Last week, Harvard rescinded the acceptances of 10 incoming freshmen for posting racist, sexually offensive material in a Facebook messaging group titled “Harvard memes for horny bourgeois teens.” As intense as the consequence may seem, this is an important reminder that nothing on the web is private, even private chat groups.
A person is responsible for what they post, a lesson our kids and teens might not always appreciate. According to a 2015 survey by the Pew Research Center, 88% of teens surveyed believe that people share too much information about themselves on social media. I am definitely going to ask my teens what they feel is too much information. Also, 75% of teens said they either “frequently” or “occasionally" see people “stirring up drama on social media.” That is a lot of posts and messages that are all about drama!
We know it is popular for teens to have a main Instagram account and then a separate one, that is thought to be private, for closer friends--called a Finsta account. This is a great time to talk about these alternative accounts. Are they really as private as one might think? For some, they create a supportive small group so I would start with the positive—why might a person want a Finstagram?
In talking with younger kids I learned a cool analogy from a teacher I met while doing screenings in Hong Kong. He tells his 1st-grade students to think of the web as the ocean and when you are in it, how important it is to wear your swimsuit.
The action taken by Harvard is a great way to remind your teens about what they choose to post on social media. The students involved probably had no idea their posts would be seen by anyone but themselves, they were in a private chat. But “private chat” is a misnomer. These kids are the cream of the crop, and they didn’t have the wisdom to keep inappropriate messages out of the conversation.
For this week’s TTT, let's talk about posts and privacy. Below are some questions. These discussions work best when adults share their experiences and observations--not just asking youth about their experiences. We are all in this together.
** A little tip, I generally print out the TTT to bring to the dinner table since we do not use tech during dinner.
We would love for you to share this TTT any way that works for you, whether that’s on social media or via a newsletter. If you want to send it out in your newsletter we just ask that you credit us and link to our website, and let us know at lisa@screenagersmovie.com.
HOST A SCREENING to help spark change.
FIND EVENT LISTINGS
Do you organize professional development in schools? We now have a 6-hour, 3-part training module. Request more information here Professional Development.
Stay in touch with the Screenagers community on Facebook, Twitter and leave comments below.
As well as our weekly blog, we publish videos like this one every week on the Screenagers YouTube channel
Last week, Harvard rescinded the acceptances of 10 incoming freshmen for posting racist, sexually offensive material in a Facebook messaging group titled “Harvard memes for horny bourgeois teens.” As intense as the consequence may seem, this is an important reminder that nothing on the web is private, even private chat groups.
A person is responsible for what they post, a lesson our kids and teens might not always appreciate. According to a 2015 survey by the Pew Research Center, 88% of teens surveyed believe that people share too much information about themselves on social media. I am definitely going to ask my teens what they feel is too much information. Also, 75% of teens said they either “frequently” or “occasionally" see people “stirring up drama on social media.” That is a lot of posts and messages that are all about drama!
We know it is popular for teens to have a main Instagram account and then a separate one, that is thought to be private, for closer friends--called a Finsta account. This is a great time to talk about these alternative accounts. Are they really as private as one might think? For some, they create a supportive small group so I would start with the positive—why might a person want a Finstagram?
In talking with younger kids I learned a cool analogy from a teacher I met while doing screenings in Hong Kong. He tells his 1st-grade students to think of the web as the ocean and when you are in it, how important it is to wear your swimsuit.
The action taken by Harvard is a great way to remind your teens about what they choose to post on social media. The students involved probably had no idea their posts would be seen by anyone but themselves, they were in a private chat. But “private chat” is a misnomer. These kids are the cream of the crop, and they didn’t have the wisdom to keep inappropriate messages out of the conversation.
For this week’s TTT, let's talk about posts and privacy. Below are some questions. These discussions work best when adults share their experiences and observations--not just asking youth about their experiences. We are all in this together.
** A little tip, I generally print out the TTT to bring to the dinner table since we do not use tech during dinner.
We would love for you to share this TTT any way that works for you, whether that’s on social media or via a newsletter. If you want to send it out in your newsletter we just ask that you credit us and link to our website, and let us know at lisa@screenagersmovie.com.
HOST A SCREENING to help spark change.
FIND EVENT LISTINGS
Do you organize professional development in schools? We now have a 6-hour, 3-part training module. Request more information here Professional Development.
Stay in touch with the Screenagers community on Facebook, Twitter and leave comments below.
As well as our weekly blog, we publish videos like this one every week on the Screenagers YouTube channel
Many young people are overwhelmed by constant social media use, which can displace important activities like sleep, schoolwork, and friendships. Over 200 school districts are suing platforms like Meta for harms related to social media addiction. The blog covers what problematic social media use is from a clinical perspective and how our kids can talk with a friend (or family member) if they are worried their friend might have some level of problematic use.
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A week ago, Instagram announced changes to its rules for “Teen Accounts.” All new teen users will be defaulted into these accounts, and current teen users will transition over the next two months. Instagram’s head of Products, discussed these changes, and one comment surprised me. She mentioned that teens aged 13 to 16 will need parental permission to have a public account, hoping this would encourage dialogue between teens and parents about social media use. However, I feel this still puts too much responsibility on parents when we need broader societal solutions. I discuss this and the rest of the changes in today's blog.
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We have created a table that compares the 4 most common social media platforms and the specific ways they are similar and different. Spoiler alert, they are way more similar than different. It makes perfect sense since companies see what young people use on other apps and incorporate such features into their own apps.
READ MORE >for more like this, DR. DELANEY RUSTON'S NEW BOOK, PARENTING IN THE SCREEN AGE, IS THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE FOR TODAY’S PARENTS. WITH INSIGHTS ON SCREEN TIME FROM RESEARCHERS, INPUT FROM KIDS & TEENS, THIS BOOK IS PACKED WITH SOLUTIONS FOR HOW TO START AND SUSTAIN PRODUCTIVE FAMILY TALKS ABOUT TECHNOLOGY AND IT’S IMPACT ON OUR MENTAL WELLBEING.
