I have a few other blogs that I would like to recommend after doing some research:
1. https://mediaandsocietycyberbullying.blogspot.com
Andrea Taylor has done a wonderful job explaining the detrimental effects of cyberbullying with the increased rise in social media and technology.
2. https://mediaeffects724151893.wordpress.com
Jeremy Haley also discusses the issue of children and media usage. He focuses on the long term effects, such as shortened attention span, obesity, and hindering intrapersonal connections.
3. https://sydneyavrinmedia.blogspot.com
Sydney Avrin discusses the possible addiction to technology and media use gives her insight on the topic, as well as professional articles discussing the effects.
4. https://fakenewsmediaintheus.blogspot.com
Gavin Carroll sheds light on fake media in the news, and how it affects us as consumers of the media. This is an important topic, especially when it comes to politics and keeping up to date with the current pandemic.
5. https://biglionsportcom.wordpress.com
Michael Dallaire discusses sports in the media, and focuses in on the wage gap between those in professional sports and those essential workers, such as healthcare professionals, during the global pandemic.
Saturday, May 9, 2020
Saturday, May 2, 2020
For Further Research
In the hunt for more information on children and media use, I have put together a list of a few other websites that might be helpful to explore the different uses of media for children or the studies of the effects.
The first website is from the American Psychological Organization. This website shows evidence based recommendations for parents and guardians on media use for children, giving advice on safe ways to use it as well as the effects. I recommend this website as it gives evidence on how other children have been affected as they have used media in their development and childhood. The link is below.
https://www.apa.org/pi/families/resources/newsletter/2019/05/media-use-childhood
The next website I recommend is from Smart Social. This website is a guide for parents on social media and children/teen use. This includes statistics, as well as experts giving advice on social media use and steps parents should take with introducing technology and social media to their children in this day and age. The link is below.
https://smartsocial.com/social-media-statistics/
The final website I recommend is from Digital Trends. As technology and social media is becoming more and more prevalent, it is inevitable that your child will want to get involved as their friends ands peers around them are. As a parent, this can be concerning. This webite gives insight on the best apps and online games for children that are safe and educational. The link is below.
https://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/best-apps-for-kids/
The first website is from the American Psychological Organization. This website shows evidence based recommendations for parents and guardians on media use for children, giving advice on safe ways to use it as well as the effects. I recommend this website as it gives evidence on how other children have been affected as they have used media in their development and childhood. The link is below.
https://www.apa.org/pi/families/resources/newsletter/2019/05/media-use-childhood
The next website I recommend is from Smart Social. This website is a guide for parents on social media and children/teen use. This includes statistics, as well as experts giving advice on social media use and steps parents should take with introducing technology and social media to their children in this day and age. The link is below.
https://smartsocial.com/social-media-statistics/
The final website I recommend is from Digital Trends. As technology and social media is becoming more and more prevalent, it is inevitable that your child will want to get involved as their friends ands peers around them are. As a parent, this can be concerning. This webite gives insight on the best apps and online games for children that are safe and educational. The link is below.
https://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/best-apps-for-kids/
My View
When I sit and reflect on the way different media types affect children, I have mixed feelings. Personally I believe that media use is hurtful as well as helpful for children. I am going to dive into the pros and cons of media use for children.
First lets talk about the cons. One of the biggest issues I have with media is that as our society develops more technologicall, cells phones have a larger influence on the younger generations. When I was a kid, I remember limited computer use, limited time watching television, and my parents encouraging reading books and going outside. My favorite way to get in touch with friends was riding my bike to their houses, knocking on their doors, and asking them to come outside to play. We would spennd hours using our imagination to fight pirates or be princesses. We would build houses for fairies out of sticks and leaves, spend hours riding our bikes until the sun set, and then we would play manhunt at night with our walkie talkies. As I look at a new generation of children from the perspective of an adult, they way they communicate and spend time together has changed monumentally. These kids text one another to talk instead of having face to face conversation. They hang out six feet from eachother but stare at their phones, too wrapped up in social media apps and posting what they are doing. Kids are way too into their technology and posting their lives on social media that they are preventing themselves from truly living in the moment and creating memories with other people. Media is hindering communication, quality time, and experiences that children need to have. This effecting real life communication between kids, and not allowing them the social experiences they need to have in order to grow up socially confident. If every type of communication is between phone calls or social media posts, how is a child going to be able to have good in person social skills.
Another issue I have is the platform that children have to be bullied. With apps like instagram, children can post whatever they want, have their friends follow, comment, and like their posts. With this ability, people can also text or comment rude and hurtful things, affecting children and their self esteem. This online comunication can allow for cyber bullying and effect childrens mental health. This is something that is seriously dangerous.
With the bad, there is also good uses for social media for children. Apps and different platforms can allow for self expression. Children can post whatever makes them happy, and get incontact with other people that might show similar interests. Take YouTube for example, so many people bring light on different activities and crafts to do for kids. This can inspire them to get involved in different imaginative things that make them happy. Kids can also use different media types for educational purposes. There are so many different websites to help with different subjects in school, such as YouTube channels, or Khan Academy. There are so many different outlets for educational help and tutoring.
