1.
Coming of Age in
a Digital World
Image: Stuck in Customs

2.
Being born in the early part
of the 90’s, childhood was
largely absent of social
connections like Facebook,
Twitter, YouTube and for a
larger portion…
…the accessible internet
Image: Stuck in Customs

3.
Image: Jose Luis Mieza Photography
With the inception of these social mediums, the
developmental social landscape of childhood
has changed completely

4.
Image: Stuck in Customs
Children are now being raised in
a world that is very different than
the one their parents would have
experienced….
…essentially a battle of Old Vs.
New

5.
Raising the question: What is the best way to
connect the two together?
Image: epc

6.
Many social media sites require a minimum age to access their services and
offerings
Image: wwward0

7.
Yet there are 7.5 Million underage Facebook
users, two thirds of which are 10 years old or
younger
Image: Daniel*1977

8.
Image: Reena Mahtani
Therefore, the message
that the websites are
producing are not being
clearly understood…
Should responsibility be put
on the parents?

9.
Image: Daniel*1977
Unfortunately, 78% of parents surveyed (PEW) help their
children lie to Facebook about [their] age

10.
Image: Cohdra
Furthermore, 44% of teenagers admitted
to lying about their age to gain access to a
web site

11.
The idealized childhood is under
attack from mobile phones and tablets
as well
Image: dai-kon

12.
Image: Paul Mayne
A study in 2010 shows that
two-thirds of children ages 4-
7 had used an iPhone

13.
Image: Alvimann
“As technology become ubiquitous in our
lives, American parents are becoming more,
not less, wary of what it might be doing to
their children”
- Hana Rosin

14.
Image: bjornsk
“On the one hand, parents want their children to swim expertly
in the digital stream that they will have to navigate all their lives;
on the other hand, they fear that too much digital media, too
early, will sink them”
- Hanna Rosin

15.
Image: Ol’1 eye
Parents end up treating tablets like precision surgical instruments, gadgets that might perform
miracles for their child’s IQ…but only if they are used just so
….[or they] could end up one of those sad, pale creatures who can’t make eye contact and has
an avatar for a girlfriend. – Hanna Rosen

16.
When we look back and consult Hanna Rosen, she states that
“every new medium has, within a short time of its introduction,
been condemned as a threat to young people”…
Image: Antimidia

17.
Image: S Richards Photography
Although there have been no studies on the effects of early screen time in
children I don’t think we should discount them just yet…

18.
Image: rolfkallman
Introduction of
tablets, smartphones
and
access/membership
to several websites
will only help
improve digital
literacy and help
close the divide in
the upcoming years

19.
Image: Stuck in Customs
Mobi l e devi ces and t he i nt er net enabl e l i f e-l ong l ear ni ng
as wel l as connect i ng us t o essent i al ser vi ces l i ke
mobi l e heal t h and mobi l e banki ng

20.
It is under these advantages that one must remember when trying
to bridge the gap between the old style of childhood and the new
style

21.
Sources:
• The Touch-Screen Generation. By Hanna Rosen. The Atlantic. March
2013.
• Coming of Age in the Digital Age. By Kevin Makice. Wired
Magazine. February 2013.
• Course Lectures