Providing information and resources for parents, youth workers and educators to help kids navigate their digital world.
In this post for Parents ‘Teen Talk’ column—articles written by teens to help parents understand what’s really happening in their world—a teenager shares what she learned from a personal experience with bullying in high school and how parents can support teens through their own situations. Read the article here.
TikTok, a social network video app with more than 1 billion downloads globally, admitted Tuesday to a set of policies that had suppressed the reach of content created by users assumed to be “vulnerable to cyberbullying.” Read the article here.
The more often young teens turn to social media, the more prone they are to eating disorders, new research suggests. Read the article here.
Match Group, which owns most major online dating services, screens for sexual predators on Match — but not on Tinder, OkCupid or PlentyofFish. Read the article here.
Sadfishing is when someone exaggerates their emotional state in order to get sympathy or attention from an audience. Read the article here.
While teens are using social networking platforms, they are exposed to marketing from food brands. Read the article here.
Study suggests that struggling students can considerably improve their grades by spending less time on social media. Read the article here.
Preteens spend a lot on video games, but how? Read the article here.
Gen Z can’t get enough of TikTok. But if you’re worried about what exactly your kids are getting, you’re not alone. Read the article here.
Instagram announced it’s expanding its test of hidden likes to users around the world. Read the article here.
Instagram is a beauty pageant. TikTok is where kids are free to be mediocre. Read the article here.
College students went one week without their smartphones. Read the article here.
Are teens as much in thrall to digital as popular stereotypes suggest? Read the article here.
Now, more and more people want to look like themselves — a phone-edited version of themselves, that is. Read the article here.
Depending on where they live, millennial parents would consider a range of high-tech treatments for the health and wellness of their children. Read the article here.
Toddlers who spend loads of time looking at tablets, smartphones or TVs may be changing their brains, and not for the better. Read the article here.
For those growing up in 2019, however, anything with a screen can be a gaming platform. Read the article and view the video here.
The majority of high schoolers have embraced YouTube as their social media platform of choice, with recent studies showing that the majority of high schoolers spend exponentially more time on the video-sharing service than on the wealth of other social media options out there. Read the article here.
Online video usage is going through the roof and has more than doubled in four years. Read the article here.
Cyber Flashing is a different way for sexual predators to invade your privacy or that of your children or to transfer other unwanted material using a specific program that is featured on all Apple devices: AirDrop. Read the article here.
High-schoolers tell the WSJ why they love the video social network, but also acknowledge its dark side: ‘Don’t use it as a babysitter’. Read the article here.
Teens spend, on average, more than seven hours a day using screens and 60 percent of teens themselves say spending too much time online is a “major” problem. Read the article here.
Katie Couric wanted to know why one in four women are scared during sex. Her short answer: porn. Read the article here.
Instagram decided to remove the cosmetic surgery filter over concerns that they contribute to unrealistic beauty standards, linked to negative body image among users. Read the article here.
Being funny (52%), having an interesting topic (46%), and being short in length (43%) are important. Read the article here.
This large-scale study explores how kids age 8 to 18 in the U.S. use media across an array of activities and devices—including short-form, mobile-friendly platforms like YouTube—to see where they spend their time and what they enjoy most. Download the report from Common Sense Media here.
Heavier users of social media get to bed later and get poorer quality sleep. Read the article here.
Images posted to social media are often far from reality, but this research is among the first to analyze how all of these unrealistic pictures impact young women’s views on their own bodies Read the article here.
Treatments for children with anxiety and depression increasingly push them to navigate Instagram, Snapchat to build relationships with peers. Read the article here.
Alarming new research reveals that the average parent spends just 24 minutes more per day with their children than they do with their smartphone. Read the article here.
A new UK study shows that teenagers who spend 3 or more hours engaging in social media are much more likely to sleep late and to have night awakenings, among other poor sleep habits. Read the article here.
Smartphones are many people’s gateway to entertainment, knowledge and other people strewn across the globe, a means to an end – be it education, connection, self-development. In one part of the world, though, it has become an addiction. Read the article here.
