3. What is Social Media?
"Online communities where users share
information, ideas, personal messages,
and other content (e.g. videos)"
Approximately 75% of Canadians use social media (2012)
73% 35% 20% 20%
4. Who Is Using Social Media?
Pew Institute Survey. US figures.
Females more than males (+10%)
Urban more than rural (+9%)
No difference by household income
11. Typical Parental Concerns?
“Today's children love luxury, have bad
manners, contempt for authority … and love
chatter instead of exercise”
Aristophanes: 400 B.C.E.
“Young people of today think of nothing
but themselves”
Peter The Hermit: 12th Century
12. Juvenovia
David Finkelhor – Director of the UNH Crimes Against Children Research Center
"The exaggerated fear about the influence of social
change on youth.”
8 Leading Indicators of Teen/Child Safety
(last 5-10 years)
Bullying
Kids targeted by hate speech
Youth Crime
School Violence
Teen Drug Use Rates
Child Sexual Abuse
Teen Sexual Activity & Pregnancies
Teen suicide rate
13. Not Especially Dangerous
"...there are dangers on the Internet...and I'm fully
supportive of an active police presence online, of
hotlines, of putting pressure on Internet service
providers, and of social networking sites minimizing
risk. But…we only need to know that there are
dangers in order to warrant this. We don't have to
argue that the internet and social media is especially
dangerous”
14. Why Take The Risk?
Social media might be protective, it might make
negative behavior less likely.
21. Self Definition
•Time of self definition
•Unmediated public spaces
to 'cluster'
•Trial & Error
"When it comes to socializing with friends, youth prefer in-
person (unregulated) encounters. They turn to (social media)
when they can’t get together with their friends en masse or
when they can’t get together without surveilling adults."
(2008)
22. What Can Parents Do?
QuickTime™ and a
decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
23. Know Your Child
• Assess the risk
• Gradual release of
responsibility
• Shared accounts
• Know the limits
28. For links and more info:
www.AndrewSCampbell.com
@acampbell99
acampbell99.wordpress.com
Editor's Notes
Thank Parent Involvement Cmtee and Lakehead Public Schools for inviting me to talk tonight.
Father of 3 teen sons and an educator for over 20 years. Also a technology enthusiast. I’ve been thinking and learning about social media and teens for almost 10 years. Would like to share some thoughts and ideas about this from others that resound with me.
Stats are up from 2011 by about 7%, expect continued growth. Explain what twitter and linked in are. (social networking site for ppl in professional occupations. Allows people to maintain and develop professional networks.)
Explain that difficult to be exact about 10-17 demo bec must rely on parents for info and many young teens using SM illegally. Fasted growing demo is 65+.
may be strangers to the child or strangers to the parents
may involve loss of jobs or reduced educational opps (rejected from university)
will child make a mistake that will harm them socially?
Are these fears rational? Are these the same fears that paremts had in the 1950’s about rock & roll, in the 1970’s about punk rock and so on. Are parents simply worrying without reason?
David Finkelhor Director of the UNH Crimes Against Children Research Center.In 2001 was lead author of the US’s first national study on youth risk online. After completing report started 10 years study into whether society is more dangerous for children.
just as with our communities there are risks in using social media. we want to minimize those risks. Like in risk averse times, why expose children t any level of risk?
Help prevent isolation. Teen mental health. From a 2011 study by Pediatrics magazine
Can provide a safer environment for risk taking teens. Can take risks from home so avoid riskier behavior in the community. Wider social network reduces risk taking behavior. More ppl to indicate pooor judgement.
Around 1 a.m. on January 1, 2013 Astoria police found evidence two cars had been. Later in the day, police got FB messages from two people who said Jacob Cox-Brown had posted this on his Facebook page. Officers went to Cox-Brown's house and found a vehicle that had damage that matched the two cars. Cox-Brown was charged with two counts of failing to perform the duties of a driver. Lots of other examples.
From Digital Pulse Magazine in 2011 survey of 42 Canadian organizations. Electronic communication skills will be essential work skills in the 21C. Using social media is an effective way of developing those skills and is becoming an essential part of job searching. Twinterviewing
TJ Goertz, Web Communications and Policy Officer OPSBA 50-80% of time on SM First full time post secondary program in SM
danah boyd Senior Researcher at Microsoft Research , Professor New York University & U of New South Wales, a Researcher & Fellow at Harvard new book abt teens and privacy coming out later this year
I nterview with Jane Mitchinson, Ontario educator. To summarize: Adults need to be strike a balance in using social media with their children. They need to be present but give kids the space they need to connect with their peers.
Judge what your child can handle Analogy with driving. Don’t let kids drive unsupervised when 16. Have to prove they can handle it over time. Set up first accounts with your e-mail so you can check. Prove trustworthy. Motivated teens can by-pass all suprvision if they want. developing trust and communication is key.
Piloted by Anooj Shah, Blackberry alumni in Toronto
10 yo are on FB, younger are using Youtube. Game systems all have chat features and are often used by young children unsupervised in their rooms. Don’t need special rules for SM, just apply same rules for public spaces. SM seductive, makes you think it’s private. Repeatedly emphasize that SM is public.
Remember that your kids can see your SM. Post the way you’d want them to post. You need to know how to use SM so you can keep them safe. Make sure you know how the privacy settings work. Don’t let them be the experts.
Just touched the tip of the ice berg. New services coming out all the time. You need to be aware of things like snapchat, kik messenger, Vapour, Pheed, etc,
Thanks for listening. I hope that’s been useful and will provoke some thinking. Looking forward to discussion and questions and hopefully to chatting with some of you after.