Derek E. Baird :: Barking Robot

Weekly Wrap: Social Media, TV & Michael Jackson, Captain EO, Video Game Tips for Parents, Teens Leaving Facebook, Bruno & MySpace, Adam Lambert on Michael Jackson

Social Media, TV, Michael Jackson & Saying Goodbye to the 'King of Pop': Michael Jackson's  memorial service garnered huge numbers on TV, but it also did big numbers on the social web. Facebook and CNN teamed up again to provide a live stream of Jackson's memorial and allow viewer to simultaneously share their thoughts on Facebook. Also worth a read is John Morton's post on 'The Passing of Michael Jackson & Mass Media.'

Over on Ypulse.com, Ypulse Youth Advisory Board member Nina shares who 'Michael Jackson was to Today's Teens.' In other related news, Disney may re-release the 3D Jackson space fantasy multimedia experience/film 'Captain Eo' and American Idol alum Adam Lambert shares his thoughts on Michael Jackson. [TechCrunch] [eWeek] [SuperGeekery.com] [Ypulse.com] [Examiner] [YouTube] [Rolling Stone]

Declaration of Independence from Social Media (For One Day): "When in the course of human events it becomes necessary for people to dissolve the digital bands which have connected them with all of their friends they haven’t seen since preschool, and to assume a life away from the computer for one day, a respect for other Internet users requires that the person should declare the causes which cause them to separate from social media for that day." (Very clever and worth reading!) [Examiner]

Bing Now Bigger Than Digg, Twitter & CNN: According to Compete.com, Bing was able to amass 49.57 million unique visitors in its first month as Microsoft’s official search engine. Bing’s traffic trumps that of Digg 38.96 million) Twitter (23 million), and CNN (28.54 million). We want to note that this focuses on U.S. visitors, since Compete does not track international visits. [Mashable]

Tweet of the Week: "If Google bought Twitter, it wouldn't get a new feature for 3 years. If Apple bought it, tweets would be .99 but you'd get a 10 character preview." [@DanielFlorien]

Raising a Healthy Gamer: Parenting is always a tough job, and video games are a tricky subject in today's families. Ars offers a no-BS guide to dealing with gaming and your children, and their advice is simple: you know your children better than anyone else.

Also be sure to check out video game parenting tips from the folks over at Microsoft & XBox 360 along with safety tips from Yahoo!, Disney and AOL. Just keep in mind that your kid is probably smart enough to hack your parental controls. [ARS Technica] [Yahoo! Safely] [AOL Parental Controls]

How to connect to Today's Millenials: Shop-Eat-Surf has a recap of a presentation given by Michael Wood, the Senior VP of Syndicated Research at Teen Research Unlimited (TRU), at the SIMA Boot Camp on understanding today's millennials. Hat tip to Group Y Sports for the heads up! [Shop Eat Surf]

Kids, Video Games, Learning & Health: The Center on Media and Child Health (CMCH) has a good analysis of the Game Changer: Investing in digital play to advance children's learning and health report released by the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop. [CMCH]

One Last Thing: Check out this mashup of the Michael Jackson classic 'Billie Jean' by Soulwax (great, great stuff!), Julia Fallon offers advice for educators Lost in Web 2.0 Cyberspace (pdf), a must-read article with fantastic ideas for teaching kids about media literacy & body image (thanks @tandrusiak!), as grandpa & grandma join Facebook--teens begin to bail, according to new research from BabyCenter 39% of moms report that they make 'net time' their quiet time, Crain's New York Business wonders if Bruno can save MySpace, and finally...don't tell Al Gore, but the environment is not the number one social cause among college students (pdf). [YouTube] [Princial Leadership] [MyHighPlains.com] [Read Write Web] [Crain's New York Business] [SurveyU]

Weekly Wrap: Mobile Phones & Toddlers, Under 30 CEOs, Teens & TV, Summer of Social Good, Social Branding, Facebook Filters

Iranian Youth, Mobiles & Social Media: Despite the government crack down, Revolution 2.0 continues to move along, thanks in large part to Iranian Millennial's and their savvy use of  mobile and social networking technologies. [Mobile Youth] [Mobile Youth Marketing Trends & Clips] [Barking Robot]

Mobile Toddlers: Despite bans by other European countries, a new mobile phone being targeted to toddlers is heading to the sticky hands of wee ones in both the UK and Ireland. A new UK study found that 50% of British children aged 5 to 9 own a mobile phone.

