Spending time online is a common part of being a kid these days, and we can’t remind parents enough of how important it is for you to get serious about talking to your kids about what they do online. In 2007, the Department of Justice reported that nearly 30,000 registered sex offenders were found using MySpace, and while major efforts have been made to crack down on these threats, parents and kids need to stay on guard while online. An increasingly popular outlet for kids and teens is interactive gaming. In the last few years the gaming experience has exploded online, allowing participants to interact with an unlimited number of players from anywhere in the world. This includes being able to chat with friends and other players who they meet online. Of course, this another place a predator can find your kid.
Parents need to monitor what their kids are doing online, and pay attention to your kids’ gaming habits, particularly if they are playing interactive games. Common Sense Media offers some expert guidelines to help make sure your kids stay safe while still having fun:
* Learn about what games your kids are playing and what the games’ ESRB ratings are.
* Set time limits for game play before kids go online.
* Enforce privacy rules. Your kids should never give out email addresses when they sign in for a game, and never give their password to anyone else. Make sure that no personal details, including identifying names, phone numbers, schools, or addresses are transmitted to strangers during game play.
* Double check your kids’ gametag and screen names; they may have multiple usernames.
* Observe your kids playing to know who they are playing with, and monitor their chats and messages. Tell your kids to mute or block unwanted messages, and tell them to report anything that makes them uncomfortable.
* Don’t let younger kids use voice chat.
Make sure your kids know that they can come to you and talk about anything that makes them uncomfortable, without worrying about you getting angry with them. Online gaming can be a lot of fun for kids and teens, but as with all online activities, you should always stay aware of privacy and safety issues. ~AMW Safety Center
Addicted to Social Networking?
~Queens District Attorney Richard Brown~ “Every parent should take heed when their child turns on their computer and goes on an interactive social networking site,” Brown said. “The defendant used just such a website to recruit a young, emotionally vulnerable child by promising to take care of her. Instead, he physically abused her and threw her into a life of degradation in which she was required to perform sexual acts with hundreds of men for money.”
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Friday, September 18, 2009
What Influences Teenagers Most?
A June 12th 2008 article I pulled from the UK's school blog, talks about a survey they conducted and it's results may surprise you. Well, perhaps not...
What influences teenagers most?
The power of celebrities and the power of the internet is now so strong when it comes to teenage girls that (according to a survey by GirlGuiding UK) advertisers and politicians have little chance to influence their opinions and behaviour. Teachers have less power than celebrities or the media – but are way ahead of advertisers and politicians in their influence.
And although celebrities do have this influence – much of the influence they have is openly seen as negative by teenage girls.
The survey found that away from friends and family, celebrities have the biggest hold with 42% naming them as the greatest influence.
As you might guess, the top celeb is Victoria Beckham, who was nominated by 35% followed by Leona Lewis who polled 32%.
Kate Moss and Amy Winehouse came next with 29% and 23% respectively.
38% said that the media is the prime influence of their attitudes to alcohol and drugs. Teachers on the other hand were a prime influence at 30% – way above advertisers who influence 7% and politicians at 4%. 19% say the media influences their opinions about sex and relationships while teachers influence 15% and advertisers 2%.
59% say Channel 4 TV programmes like ‘Skins’ and ‘Hollyoaks’ help them understand issues affecting people their age.
44% of the girls said they could name more WAGS [footballers' wives and girlfriends] than female politicians.
However celebrities actually have a negative influence on the way girls view the world, with 59% believing they make girls their age less well-informed.
75% of the girls taking the survey said they used the internet daily, but they placed less trust in it than in newspapers or TV. The most trusted medium is television news, which was named by 90% of the girls. Although around half said they didn’t bother to stay informed about world events.
What influences teenagers most?
The power of celebrities and the power of the internet is now so strong when it comes to teenage girls that (according to a survey by GirlGuiding UK) advertisers and politicians have little chance to influence their opinions and behaviour. Teachers have less power than celebrities or the media – but are way ahead of advertisers and politicians in their influence.
And although celebrities do have this influence – much of the influence they have is openly seen as negative by teenage girls.
The survey found that away from friends and family, celebrities have the biggest hold with 42% naming them as the greatest influence.
As you might guess, the top celeb is Victoria Beckham, who was nominated by 35% followed by Leona Lewis who polled 32%.
Kate Moss and Amy Winehouse came next with 29% and 23% respectively.
38% said that the media is the prime influence of their attitudes to alcohol and drugs. Teachers on the other hand were a prime influence at 30% – way above advertisers who influence 7% and politicians at 4%. 19% say the media influences their opinions about sex and relationships while teachers influence 15% and advertisers 2%.