The latest research suggests it’s not far-fetched at all — especially when you consider all the societal and cultural factors that make today’s games so attractive. Read the article here.
A 14-year-old shares about being sick and tired of social media. Read his account here.
Teen girls are making TikTok videos dancing to audio clips of their exes’ demoralizing voicemails and rants. Read the article here.
Their smartphones do everything, but can teenagers master old tech and life skills – from reading a map to setting an alarm clock? Read the article here.
Concerns over enforcement and data being misused lead government to cancel rollout. Read the article here.
Loneliness is Instagram’s hottest trend. Read the article here.
Teens keep discovering ways to get around Apple’s Screen Time parental control feature. Read the article here.
The October issue of Nielsen’s Game ON! Newsletter. Download the newsletter here.
Tim Elmore blogs about 5 common sources of stress in teens that often lead to anxiety and depression. Read the blog post here.
r/teenagers is a subreddit created by teenagers for teenagers as a place to share memes, vent about school, and share about the experience of being a teen. Read the article here.
A Federal University of Espírito Santo (UFES) survey of more than 2,000 adolescents shows that 25.3 percent are moderately or severely dependent on the Internet. Read the article here.
42 percent of teens think their parents overshare about them online. Read the article here.
83% of parents agreed with the statement “there should be robust age-verification controls in place to stop children (under 18s) seeing commercial pornography online.” Read the report here.
An Ohio lawmaker has drafted a new resolution that could declare pornography a public health hazard. House Resolution 180 also links viewing pornography to violence against women. Read the article here.
Teens’ icons and role models aren’t just actors and athletes anymore — now, they’re looking up to their favorite people to follow on Instagram and YouTube. Read the article here.
YouTube edged out Netflix as the preferred video streaming platform for teens, according to a new survey from investment banking firm Piper Jaffray. Read the article here.
As children and teens become more absorbed by the lure of posting and reading others’ posts on social media, it becomes critical for adults to step in, set limits and just clarify things, doctors urge. Read the article here.
Teens use dark humor on TikTok to cope with school shooting anxiety. Read the article here.
According to a new large scale study of more than 37,000 users, there is now a mobile device “typing gap” between today’s 10- to 19-year-olds and their parents’ generation. Read the article here.
Haley downloaded the app for fun. Now millions of people watch her videos. Read the article here.
But in all countries, “one thing we’ve found in common is the number of parents and teens who say they wake up in the middle of the night and check their phones.” Read the full article here.
Many grandparents want to know what they can do to protect their precious grandkids from today’s online dangers. Read some tips here.
Contrary to some common perceptions about advertising, a Deloitte study says younger TV viewers actually have a higher tolerance for advertising — especially for streaming services. Read the article here.
Six in 10 say they never switch off because they are constantly checking their mobile. Read the article here.
Pupils seeking support online are being affected by latest trend. Read the article here.
The endless endorsement of particular body images and physical attributes on social media is influencing how young boys view themselves in the modern age, according to a new book. Read the article here.
Esports streamers with millions of generation Z fans are the next frontier for brands. Read the article here.
In the gaming space, the Battle Royale category (a last-man-standing survival game) recently skyrocketed to prominence – most notably via the rapid ascension of Epic Games’ Fortnite, which has arguably become a recognized household brand. Read the article here.
A generation is growing up with online pornography. What impact is it having on them – and how should parents handle it? Read the article here.
Videos have surfaced on TikTok and Twitter of Amish users doing everything from riding a horse and buggy to Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road,” building to the song “Barbie Girl” and some who just answer questions about Amish life. Read the article here.
Teens with low-self control who excessively use digital devices and have friends who engage in questionable behavior could be more prone to hack. Read the article here.
Instagram has announced that it will restrict users under the age of 18 from seeing posts that promote select weight-loss products and cosmetic surgery procedures, while the company will also ban some types of ads that promote unrealistic “get thin quick” products entirely, reports the BBC. Read the article here.