Mobile youth culture continues to flourish in Japan, with Disney Mobile going gangbusters after flopping in the USA. Check out this Barking Robot post on kids' use of mobile phones in other countries. [Guardian] [Times Online] [Tech Crunch]

Under 30 and Kicking Ass? Derek Johnson, the founder of popular group text messaging service Tatango has created a user-powered list of entrepreneurs/CEOs under the age of 30 to help connect young entrepreneurs to one another.

If you are a young entrepreneur under the age of 30, you can add yourself to the list here. Derek has also posted a video from his recent talk on personal branding. Good stuff. Watch it! [Big Ideas From a Young Mind] [Game Change Ventures]

New Bravo Show Will Let Viewers Interact via Tweet, Email, Phone, Video & Facebook: NBC Universal-owned cable channel, Bravo, on Monday announced plans to launch an interactive TV series, entitled “Watch What Happens: Live.” It's good to see that someone gets that there in TV-land understands that there is a huge media shift taking place and that holding on to the old media model with a death grip, just isn't going to work. [Interactive TV Today]

Tweet of the Week: "I could never be a rock star guy who trashes hotel rooms. All I think is "someone's mother has to clean it up." -- @ThisIsRobThomas [Twitter]

Nielsen Debunks Myths on Teens & TV: According to Nielsen, teenagers are far from abandoning TV for so-called new media. In fact, television viewing rates among U.S. teens have actually gone up 6% in the last five years.

If you've been a long time reader of Barking Robot, this research isn't really, uhm, news. More excellent analysis on the Nielsen study from Anastasia over at Ypulse. [Tech Crunch] [Ypulse] [Barking Robot]

Bad Apples? A High School Senior loses diploma over a kiss (FAIL!), a teacher gets suspended for posting gun pictures on Facebook, 60% of students at a Chicago school won't graduate and the finger pointing has already started, a Los Angeles student is barred delivering a graduation speech because she participated in a sit-in to protest teacher layoffs, and a new study finds that many teens use mobile phones to cheat in class. [Yahoo! Buzz] [AOL Switched] [CBS Chicago] [USA Today]

Social Media 4 Good: Lipton Tea has partned with National Geographic and the Rainforest Alliance to create a micro-site that tells about sustainable agriculture in general, including the origins of Lipton teas, as well as sustainability, social and economic aspects of the tea-growing and harvesting process.

Also this week, Google launched All for Good, a new service to help you find and share volunteer opportunities, and social media companies have joined forces and declared this the Summer of Social Good.

One Last Thing: Check out this good overview of social branding, MTV talks about digital strategy and youth, help for parents trying to figure out t/weens, how to filter out Facebook "Friends" without them knowing, teen 'prodigies' debate vital issues and stuff, learning about forgiveness from Monica Lewinsky and finally, did Michael Jackson 'Fail Whale' Twitter? Yep!  [justbrand.me] [PBS] [Connect With Teens] [AlleyInsider] [Hot Air] [Flickr] [New Media Strategies]

Global Youth: International Study on Children's Use of Mobile Phones

The Mobile Society Research Institute, based in Japan, has compiled an international study looking at how kids in Japan, South Korea, China, India, and Mexico use mobile technology in their daily lives. Over 6,000 youth between the ages of 9 and 18 and their parents were surveyed on a range of questions regarding their use, attitudes and feelings toward mobile phones.

Key findings of the MSRI Survey

• Mobile phone technology has become ubiquitous among youth. Key drivers of mobile adoption are age, desire to remain connected with their friends via mobile messaging and network externality.

• Network externality is the process whereby as the number of people who use a certain product increases around its user, the benefit of owning the product for the user also increases. When network externality takes effect, the adoption of the product increases.

• The network effect of friends starting to use mobile phones was also found to be a key trigger for take up of phones by children across all the countries surveyed. The survey found that 24% of children bought their mobile phone when one of their three closest friends bought a mobile phone. The network effect was strongest in Japan and China, and weakest in Mexico.

• Children who use mobile phones show a higher level of trust in new media and a slight increase of distrust of "old media" formats such as newspapers, tv news or radio.

• The survey found that 4% more girls owned a mobile phone than boys, and 9% more girls who did not own a mobile phone wanted to.