59% say Channel 4 TV programmes like ‘Skins’ and ‘Hollyoaks’ help them understand issues affecting people their age.
44% of the girls said they could name more WAGS [footballers' wives and girlfriends] than female politicians.
However celebrities actually have a negative influence on the way girls view the world, with 59% believing they make girls their age less well-informed.
75% of the girls taking the survey said they used the internet daily, but they placed less trust in it than in newspapers or TV. The most trusted medium is television news, which was named by 90% of the girls. Although around half said they didn’t bother to stay informed about world events.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
The Internet - Not Always a Waste of Time
HOW KIDS AND TEENS BENEFIT FROM CYBERSPACE
The Positive Side of Digital Media
by Venice Kirchura
March 2009
Parents worried their kids and teens waste too much time online can be relieved that much of their children’s online life is beneficial, according the University of California researcher Mizuko Ito. A 2008 done by Ito shows spending time online isn’t always a waste of time and that time in cyberspace helps kids acquire technical and social skills to compete in the digital age, as well as gain encouragement and feedback from their online peers
Online with Face-to-Face Friends
Interestingly, the study showed that most kids hang out online with people they already know from their offline lives, such as through school or sports. Besides the internet, cell phones, texting, instant messaging and social networks keep them in almost continual contact with one another.
Digital Media Offers Technical Skills
Thanks to a wealth of online information, teens learn valuable computer skills such as how to create web pages, blogs, PDF files and other technical abilities which they can later use in college and in their careers. On the other hand, if they can’t find what they want to know, they can always post questions on teen message boards or ask others on social networking sites.
Literary Contests
Young people who are more right-brained than left-brained can log on to web sites that challenge their creative skills. For example, FaithWriters for Kids was created from its parental website, FaithWriters.com to offer young writers opportunities to compete in weekly writing contests. Although much of the writing is geared in a spiritual direction, other entries for the weekly challenges are also acceptable.
Ages are divided into groups ranging from ages 7-8 to 13-14 for writing in various genres such as poetry, nonfiction or creative writing. Older teens may compete in the adults’ FaithWriters Weekly Challenges, giving them head starts for possible journalism or writing careers.
Online Chess Club
Kids and teens who want to horn their chess playing skills can log onto chessclub.com. Not only will they get to play chess with other players around the world but can also make friends. What’s more they can learn from the best as ChestClub.com offers some of the finest chess instructors world-wide. Rather than use only one teacher, kids can try different instructors, finding one that suites them best.
Social Benefits
Social networks such as Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and Utube are linking teens, globally, with friends having similar interests, as well as helping them academically. Surprising, one of the most common topics on these social networking sites is education. According to 2007 by the National School Boards Association and Grunwalk Associates, 60 percent of online students discuss subjects relating to college plans and careers.
Limits and Warnings
Limit “friends” on social networks. Although the digital age offers more opportunities in grow in knowledge and in global friendship, it also presents more challenges. For example, social networking sites can lure kids to predators if they’re too open to accepting “friends” who are strangers. Parents should warn their children to limit the friends they include and not give out inappropriate information when prompted.
Although teens can benefit from digital media parents should still guard their kids from becoming addicted to the internet and other technical toys. Although it’s a valuable tool, it shouldn’t turn into a lifestyle where young people don’t learn how to socialize in an offline life, as well. That’s why kids should be urged to take part in some of those old-fashioned pastimes as sports, board games and other activities that don’t call for computers.
The Positive Side of Digital Media
by Venice Kirchura
March 2009
Parents worried their kids and teens waste too much time online can be relieved that much of their children’s online life is beneficial, according the University of California researcher Mizuko Ito. A 2008 done by Ito shows spending time online isn’t always a waste of time and that time in cyberspace helps kids acquire technical and social skills to compete in the digital age, as well as gain encouragement and feedback from their online peers
Online with Face-to-Face Friends
Interestingly, the study showed that most kids hang out online with people they already know from their offline lives, such as through school or sports. Besides the internet, cell phones, texting, instant messaging and social networks keep them in almost continual contact with one another.
Digital Media Offers Technical Skills
Thanks to a wealth of online information, teens learn valuable computer skills such as how to create web pages, blogs, PDF files and other technical abilities which they can later use in college and in their careers. On the other hand, if they can’t find what they want to know, they can always post questions on teen message boards or ask others on social networking sites.
Literary Contests
Young people who are more right-brained than left-brained can log on to web sites that challenge their creative skills. For example, FaithWriters for Kids was created from its parental website, FaithWriters.com to offer young writers opportunities to compete in weekly writing contests. Although much of the writing is geared in a spiritual direction, other entries for the weekly challenges are also acceptable.
