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☆ Opinion | A.I. Is Making the Sexual Exploitation of Girls Even Worse
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-02 | by ( Jessica Grose | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The superintendent told NBC News the photos included students’ faces superimposed onto nude bodies.”I had heard about this kind of thing happening to high school girls, which is horrible enough. I’m not a technophobe and have, in the past, been somewhat skeptical about the outsize negative impact of social media on teen girls. The possibilities are especially frightening when the technology is used by teens and tweens, groups with notoriously iffy judgment about the permanence of their actions. I have to admit that my gut reaction to the Beverly Hills story was rage — I wanted the book thrown at the kids who made those fakes. But I wanted to hear from someone with more experience talking to teens and thinking deeply about the adolescent relationship with privacy and technology.

Persons: Kat Tenbarge, Liz Kreutz, ”, — Organizations: NBC News, “, Beverly Vista Middle, NBC, Beverly Locations: Beverly Hills, Calif

☆ Demonizing Social Media Isn’t the Answer to Online Safety, a New Book Argues
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( Melinda Wenner Moyer | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Panic over social media has reached a fever pitch. Diagnoses of mental illness among adolescents have been on the rise, and in May the U.S. surgeon general warned of “ample indicators” that social media may in part be to blame. But perhaps banning social media — or heavily monitoring kids who use it, which is another common parental response — isn’t the most constructive solution to the problem. Perhaps, instead, we should focus more on helping kids learn how to safely navigate social media and manage online privacy and decision-making. Here are some key takeaways from Dr. Heitner’s latest book and tips she shared for helping kids and teenagers safely navigate the online world.

Persons: ”, Heitner, “, Heitner’s Locations: U.S, Utah

☆ Opinion | The Fight for Your Kids’ Brains Has Already Begun
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Jessica Grose | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Much of the drama in the charming new Netflix teen comedy “You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah” revolves around the pitfalls of social media, specifically the public sharing of private videos. A mild spoiler: Stacy completes the jump without injury and to great applause, until her maxi pad floats up next to her and the applause dissolves into laughter. A humiliation like this used to be confined to the memory of the kids who witnessed it, and at worst, it became local lore. They’re 10 and 7 and I don’t allow them to use social media yet, and I feel some comfort having equipped them with as much information as I can about the digital world. I’m not naïve and I don’t think they’re perfect angels — I know they’ll make mistakes, but hopefully they have enough foresight and knowledge that their errors aren’t catastrophic ones.

Persons: Stacy, I’ve, Devorah Heitner, Heitner Organizations: Netflix, ricochet, Northwestern University

☆ 5 ways parents can shore up a middle schooler’s self-image
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Phylis Fagell | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Editor’s Note: Phyllis L. Fagell, a licensed clinical professional counselor and professional school counselor, is the author of “Middle School Matters.” Her new book is “Middle School Superpowers: Raising Resilient Tweens in Turbulent Times.”CNN —After a disappointing routine during a gymnastics meet, Addy Moser was full of self-doubt, so the 13-year-old tried silently encouraging herself using her own first name. It’s not easy for middle schoolers to counteract unrealistic expectations they absorb from peers, family members, the culture and themselves, which is why I devote a chapter in my new book, “Middle School Superpowers: Raising Resilient Tweens in Turbulent Times,” to acquiring “super security,” the power to develop a healthy self-identity. The good news is you can help your child acquire super security. Beyond offering unconditional love, which every child needs to feel secure, parents can do practical things to shore up a tween’s self-image. Parents can encourage children who use social media to be mindful about the posts they see and share.

Persons: Phyllis L, ”, Addy Moser, Jason Moser, “, Dad, ‘ Addy, Addy, ’ ” Moser, It’s, Michele Borba, Erlanger Turner, Moser, “ Sally, ” Moser, Devorah Heitner, Heitner, Jennifer Breheny Wallace, ” Wallace, Martin Seligman, Christopher Peterson, don’t, Wallace, ‘, ‘ You’re, ’, Amy Morin, Mary Alvord, ” Alvord, you’re, Robyn Silverman, Silverman, you’ve, I’m, Turner, Borba Organizations: “, Times, ” CNN, Michigan State University, Pepperdine University, Forster, Productions, Via Survey, SDI Locations: Los Angeles

☆ Teachers are on the front lines of a battle to change how teens use social media
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( Samantha Murphy Kelly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Each school year, the 10th graders in her class at Scarsdale High School in New York watch “The Social Dilemma,” a 2020 documentary about the harms of social media. Ron DeSantis signed an education bill that prohibits students from accessing certain social media platforms on school Wi-Fi and requires instruction on the negative impacts of social media. These efforts come amid heightened bipartisan pressure from lawmakers for social media companies to do more to protect their youngest users. Teachers openly remind students how their social media history lives on and how it can be perceived among colleges and employers, English said. “Many students don’t even understand most of these dangers,” said Marc Berkman, director of The Organization for Social Media Safety.

Persons: hasn’t, Jennifer Rosenzweig, ”, Rosenzweig, “, ” Rosenzweig, Vivek Murthy’s, ” Jennifer Rosenzweig, Ron DeSantis, Chris English, sexting, don’t, Marc Berkman, Devorah Heitner, “ Screenwise, ’, Berkman, he’s, it’s, Gillian Feldman, ” Feldman, Sabine Polack, Polack Organizations: CNN, Scarsdale High School, Florida Gov, Roycemore, Teachers, Social Media Safety, The Organization, Brawerman Elementary School, Organization of Social Media Safety, Scarsdale, Scarsdale High, Scarsdale School District Locations: New York, Florida, Evanston , Illinois, Los Angeles, Scarsdale

☆ Should parents decide what their kids do online? These states think so
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-15 | by ( Samantha Murphy Kelly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

That, at least, is the vision emerging from a growing number of states introducing — and in some cases passing — legislation intended to protect kids online. Now, in the absence of federal legislation, states are taking action, and raising some alarms in the process. On the surface, providing more guardrails for teens is a step forward that some parents may welcome after years of worrying about the potential harms kids face on social media. “Not all parents are passionate, kind and supportive of their kids, and even the ones who are don’t have the capacity or time to deal with the 24/7 nature of social media,” said Heitner. “It’s an unfair burden.”Enforcement issuesGiven that the bills are unprecedented, it’s unclear how exactly social media companies will adapt and enforce it.

☆ March Madness shows how NIL money and the transfer portal are starting to reshape the balance of power in college sports
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Ashley Rodriguez | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Nearly two years into NIL, its impact on college sports is starting to show during March Madness. Most of the teams the Final Four — in both men's and women's basketball — have strong NIL backings. Changes to NIL and the transfer portal have created a "perfect storm that's allowed some schools to bank talent," one expert said. LSU's Angel Reese has the most NIL deals of any college baller, Just Women's Sports reported based on data from SponsorUnited, which tracks NIL deals. "The transfer portal and NIL happening at same time, to me, that's the perfect storm that's allowed some schools to bank talent," Dosh said.

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