• Contrary to theories that mobile phones can be an unwelcome distraction for children, the study found no effective correlation between children’s ownership and usage of mobile phones and the time they spent on other activities.

• Children tend to view their mobile phone as an "information gadget" for communication, especially via mobile email or SMS/text.

• Among those surveyed who send/receive mobile SMS/texting and/or mobile email tend to view their mobile phone as an "essential device" in their life. Moreover, mobile email/SMS technology is used more than "traditional" voice communications. The network effect seems to play an important role in the acquisition of these behaviors.

• Ownership of mobile phones by children has a direct correlation with age, being female, parental income, parental emphasis on education, use of video games and computers.

Use of Mobile Phones Varies by Country

• Among Japanese youth mobile phone use accelerates at Jr. High and High School. In addition, Japanese youth tend to focus more on the functions of their mobile phone than the design.

• The study found that Korean youth are among the youngest to begin using mobile phones. The more the parents emphasize education, the earlier they are to get their first mobile phone. Moreover, Korean youth are more likely to trust in new media than they would in traditional media sources.

• Unlike other countries, the survey found that Chinese boys were more likely to own a mobile phone  before Chinese girls. In addition, the "network effect" appears to play a stronger role in the adoption of mobile technology among Chinese youth.

• In India, children are more likely to share a mobile phone with their entire family (parents included) rather than own their own mobile device. Moreover, unlike China and Japan, the "network effect" plays almost no role in when or what age Indian children begin using mobile technology.

• Mexican children, according to the survey, were more likely to choose a mobile phone based on the design features and the network externality and mobile messaging are in full play.

Parental Concerns: Mobile Phones & Kids

• Among the children surveyed, 60% of parents expressed some concerns about their children using mobile technology.

• Out of the five countries included in the survey, Korean parents were the least likely to voice concerns about their children's ability to access information via the mobile web.

• In Korea, information on mobile phone safety is primarily distributed by parents, teachers and friends, mobile operators/vendors and finally the government.

You can download the entire report by clicking here.

Related Resources

• mobileYouth
• Fisher & Baird: Making mLearning Work
• Joan Ganz Cooney Center > Study on Mobile Learning
• Governments Move to Restrict Mobile Phones for Kids
• New Stats on American Youth & Mobile Phones
  

Weekly Wrap: Gay Prom Queen, Mobile Music, SAFE Internet Act, Virtual Worlds Stats, Sexing Study & Princess Syndrome

Mobile Music to Hit $5.5 Billion by 2013: Despite the global recession, revenues from streamed mobile music services and full-track downloads are expected to exhibit strong growth over the next 5 years, according to a new report from Juniper Research. [Hypebot]

Gay Teen Voted Prom Queen at L.A. High School Prom: An openly-gay, teenage boy was just voted "Prom Queen" at Los Angeles' Fairfax High School in a campaign that began as a stunt -- but ended up spurring discussion on the campus about gender roles and teen popularity. [NBC Los Angeles]

Student Converts School Locker Into a Covert Library for Banned Books: A student at a private school goes rogue and stocks her locker full of banned books that she lends to other students. Brilliant! Although she does a little book banning of her own. [Laughing Squid]

Social Media Case Study: We Are Social, a London based digital PR and social media agency, has put together a compelling case study of how Best Buy is using social media to engage and connect with customers. This is a must read! [We Are Social]

Students Say Tech Skills Are Crucial: College students pursuing myriad careers agree that high-tech skills will take them further, and a majority expect to encounter new technologies they will have to master in the workforce. [NetworkWorld]

The School and Family Education about the Internet (SAFE Internet) Act: A federal lawmaker has introduced internet safety legislation that, if passed, would authorize roughly $175 million--$35 million a year for five years--for internet safety education and training to help make children, parents, and educators aware of proper online behavior and the dangers the internet poses. [eSchool News]

Virtual Worlds Continue to Boom: According to research conducted by eMarketer, 8 million US kids and teens spent time in virtual worlds on a regular basis last year and they estimate that figure will grow to 15 million by 2013, estimates that 37% of kids 3-11 play in virtual worlds at least once a month, and 54% will by 2013. Also check out Jeremiah Owyang's (@jowyang) updated stats on the Social Networking industry in 2009. [eMarketer] [Web Strategy]