Ages are divided into groups ranging from ages 7-8 to 13-14 for writing in various genres such as poetry, nonfiction or creative writing. Older teens may compete in the adults’ FaithWriters Weekly Challenges, giving them head starts for possible journalism or writing careers.
Online Chess Club
Kids and teens who want to horn their chess playing skills can log onto chessclub.com. Not only will they get to play chess with other players around the world but can also make friends. What’s more they can learn from the best as ChestClub.com offers some of the finest chess instructors world-wide. Rather than use only one teacher, kids can try different instructors, finding one that suites them best.
Social Benefits
Social networks such as Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and Utube are linking teens, globally, with friends having similar interests, as well as helping them academically. Surprising, one of the most common topics on these social networking sites is education. According to 2007 by the National School Boards Association and Grunwalk Associates, 60 percent of online students discuss subjects relating to college plans and careers.
Limits and Warnings
Limit “friends” on social networks. Although the digital age offers more opportunities in grow in knowledge and in global friendship, it also presents more challenges. For example, social networking sites can lure kids to predators if they’re too open to accepting “friends” who are strangers. Parents should warn their children to limit the friends they include and not give out inappropriate information when prompted.
Although teens can benefit from digital media parents should still guard their kids from becoming addicted to the internet and other technical toys. Although it’s a valuable tool, it shouldn’t turn into a lifestyle where young people don’t learn how to socialize in an offline life, as well. That’s why kids should be urged to take part in some of those old-fashioned pastimes as sports, board games and other activities that don’t call for computers.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Parents Guide to Surviving the Teen Years
Saw this article today and had to chuckle at the title. "Survival" Guide! YES! I know I can use all the help I can get. How 'bout you? (smile)
Here are the topics of discussion, from the article at Kids Health:
VERY interesting read...
http://kidshealth.org/parent/growth/growing/adolescence.html#
Here are the topics of discussion, from the article at Kids Health:
- Understanding the Teen Years
- Butting Heads
- Educate Yourself
- Talk to your Child Early Enough
- Put Yourself in your Child's Place
- Pick Your Battles (a biggie for my family)
- Maintain Your Expectations
- Inform Yourself AND Your Teen
- Know the Warning Signs
- Monitor What Your Kids See and Read (set limits)
- Respect Their Privacy
- Make Appropriate Rules (let the punishment FIT the crime)
VERY interesting read...
http://kidshealth.org/parent/growth/growing/adolescence.html#
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Commentary on The Today Show's clip (from above)
This is a segment from the Today Show, where consumer reporter, Janice Lieberman, discusses the way little girls are being overly sexualized in the mass media. If you think this is bad, you should see how oversexed the Bratz dolls are.
Abercrombie and Fitch were also under scrutiny for attempting to market 6 year-olds with thong underwear that state "eye candy" and "wink wink." Abercrombie's response on the issue was that critics were chastising them for false perceptions about the underwear being too offensive, because they were actually for 10 year-olds. This merely made Abercrombie look like fools. Besides, why in the world do 6 or 10 year olds need to wear thong underwear that state such overtly sexual messages? No CHILD should ever be thought of in such a sexually provocative way.
Sadly, marketers are selling kids ideologies about sexual maturity and beauty and parents are buying into it.
Marketers claim that, "motivated representations" are not intended to be taken at face value, yet they are cashing in on selling "young girls products" that offer empty promises of achieving the beauty and perfection of their favorite idols, like Hannah Montana.
According to a recent study, tween consumers spend roughly $200 billion a year. This makes it extremely appealing to marketers, who are selling self improvement that is not actually intended to "improve" the girls, but to make corporations more money.
This can be detrimental for girls' self esteems.
Since children around the ages of 6 to 12 are in Piaget's concrete operational stage of cognitive development, they ARE able to logically reason concrete ideas, but still LACK the capabilities of comprehending abstract images, like separating representations in magazines and on TV from images in actual reality.
Since this is a very important stage in determining a child's identity, girls are more likely to internalize the images and buy into the ideologies that their value lies in their appearance. This is especially true with the Bratz dolls, who send the message that "less is more", with their very sexy clothing and thick makeup.
As girls grow, exposure to these images can haunt them and often influence concerns with body image, sexual explorations at a younger age, and dangerous dieting habits, like eating disorders and skipping meals, etc.
If you truly love your little girls, then actually let them be "little girls." They have the rest of their lives to be adults when they grow up, so why rush it?
