire school day. The policy, which will be implemented districtwide, will go into effect by January 2025.
The move is an attempt by educators to curb classroom distractions and protect students’ mental health. K-12 teachers in the U.S. have increasingly faced challenges over students’ cellphone use with one-third saying phone distraction is a “major problem in their classroom,” according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted in fall 2023.
California Governor Gavin Newsom expressed his support for efforts to restrict cellphone use in schools across the state. Newsom previously signed legislation in 2019 that allowed, but did not require, districts to limit or ban smartphone use at schools. Many people think that this decision will benefit the students and it will be interesting to see if any other large school districts follow suit.
Instagram Recommends Sexual Videos To Accounts For 13-Year-Olds, Tests Show
The Wall Street Journal, June 20, 2024
Instagram regularly recommends sexual videos to accounts for teenagers that appear interested in racy content and does so within minutes of when they first log in, according to tests by The Wall Street Journal and an academic researcher.
The tests, run over seven months ending in June, show that the social-media service has continued pushing adult-oriented content to minors after parent company Meta said in January that it was giving teens a more age-appropriate experience by restricting what it calls sensitive content including sexually suggestive material.
It is important for parents to check in on what their child is experiencing on social media sites like Instagram. We hear from parents who are shocked at the content that is found on their child’s device. More often than not, it is not what is shared amongst friends/followers that is concerning, but rather what the platform is feeding to minors.
New York Governor Hochul Signs Legislation Aimed At Protecting Kids Online
ABC News, June 20, 2024
New York Governor Kathy Hochul has signed legislation that would allow parents to block their children from getting social media posts suggested by a platform’s algorithm, a move to limit feeds that critics argue are addictive. Under the legislation, feeds on apps like TikTok and Instagram would be limited for people under age 18 to posts from accounts they follow, rather than content suggested by an automated algorithm. It would also block platforms from sending minors notifications on suggested posts between midnight and 6 a.m.
Both provisions could be turned off if a minor gets what the bill defines as “verifiable parental consent.” This bill would go a long way to protect New York minors from suggested content and links on their social media accounts and could be eventually adopted nationwide.
Chrissy Teigen Shares Why She’s ‘All For Technology’ As A Parenting Resource: ‘Wonderful Addition’
People, June 24, 2024
Between the family’s downtime at home and their jam-packed traveling schedule, Teigen, 38, and her husband John Legend, 45, explain in this article how they tap into tech to keep the kids busy. “We do a lot of learning apps for them that we think are great,” she tells PEOPLE, adding that her daughter Luna, 8, is learning Spanish on Duolingo on her iPad. “We’re finding it to be a really wonderful addition to the other things she gets to do. And yeah, it’s technology, but it’s really wonderful for her.”
Teigen also says that her son Miles’ current interest in the online game Roblox provides a way for the mother-son duo to connect. In a world where the news about online technology for kids can often be daunting, Tiegen shares the upsides of her children’s use and how it has benefited them as a family.