Princess Syndrome: "That’s especially true in tough economic times, when more parents are focusing on messages of frugality and humility that, they say, just don’t fit with the princess mentality that has become a rite of passage for many girls.” [Yahoo! News]

New 'Sexting' Study: Peter Cumming, an associate professor at York Univeristy in Toronto, presented a paper on children's sexuality at the 78th Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences defending the practice as a modern variation on "playing doctor or spin-the-bottle." [Breitbart.com]

MTV Sues Kids’ Wireless Provider Kajeet Over Content Deal: Viacom Inc.’s MTV Networks filed an $11.6 million lawsuit against a cell phone service designed for children, accusing it of using content without permission and failing to follow through on a ring-tone licensing deal. [Bloomberg.com]

 

Anti-Bullying Resources for Parents, Teachers & Students

 Last week my friend Dominic Campbell, one of the leading voices in the U.K. Gov 2.0 community, pointed me to Bullying U.K.--a top destination for parents, students and teachers looking for bullying advice on the internet.

The organization was founded by journalist Liz Carnell and her son John, as a direct result of their experience of dealing with school bullying, which included taking successful legal action against an education authority.
 
Whether it's mobile phones, social sites or school bus teasing--Bullying UK has a vast treasure load of content for just about any type of bullying situation. They've also partnered with the (always fantastic) Teachers.tv folks and produced a series of videos on student-student bullying, as well as teacher-teacher bullying as well.

All in all a really wonderful resource for anyone involved in working with youth. I strongly urge you to drop by Bullying UK and take a look at all the wonderful resources they have curated on their site.

Thanks Dom!

Back here in the states, celebrities Lance Bass, Taylor Swift and Hillary Duff have added their voice of support for the 2009 Day of Silence on April 17th. The goal of The National Day of Silence goal is to bring awareness to the anti-LGBT bullying in schools.

As part of the program, members of the Twitter community are being encouraged to "Tweet the Silence" and encourage people to take a stand against bullying of LGBT students.

Related Resources

• ADL Students & Cyberbullying Forum
• Social Safety
• Yahoo! Safely
• Ypulse > Tag > Cyberbullies
• Yahoo! Kids > Online Safety Tips for Parents
• Microsoft Video Game Anti-Bullying Tips

Weekly Wrap: Experts Want TV Banned, Ypulse Uncovers What Teens Want, Chris Brown Gets Dissed, Aussie Youth Love Their Mobile Phones, AllyKatzz Announces the National Tween Summit & the Mobile Boom in India

Experts Say Ban TV from Children's Bedrooms: Is TV responsible for the "breakdown" of the family unit? UK Gen Y parenting expert Sarah Newton says "No" and adds, "...Please, stop criticising the TV. I am getting quite annoyed with academics telling us how to parent. I mean, have they really tried to remove a TV from a 15-year-old’s bedroom?"

Youth Guru Josh Shipp is hosting a youth speaker seminar in California (July 18 & 19) for folks serious about a full time career getting their message out to teens. Click here to learn more.

Boston Teens Say Rhianna is Responsible: A survey conducted in Boston finds that "many teens say teen idol Rihanna was “responsible” for what happened between her and boyfriend." Blaming the victim of domestic abuse? Uh, no. Clearly this is a teachable moment for parents and Redbook and Liz Claiborne have put together some resources to help get the conversation started. Another great resource is the National Teen Dating Abuse Hotline. In other news, Chris Brown gets dissed by music industry peers in a rap song.

Youths go for mobiles; drop landlines: Australian youth moving out of the nest aren't signing up for landlines---they're choosing to use their mobile phone as their primary phone service.

Congrats! Anne Collier, the force behind NetFamilyNews, has been has just been appointed to the NTIA's (Commerce Dept.'s) Online Safety and Technology Working Group.

What Teens Want in a Website: Great recap from Anastasia Goodstein, founder of Ypulse, on her YPulse Youth Panel at the 2009 SXSW Interactive Festival. Speaking of Ypulse, the 2009 Ypulse Youth Marketing Mashup is just around the corner. Readers of this blog can get 10% off registration by using the discount code "BAIRD." Be sure to follow Ypulse and Anastasia on Twitter!

Stop Killing Students with PowerPoint: This is an excellent SlideShare presentation on the do's and don'ts of using the ubiquitous (and mostly dreaded) PowerPoint preso. Speaking of presentations: Prezi, a new presentation tool that allows you to easily create an interactive presentation slides, has launched!