Abercrombie and Fitch were also under scrutiny for attempting to market 6 year-olds with thong underwear that state "eye candy" and "wink wink." Abercrombie's response on the issue was that critics were chastising them for false perceptions about the underwear being too offensive, because they were actually for 10 year-olds. This merely made Abercrombie look like fools. Besides, why in the world do 6 or 10 year olds need to wear thong underwear that state such overtly sexual messages? No CHILD should ever be thought of in such a sexually provocative way.
Sadly, marketers are selling kids ideologies about sexual maturity and beauty and parents are buying into it.
Marketers claim that, "motivated representations" are not intended to be taken at face value, yet they are cashing in on selling "young girls products" that offer empty promises of achieving the beauty and perfection of their favorite idols, like Hannah Montana.
According to a recent study, tween consumers spend roughly $200 billion a year. This makes it extremely appealing to marketers, who are selling self improvement that is not actually intended to "improve" the girls, but to make corporations more money.
This can be detrimental for girls' self esteems.
Since children around the ages of 6 to 12 are in Piaget's concrete operational stage of cognitive development, they ARE able to logically reason concrete ideas, but still LACK the capabilities of comprehending abstract images, like separating representations in magazines and on TV from images in actual reality.
Since this is a very important stage in determining a child's identity, girls are more likely to internalize the images and buy into the ideologies that their value lies in their appearance. This is especially true with the Bratz dolls, who send the message that "less is more", with their very sexy clothing and thick makeup.
As girls grow, exposure to these images can haunt them and often influence concerns with body image, sexual explorations at a younger age, and dangerous dieting habits, like eating disorders and skipping meals, etc.
If you truly love your little girls, then actually let them be "little girls." They have the rest of their lives to be adults when they grow up, so why rush it?
Saturday, September 12, 2009
A Healing Voice
LIFE
Living life in my memories
was where I always wanted to be
Living in the past, as it would be my last chance.
The past didn't work.
Living life in my memories
was where I always wanted to be
Living in the past, as it would be my last chance.
The past didn't work.
One last thing I need to do
is the thing that I deserve.
I realized all I did was wrong
and to that, there is no right.
Why did He have to take my sister, when we'd just had a fight?
That is the past, this is the present.
Life is a gift. Life is a lesson.
So, learn it, take it, go along
because the future is my long way home.
Published on 06/13/09
is the thing that I deserve.
I realized all I did was wrong
and to that, there is no right.
Why did He have to take my sister, when we'd just had a fight?
That is the past, this is the present.
Life is a gift. Life is a lesson.
So, learn it, take it, go along
because the future is my long way home.
Published on 06/13/09
Friday, September 11, 2009
Thursday, September 10, 2009
...Worth A Thousand Words
PICTURES WORK!
The familiar adage “A picture is worth a thousand words” has proven to be true time and again by the return of missing children who have been identified through the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children's Photo-Distribution Program. Thanks to the dissemination of photographs and information by thousands of companies and individuals helping the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in this effort, millions of people have already joined in this search. You can too
- by having a recent photo of your child. A good, quality photograph is the most important tool for law enforcement to use in the case of a missing child.
- by participating in our Picture Them Home campaign to raise awareness about the power of pictures and their importance in the search for missing children.
- by joining our Poster Partner Program, NCMEC will notify you with a "Poster Alert" of children who become missing in your area.
- by joining our Corporate Photo Partner Program. If your company or organization has a means of distributing posters on a national or regional level, then please consider joining the program.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Parents Beware!!!
It is time that parents have their eyes opened about what is going on when some of these teenagers think they have a male friend online, which is in fact luring them to do the unthinkable, making young girls believe they can become "models" and make their own money the fast way, by only taking a few photos. Some of the girls don't know these pictures have been posted under the EROTIC ADULT section on some of these websites. Imagine my surprise when I saw my own daughters body posted on a website that many of our young kids are familiar with. Thank God for friends and a chain of fortunate events which has led to my daughter now being safe and sound. As for her male FRIEND, he is facing sentencing on 95 counts of prostitution among other charges.
Internet Prostitution
My extended family has been greatly effected by online prostitution services. I was shocked to learn that a website I frequent for local classifieds had allowed explicit postings, disguised for the purpose of soliciting women into a seemingly innocent "modeling" job. Imagine our surprise when we saw my young niece's "photos" on other youthful websites and learned of the true nature of those ads, the hard way. Sadly, an unbelievable amount of our youth get enticed into "easy money" situations, both online and in public. The internet highway is a scary place and parents should be aware and speak out. Stop the invasion! Give PROPS!
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