Other than that, I personally believe there needs to be age limits for children getting active and involved in media, especially social media. I think this generation will struggle with making personal and social connections and interactions, as well as miss out on experience of creativity and imagination that every single child deserves to have. They have their entire life to sit on their phones and post to instagram. As a child, media should not be as prevalent in their lives I think.
What The Experts Say - II
When I was a kid, I remember watching some television shows that might not have been appropriate for my age. These shows included things such as sexual content, drug and alcohol use, as well as violence. Though it didn't affect me much, there have been studies into viewing certain activities unfit for children on different types of media, including television or social media apps, and how it has affected their growth, mental health, anf future decision making. Experts and AAP News and Journals believe that "the media contribute significantly to the risk that young people will engage in substance use" (American Academy of Pediatrics).
In a study, it was discovered that "a preadolescent or adolescent who smokes tobacco or drinks alcohol is 65 times more likely to use marijuana, for example, than someone who abstains. The younger the age at which experimentation occurs, the greater the risk of serious health problems"(American Academy of Pediatrics). What leads to this cause of children and young teens wanting to start to drink or use drugs? The media has a huge affect. "Research has revealed that advertising may be responsible for up to 30% of adolescent tobacco and alcohol use" (American Academy of Pediatrics). In a reason analysis, “51 separate studies revealed that exposure to tobacco marketing and advertising more than doubles the risk of a teenager beginning to smoke" (American Academy of Pediatrics).
It seems that companies advertise directly to younger kids to get them using these illegal substances at an early age. Studies have shown that "Currently, teenagers are 400 times more likely to see an alcohol ad than to see a public service announcement (PSA) that discourages underage drinking. Teen-oriented magazines contain 48% more advertising for beer, 20% more advertising for hard liquor, and 92% more advertising for sweet alcoholic drinks than do magazines aimed at adults of legal drinking age" (American Academy of Pediatrics). Media can be harmful in the way that it is promoting the use and activity of illegal substances to children who do not know any better. If a child was watching a show and saw one of their favorite characters drinking, then continued to see lots of advertising for alcohol, they are probably way more inclined as younger people are way more impressionable.
To read more, click the link below:
Wednesday, April 29, 2020
Current Events II - Social Media in Quarantine
The use of social media for children and its benefits has been a long debate. As we have fallen into a time of crisis during the global pandemic, what is allowing children to cope and maintain a strong mental health? Social media. For years, parents and teachers have worried about addiction to social media and overuse of technology and how it will affect the younger generation. For now, that argument is put aside, as social media is one of the only ways children and young people are able to cope and keep positive during such uncertain times.
USA Today has written an article discussing the issue and how social media is helping children everywhere while stuck in quarantine. In the world of social distancing, these social medias “might end up being the thing that saves them” (USA Today). As children are stuck in their homes, they are still able to stay in touch with their friends, classmates, and keep themselves in high spirits, even as the world seems dreary. Along with the use of apps to keep in touch with friends, entertainment through media is also offered, such as movies on Netflix, or videos on youtube. As a kid, it is super hard to stay inside and not see your friends, especially when they might not understand the current events in the world happening around them. But through media use, it gives them a sense of normalcy, and can help in the increase in positivity in times such as these.
As far as child development, the improvement in technology, communication, and media use makes it easy to continue on with learning for the school year, even in strange circumstances. Online learning programs, zoom meetings with classes, and educational videos online all allow for a continuation of educational growth.
Though it may be a concerning issue to professionals and teachers, social media use is acting as a saving grace for children of all ages to keep positive attitudes and retain normalcy and structure in their lives.
For more information, click here:
Tuesday, April 28, 2020
What The Experts Say I - Discussing Advantages and Disadvantages
As social media and internet use increases, experts weigh and measure the effects of media use on children. Now that media and technology have an increasingly important place in our society as it continues to develop, we have to review the benefits and disadvantages of children and what it means for future generations. The Journal of Post Grad Medicine reviews the effects of media and internet use on children in India as a result of internet use becoming public in the article "Internet for child mental health: Boon or bane."
Because there are so many uses to technology, there are many different media types that allow for different uses. One potential advantage of media for children is the concept of online learning. Online learning has multiple advantages, especially compared to classes in person. Some of the following benefits include “flexibility and time, learning materials, and the pace and place of learning.”(Internet for child mental health) The article discusses how online learning accommodates many different types of learning styles, as well as facilitating different types of learning activities, and improves internet and computer skills. Another advantage mentioned would be the outlet of creativity allowed from the internet and social media platforms. The internet exposes children to "varied ideas and provides us with the means to express our creativity by allowing our potential to engage in a range of experiences" (Internet for child mental health). Means of expression and creativity are incredibly important, especially for young children. Using creativity is an outlet of imagination and can be such a happy experience for a child.