Mobile Wars in India: Graham Brown, co-founder of mobileYouth, tweeted an interesting article about the explosion of mobile phones in India and how youth are at the center of the wireless telcos battle to win the hearts and rupee's of subscribers. Thanks Graham! By the way, Graham will be speaking at the 2009 Ypulse Mashup in San Francisco!

2009 National Tween Summit: AllyKatzz, the popular online community for tween girls, has announced that they will host the Inaugural National Tween Summit, "Can't Vote, Can Change" to be held October 2009 in Washington, D.C. No word yet whether the First Tweens, Sasha and Malia, will make an appearance! Follow AllyKatzz on Twitter!

NCSS Position Statement: Media Literacy is an Imperative

In February the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) released a position statement on media literacy, social technology and learning in the digital age. Their conclusion?

"These changes in society and the experiences the students bring into the classroom challenge social studies teachers to change both how and what we teach. One reaction is to fear these changes and try to protect our students from things we don’t understand or appreciate. Such an approach is neither helpful nor pedagogically sound.

Another response is to take advantage instructionally of the wealth of experiences that young people have making media choices by respecting those choices when consistent with democratic principles. Whether we like it or not, this media culture is our students’ culture.”

Today's Students Are Experiencing a Different Childhood

• The digital age requires new skills for accessing, analyzing, evaluating, creating, and distributing messages within a digital, global, and democratic society.

• The ubiquitous and mobile nature of information and communication technologies has resulted in a world far different from that of those of us whose childhood was once surrounded by large box televisions, rotary dial telephones, and transistor radios.

• What was once characterized as a digital divide has transformed into a digital disconnect. Outside of the classroom young people regularly engage with music and videos via MP3 players, constantly text their friends with their mobile phones, check the latest videos on YouTube, and even upload ones themselves. But, upon entering the classroom they are expected to disengage from this interpersonal, producer-oriented, digital world.

Media Literacy

• Canada, Australia, and Great Britain have taught media literacy for several decades, while the US, the world’s leading producer of media, is far behind.

• These changes in society and the experiences the students bring into the classroom challenge social studies teachers to change both how and what we teach.

• Teaching students to think critically about the content and the form of mediated messages is an essential requirement for social studies education in this millennium.

• Media literacy integrates the process of critical inquiry with the creation of media as students examine, create, and disseminate their own alternative images, sounds, and thoughts.

• Media literacy includes the skills of accessing, analyzing, evaluating, creating, and distributing messages as well as the cultural competencies and social skills associated with a growing participatory culture.

• Media literacy also includes analysis of ideology and power as students learn how media are used to position audiences and frame public opinion.

• In the 21st century, media literacy is an imperative for participatory democracy because new information/communication technologies and a market-based media culture have significantly reshaped the world.

Media Literacy & the Social Studies Classroom

• Teachers need to expand their notion of “legitimate texts” and realize that it includes popular culture, advertising, photographs, maps, text (SMS) messages, Twitter, movies, video games, Internet, all sorts of hand-held devices and information communication technologies (ICTs) as well as print.

• Students should be presenting their research and learning through interactive multimedia presentations, as Internet blogs, videos, podcasts, Facebook, etc.

• The ability to differentiate between primary and secondary sources or distinguish fact from fiction is now intimately connected to the ability to analyze and create media.

• Social studies educators should provide young people with the awareness and abilities to critically question and create new media and technology, and the digital, democratic experiences, necessary to become active participants in the shaping of democracy.

Related Resources

• NCSS Media Literacy Statement
• Learning Styles 2.0: Digital, Social, and Always On
• mobileYouth: 100 Million Mobile Youth in USA
• Making mLearning Work: Gen Y, Learning & Mobile Technologies
• Social Software & Online Learning Design
• Social Media & Digital Learning Styles
• Handbook of Research on New Media Literacy
  

Tweens Smoking Smarties: Is This a Trend?

I'm not sure if "smoking smarties" is actually a trend, but I've seen and heard quite a bit of media coverage on the subject the last couple of days and earlier today I overheard some jr. high school kids talking about trying it...the best way to describe "smoking smarties" is to take a look at this video.