A new study is warning parents that all that screen time may be behind a stunning rise in children who need prescription glasses. Read the article here.
The VSCO girl, named after VSCO, an Instagram-like app for photo editing and sharing, wears oversize name-brand shirts, wrist scrunchies, and puka shell necklaces… and more. Read the article here.
Those who buy the new phones will have the ability to take slow-motion selfies, which, it declared, are now officially known as “Slofies.” Read the article here.
A study published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry suggests that teenagers who spend more than three hours a day on social media are more likely to develop mental health problems including depression, anxiety, aggression, and antisocial behavior. Read the article here.
People who are part of Generation Z are the most likely age group to be influenced by the things they see on the internet, despite being the first generation to grow up entirely online. Read the article here.
Putting glue above your upper lip in order to make your lips look plump? Read more about the trend here.
Denying a teen a smartphone in 2019 is a tough decision, and one that requires an organized and impenetrable defense. Read the article here.
The September issue of the GAME ON! Newsletter from Nielsen takes a look at Borderlands 3 and more. Read it here.
The main reason teenagers are so tethered to their smartphones is social connection. Read the insights here.
Pornography is now available to anyone, anytime, anywhere. Read the article here.
Christians hope to address the ethical concerns raised as the country grows more skeptical of Big Tech. Read the article here.
A study set out to find if selfie-editing filters negatively or positively impact one’s evaluation of self. Read the article here.
Parents report that one of the top reasons they avoid discussions about pornography with their children is they are afraid they’ll make their child uncomfortable. Read the article here.
Because homework-help apps and sites can either give students all the answers or provide much-needed support, parents need to make sure kids are using these tools properly. Read the article here.
Researchers found that 8- to 11-year-olds who got adequate sleep and had limits on “screen time” were less likely than their peers to report problems with impulsive behavior. Read the article here.
Some Irish teens share their highs and lows about smartphone use. Read the article here.
The 15-year-old from Uttarakhand got so addicted to Taxi Driver 2 that she wanted to be on the move constantly and ran away from home to live her life like in the mobile game. Read the article here.
As digital reading habits rewire our brains, how will we process the Bible differently? Read the article here.
MTV is launching a Catfish-esque show to help those who have been ghosted by former lovers confront their ghoster, and many people don’t approve of the message the show is sending. Read the article here.
Generation Z now has $143 billion in buying power and is entering a back-to-school season with more purchasing happening on smartphones than ever. Read the article here.
Ever wonder what teens do on their phones all day? Read the article here.
A new survey from computer and smartphone maker Lenovo shows that pretty much all around the world, technology trumps parental intervention when it comes to helping kids with homework. Read the article here.
Generation Z has never known a world without the internet, smartphones and social media and their behavior is a constant source of fascination for companies who want to understand how to reach them with the next big thing. Read the article here.
American teenager Kyle Giersdorf won $3 million on Sunday in New York after taking the top prize in a tournament for the popular online video game Fortnite. Read the article here.
There’s a rise in cyberbullying nationwide, with three times as many girls reporting being harassed online or by text message than boys, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Read the article here.
Social media is helping spur the e-cigarette epidemic among America’s teens, a new study suggests. Read the article here.
Spending too much time scrolling through social media and watching more television has been linked with symptoms of depression in young people — and a new study reveals to what extent screen time and depression may be intertwined. Read the article here.
New legislation is set to crackdown on a phenomenon called “nomophobia,” which means living in fear of losing your mobile and having no internet connection. Read the article here.
Having come of age in a world in which virtual “likes” determine personal worth, more than half of Gen Z and Millennials admit to daydreaming about life without social media. Read the article here.
Less than a year after its U.S. launch, the platform is poised to dominate the American social-media landscape and upend the creator ecosystem. Read the article here.
For a fee as high as $200, so-called “screen time consultants” are helping parents figure out how to get their kids off of their devices. View the video from Good Morning America here.