Medical professionals also viewed some of the negative effects of media use. One of the most important things in development for a child is creating relationships that advance their social skills. With technology now, “peer communication among adolescents has been depersonalized in recent times due to the replacement of face-to-face or voice-to-voice communication by writing an electronic medium" (Internet for child mental health). Along with underdeveloped social skills resulting in less face to face communication, children can also fall victim to racism, cyberbullying, or harassment online. “Some studies have shown that excessive use of computers can contribute towards obesity and poorly developed social skills" (Internet for child mental health).
The experts have revealed some potential dangers and benefits from children's use of online media and technology, which are all things that we as a society need to consider for future use of media by children.
For more information, click here to read the article cited:
Current Events I - Online Safety during a Pandemic
One issue with the rise of social media is the risk of children's exposure to online predators. With the current pandemic, children are spending more time inside and on technology due to the stay at home orders and schools closing. The San Diego Union-Tribune shed light on the situation with their article titled "FBI warns of increased child-exploitation risks during COVID-19 crisis."
This article brings light to the idea that with schools closing, classes being online, and many families staying indoors to decrease their risk of contracting the deadly COVID-19 virus, many more children will be spending more time online, using social media apps to connect with friends, or to cure boredom. With many sexual predators online, it is important to make sure that young, impressionable children are maintaining online safety rules as the risk of children being preyed upon is now higher. It is important to realize that because of the rise of social medias, children now can expose themselves through profiles and pictures posted if the account is not private and regulated. If an account is not private, anyone, including predators and pedophiles, can view the images and posts of that child.
The FBI has advised parents of children to take the following steps to increase online safety, listed and directly quoted in the article as followed: "
This article brings light to the idea that with schools closing, classes being online, and many families staying indoors to decrease their risk of contracting the deadly COVID-19 virus, many more children will be spending more time online, using social media apps to connect with friends, or to cure boredom. With many sexual predators online, it is important to make sure that young, impressionable children are maintaining online safety rules as the risk of children being preyed upon is now higher. It is important to realize that because of the rise of social medias, children now can expose themselves through profiles and pictures posted if the account is not private and regulated. If an account is not private, anyone, including predators and pedophiles, can view the images and posts of that child.
The FBI has advised parents of children to take the following steps to increase online safety, listed and directly quoted in the article as followed: "
- Discuss internet safety with children
- Review and approve any games and apps before they are downloaded
- Make sure privacy settings are set to the strictest level possible for online gaming systems and other electronic devices
- Monitor children's use of the internet and keep computers in a non-private room.
- Check youngster's social-media profiles and what they post online
- Explain to children that images posted online most likely will remain on the internet permanently
- Make sure minors know that anyone who asks a child to engage in sexually explicit activity online should be reported to a parent, guardian, or other trusted adult, as well as law enforcement authorities.
- Teach children about personal boundaries and awareness of their surroundings
- Encourage open child-parent communication
- Be mindful of who is watching children during childcare and babysitting situations, and on such occasions as play dates and overnight visits with friends. "
For more information, read The San Diego Union-Tribune's article, linked below.
Tuesday, April 21, 2020
The Issue of Children and the Media
As you reflect on your childhood, what do you remember? For me, I remember playing outside with my friends, chalk on the sidewalk, kickball in the street, and riding my bike from sun up to sun down. I used my imagination to keep myself busy, whether it was playing pirates on my swingset, or hunting for fairies in the woods. Technology was a rarity. My parents would monitor how much television I would watch, how much I would play on my Nintendo D.S., and how much time I had to play games on the computer.
As technology is becoming more widely available and children have more access at younger age, we need to consider what types of effects will this have on our current and future youth. Looking at kids growing up now, it seems as if their world revolves around their cellphones, what they are posting on instagram, or how many followers they have. The world has changed, and kids are less involved in the real world.
In this blog, we will discuss the pros and cons of children and their use of media, and examine how the use of media will shape the future and effect the children using it. As an older sister, I find it interesting to see how different generations are using media, and how much it is shaping the youth, and who they are becoing as a generation. My younger sisters and I definitely grew up differently based on the way times have changed since I was a child. I believe it is important to shed light on the topic of children and media use as it has become such a large influence on the way that children learn and grow as people. The whole social world has shifted, and we need to determine whether or not exposure to media is helping children, or hurting them.
As technology is becoming more widely available and children have more access at younger age, we need to consider what types of effects will this have on our current and future youth. Looking at kids growing up now, it seems as if their world revolves around their cellphones, what they are posting on instagram, or how many followers they have. The world has changed, and kids are less involved in the real world.
In this blog, we will discuss the pros and cons of children and their use of media, and examine how the use of media will shape the future and effect the children using it. As an older sister, I find it interesting to see how different generations are using media, and how much it is shaping the youth, and who they are becoing as a generation. My younger sisters and I definitely grew up differently based on the way times have changed since I was a child. I believe it is important to shed light on the topic of children and media use as it has become such a large influence on the way that children learn and grow as people. The whole social world has shifted, and we need to determine whether or not exposure to media is helping children, or hurting them.
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