I think Advertising-Age did a great summation of this "trend":

"In the latest example of a social-media world where any 10-year-old with a half-baked idea, your product and a cheap webcam can seek his or her 15 minutes of online fame, dozens of YouTubers -- mostly junior-high-school kids, it seems -- are posting videos of themselves and their friends crushing up the cellophane-wrapped, pressed-sugar candies, sucking the candy dust out and puffing it into the air in mock-smoking style.

Kids have been hip to the phenomenon for quite some time, apparently. Along with the dozens of how-to videos on YouTube, there are many MySpace mentions, a Facebook support group for "all you who are addicted to smoking Smarties," and countless bulletin boards and chat rooms full of smoking-Smarties confessions.

There is definitely a backlash as well, including comments rife with warnings and criticism about the stupidity of it. ("WTF?" is a very common comment.)"

So, for now, let's just put file this under 'so now you know', keep an eye on it and watch how it all pans out. Deal?

Related Resources

• Above the Influence
• Talking to Kids About Drugs & Alcohol
• Time to Talk
• Yahoo! Groups > Time to Talk
• Zac Efron, Tween King

Lifecasting: Real or Fiction?

I ran across this video on Current TV the other day and it really got me thinking about the social web. I don't want to give too much away until you've had a chance to watch the video, but I think it drives home an important issue: how do you know what your "friends" are tweeting/blogging/vlogging is actually true?

As I was mulling this over in my noggin, I ran across a great post on David Armano's blog (side note: Dave is one of my fave Tweeps. His Tweet Stream is always full of great insight, observations & links, you can follow him @armano) that did a brilliant job of analyzing and explaining some of the pitfalls of the social web phenomenon.

Here's a snippet from David's post, Do You:

"Imagine someone comes up to you at a cocktail party. And they're wearing a mask—while everyone else isn't. You don't know much about that person because they're not really telling you a great deal about themselves.

How much would you tell them about yourself in return? How much would you trust them? How much do you really know about them?  Yet online, we can be anyone we want to be. A fictional character, a caricature or invented identity. We can be anonymous—say whatever we want about virtually anyone. We're empowered to be whoever we want whenever we want to.

The digital pen is indeed mightier than the sword."

We all know about Lonely Girl 15 and the countless other number of web-based hoaxes. We know that we didn't inherit money from a rich uncle in Nigeria. We know that Bill Gates isn't going to pay us to use his software. And the list goes on and on.

But when it comes to lifecasting, I think we tend to give people the benefit of the doubt. We forget. As more and more people join social networks, and no it's not just kids, this is going to be an increasingly important issue.

Related Resources

• Dave Armano > Logic + Emotion
• Google Warns of Privacy Issues on Social Web
• Gen Y: Growing Up and Sharing Way Too Much

Social Networking Safety Tips for Parents & Educators

One of the things I enjoy most about my work is having the opportunity to talk with parents and educators and dispel some of the myths or fears around their kids' use of social media.  No matter the audience, my message is pretty consistent: Don't panic!

Time and time again, I urge parents and educators to arm themselves with knowledge and understand that blocking content and web pages isn't the answer. Here are some other tips:

• Talk to your kids/students about what is appropriate and not appropriate information to release on the Internet. Take an active role in their digital life.
  

• Protect your kids digital identity by creating news alerts for their name on Google, Yahoo! and MSN.

• Talk about the implications “lifecasting” can and will have on their future.

• Remind kids that the web is that "permanent record" we were all warned about. Even though you go back and change that blog entry or delete that embarrassing photo, the information is archived on the Internet Archive/Wayback Machine.

• Whether it's Club Penguin, MyYearbook or MySpace--make sure your kids learn how and why they should use privacy filters--and then double check to make sure they are using them.

• Visit the sites your kids use and read the TOS (Terms of Service) and/or Community Guidelines. Learn how to report abuse and share the information with your kids. And while you're at it, learn more about COPPA.

• Social networks are self-policing, if you find objectionable content, bullying or other abuse—report it! Think of it as a 21^st Century Neighborhood Watch program.

There are lots of great resources out there to empower parents and educators on social media safety & cyberbullying. The ADL, Yahoo!, Media Awareness Network, myYearbook and MySpace (to name a few) all provide free web safety guides for parents and teachers on web safety, digital literacy & social media.

Related Resources

• NetFamily News
• Texting Tips for Parents & Educators
• Totally Wired: What Teens & Tweens Are Really Doing Online
• Study Debunks Sexual Predator Myths
• Microsoft Wants to Help Families Get Game Smart

Microsoft Wants to Help Families Get Game Smart

Get Game Smart is a new public service campaign from Microsoft and BestBuy designed to help parents and kids engage in a dialogue about balanced and age-appropriate media use and video gaming. 

<p>&lt;a href=&quot;http://video.msn.com/?mkt=en-US&amp;playlist=videoByUuids:uuids:f4e3c1ed-90fa-469b-bbf2-0e766ab30f2c&amp;showPlaylist=true&amp;from=msnvideo&quot; target=&quot;_new&quot; title=&quot;Online Video Games&quot;&gt;Video: Online Video Games&lt;/a&gt;</p>

The site has tons of resources for both parents and kids, including how to set up parental controls, a blog with ideas from experts, parenting videos, how to deal with cyberbullies, a video game screen time tracker and much more.

There's even a family video contest with all sorts of cool tech prizes and a chance to become a Get Game Smart Ambassador. You can learn more about the contest by clicking here.

Microsoft's partners in this public service effort include Boys & Girls Clubs of America, the Entertainment Software Association, Entertainment Software Rating Board, GetNetWise, iSAFE Inc., National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, National Institute on Media and the Family, National Urban League, NetSmartz Workshop, Parents' Choice Foundation, StaySafeOnline.org, Web Wise Kids, What They Play and WiredSafety.org.

Related Resources

• Microsoft to Fund Video Game Research
• Get Game Smart > Safe Gaming Pledge
• Best Buy @15 Challenge with Youth Venture
• Pew Internet Research on Video Games & Gen Y

Fight Over XBOX Ends in Taco Assault

Yes. You read that correctly.

So here's the Cliffs Notes version: Zachary Moir's mom asked him to stop playing video games and come down for dinner. Zach was having a really good run on the Xbox, so he just ignored his mom and kept playing. She then went upstairs and unplugged the Xbox and told him to come down for dinner.

Enraged that she has pulled the plug, Zach went downstairs and threw a taco in her face. Mom had just enough of his nonsense and called the cops. Now he's sitting in jail.

I could go on and on about this story, but I like what Hey Josh wrote better (and I think you will too):

Here’s my advice that you didn’t ask for:

1)  Don’t hit women.

2)  Don’t hit women with tacos.

3) Don’t waste food.

4)  I understand you had a strong run on Lego Star Wars or whatever you were playing…  but seriously, you can pause your Xbox bro.

5)  You are going to be made fun of a lot, brace yourself.  You are now the butt of every talk-show joke for the next few days…

6)  Try to make them laugh with you.  Maybe pitch Taco Bell a new marketing campaign “Taco Bell: Throw outside the (X) Box”  They will probably pass.

7) By the way, does your jail cell have Xbox?  No?  Hmm…

In your face, and in your jail-cell.

Amen Hey Josh. Amen.

Related News

• Hey Josh
• Microsoft to Fund XBOX Research
• International Journal of Computer Game Research
• Pew Internet Research on Video Games & Gen Y

Study Reveals Youth Attitudes on Alcohol

A new report by the UK-based Economic and Social Research Council has concluded that anti-drinking campaigns have little or no impact on behavior or consumption of alcohol by young adults. Moreover, the youth in the survey reported that they didn't feel that binge drinking was an unacceptable or dangerous behavior.

Overall the youth included in the survey felt that warnings not to drink more than two or three units of alcohol day are seen as unrealistic. The research did find, however, that young people did "identify with adverts which promoted alcohol as a fun, social habit."

Not surprisingly, the youth also reported that alcohol played a significant part in helping them form community, bond with each other and form a group identity.  Many of the youth also reported that they fail to identify with the portrayal of youth in alcohol awareness, advertising and PSA campaigns.

What type of awareness campaigns do work?

According to Professor Isabelle Szmigin, who assisted the study:

"For young people, drinking is very much a part of their social life but we feel that a lot of the government literature tends to present a picture of it being an individual responsibility rather than a social one.

"Young people do engage with the idea of responsible drinking but far more from the social side. They ensure there are designated drivers; people looking out for each other and that their friends are safe."

Gen Y is a savvy bunch and the type of campaigns that may have worked in the past are no longer effective. Remember, these kids have access to an unprecedented amount of information--most of it on demand. And they have been weaned on advertising and can smell marketing a mile away.

As Professor Szmigin points out, the best approach is to shift some of the responsibility from an  individual perspective and more into a social or group dynamic. In other words, leverage some of that good ol' peer pressure.

The important take away is that by situating the message in a social setting, you bring an additional layer of credibility to the message, as well as a community for young adults to keep an eye on each other.

Related Resources

• BBC Video > Youth and Alcohol
• UK Teens & Knife Violence
• FutureGov > The Power of Information

Instant Messaging: The Secret Language of Teens

"Instant Messaging is a constant silent communique among kids about their feelings about the world, a bit like a Greek chorus always commenting in the background while kids are living in the world."
                -- Peter Lyman

Related Resources

• How Teens Use Instant Messaging
• NYT > Larry Magid > How Parents Can be IM Watchdogs
• IM on the Move

Truth and Consequences: Teens, Naked Photos & Mobile Phones

Anyone involved with Gen Y knows three things: they love their mobile phones, they are hyper-connected and they have no reservations about broadcasting their life across the social web. Very often they are lifestreaming without thinking about the consequences of their actions.

Take, for example, the mobile phone. They text, play games, take photos and oh yeah--they also occasionally use them to make a phone call. However, a recent investigative report by Emmett Miller and KTLA News found "a growing number of teens are messaging naked photos of themselves to their friends. Not only could it ruin their reputation, but it could land them in legal trouble."

One girl talked about how a guy at her school had a fight with his girlfriend and, in an act of revenge, blasted out nude photos he had taken of her to their classmates. The photos were forwarded on to more and more students, effectively making life at the high school unbearable to the point that she had to change schools.

Another student, commenting on the trend, said:

“I know in my high school that there was a a girl who took naked photos of herself and it went all through our school and it ruined her, 'cause everyone looks at her like a slut.”

But there are serious consequences beyond just being embarrassed or having to change schools. In his report, Miller interviews Detective Dan Morgan from the LA County Sheriff's Department who talked about the LEGAL implications:

"The detective says anytime a photograph is taken of a minor, a person under the age of eighteen, of their genital area involved in a simulated or an actual sex act, it is against the law, and considered child pornography. Detective Morgan says pictures and video clips of teens involved in sexual situations are becoming more and more frequent.

He believes the cases are under-reported, but has still dealt with quite a few of them. Sometimes the cases involve teens who have sent pictures or video to other teens, but other times it's adults who are enticing teens to take photos of sexual situations. And that is where the law is clear. "

Most teens interviewed for this report had no idea that there were legal implications for sending or forwarding nude photos via mobile phone or the Internet. In fact, while most told Emmett that they "would only send nude photo's to their friends," they were completely oblivious that their friends might pass these photos along to other people. 

This is an important topic that both parents and school officials should be talking about with teens. The stakes are even higher for a high school student who turns 18 and forwards a nude photograph of a boyfriend/girlfriend who is still a minor.

By doing so, they risk being charged for distribution of child pornography. Not to mention, if they are convicted, they face the loss of attending college, scholarships, and employment opportunities.

The important thing is for parents and school officials not to overreact. Banning mobile phones won't make these types of incidents go away. Teens will simply use another phone. Or have a friend take the pictures for them. The best approach is to sit down with your kids and calmly discuss the appropriate ways to use technology.

Think about it. You don't hand your kids the keys to the car without having them first go through a drivers education program where they learn the rules of the road. So why do we just hand them a mobile phone, computer or, for that matter, a social networking site and expect them to understand what behavior is and isn't acceptable?

As adults we need to also sit them down and outline how their so-called "personal information" can be sold to data brokers or passed around school by friends. We need to educate them on the consequences of lifestreaming and sharing too much information may have on their future.

Most importantly, we need to educate them that just because they delete that photo on their mobile phone doesn't mean that it isn't archived somewhere. Forever. After all, when it comes to the social web, your privacy is an illusion.

You can watch a video of Emmett Miller's entire report, The Naked Truth of a New Cell Phone Trend, by clicking here.

Related Resources

• Generation Text: New Research on Gen Y & Mobile Phones
• Book >Totally Wired: What Teens and Tweens are Really Doing Online
• Stanford Study Looks at the Psychology of Facebook
• The Children Are Our Pornographic Future (thanks Anastasia)