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Dissertation research study that examined parents of preteens and the protectionist and empowerment Internet mediation and media literacy strategies they reported using to guide their child's use of the Internet. Parents' use of protectionist and empowerment strategies, their confidence level in enacting these strategies, their attitudes about efficacy of these strategies, and the relationship among their attitudes about children's use of the Internet to these areas were examined. The study used an online survey (N=236) of parents who have preteens with Internet access at home, and parent interviews from a sample of the survey respondents (N=40), to gather data from a nationwide sample of parents. Parents were asked questions about their use of, confidence in, and perceptions of effectiveness of protectionist and empowerment Internet mediation strategies, what topics related to Internet use they have discussed with their child, and overall their attitudes about the Internet and children. The survey results show that the majority of parents use a combination of protectionism and empowerment strategies, but more heavily use protectionist Internet mediation overall. Parents reported high confidence in using most of the strategies, with slightly less (but still notably high) confidence in using empowerment strategies. Even though parents reported feeling confident using empowerment strategies, they used them much less than protectionist strategies. Protectionist strategies were also ranked as more effective than empowerment ones. Parents' attitudes about the Internet were also associated with behaviors. Parents' level of comfort in using the Internet and computers was positively associated with their overall engagement in their preteens' Internet use, whether protectionism or empowerment. Parental attitude about the Internet being a good place for their child was associated with the likelihood to use protectionist strategies. However, parents who did not believe the Int

In the popular press, much is made about how new digital technologies such as iPads and smartphones are revolutionizing family life. Children and parents alike now have a growing stream of new technological resources at their fingertips, offering increased opportunities for engagement, entertainment, and education. But while anecdotes about families and media abound, empirical evidence on national trends is much harder to come by. This study explores how parents are incorporating new digital technologies (iPads, smartphones) as well as older media platforms (TV, video games, and computers) into their family lives and parenting practices: * What does the family media and technology environment look like today? * How widely have mobile media technologies been adopted? Are they making parents' lives easier? * How does the role of newer technologies compare to that of "traditional" platforms like television, or to other technologies such as computers and video games? * How do parents use media and technology as a parenting tool, to help them get things done, or to educate their children? * What role do media and technology play in families' "together" time? * How do different parenting practices and parents' own levels of media and technology use affect the use patterns of children in the home? The study focuses on families with young children and explores what is actually happening in the lives of real families, from all walks of life. It is based on an extensive survey of a nationally representative sample of more than 2,300 parents of children from birth to eight years old. (The complete survey questionnaire and results are provided in the appendix.) The survey was informed by a series of four focus groups among parents of young children, conducted in California and Illinois. While parents' comments from the focus groups and from the survey are included throughout the report, the key findings a

Advice to Parents When Their Child Is Accused of Bullying ​In this helpful Wall Street Journal article, author Catherine Steiner-Adair offers this advice to parents who get an accusatory phone call saying their child is bullying another child. This might be something for schools to pass along to parents. ​* Take a deep breath. It's normal to experience amixture of fear, shame, denial (this can't be!), panic, and defensiveness. "While it feels like a permanent label, remember: it is a description of behavior that your child is exhibiting today, it is not who he is in his entirety, nor who he will be forever, if you respond and get help," says Steiner-Adair. ​* Focus on staying calm and listening to what's being said. If the other parent is upset, assure him or her that you're writing down the details so you'll have them correct. You might say, "Do you want to take five minutes and call me back so we can talk calmly about this?" ​* Thank the other parent. Say that it's good we're finding out what's happening now, that it must have been a difficult call to make. Promise to follow up. ​* Take time to process the information. "Once you have the information, take time for yourself to process how it makes you feel, so that when you approach your child, you are calm," says Steiner-Adair. ​* Talk with your child. The goal is to get the facts - "a calm, nonjudgmental discovery process," says Steiner-Adair. "Do you know what they are talking about? What occurred? Is any of this true?" Read your notes and ask your child to write down a detailed account of what happened. Stay calm and make it safe for your child to tell the whole story. Explain that whatever happened, you are going to help resolve the situation. ​* Be the grown-up. "Can you help me see why the other kid sees it their way?" you might ask. "How would you feel if he did that to you?" Try to understand the antecedents - insecurity, anger, teas

"Most parents are not all that worried about the role of technology in their children's lives. And they are more likely to rely on books and analog activities than digital devices to keep their children busy. Those are the conclusions of a new survey released this week.  Based on a nationally representative survey of more than 2,300 parents of children from birth to 8-years-old, the study examines how media is being incorporated into family life. We sat down with Alexis Lauricella, one of the study's coauthors to hear more. Lauricella is a research associate at Northwestern University's Center on Media and Human Development. Her work examines children's learning from media as well as parents' and teachers' attitudes toward media and how they use it with young children. "

"Do you have a child that uses the Internet or plays with an app on your phone or tablet? Unless you live in Mad Men times, you've probably answered "yes" to these questions. Then, you should have heard about COPPA, right? As a new parent, I didn't until recently. I assumed it was the Barry Manilow song. However, COPPA is the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, a U.S. federal law enforced by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to protect the privacy of children when they go online. It requires parental consent from websites and apps looking to collect personal information from users under 13-years-old. It's the most significant overhaul of the nation's laws to protect children's online privacy. In short, COPPA is good news."

"If you are a parent, teacher, or other adult working with children, this blog aims to help you learn, as much as possible, about helping digital kids grow into thoughtful, collaborative, and savvy digital citizens. The blog's mission is to provide context for adults - defining and clarifying digital world issues, 21st Century learning challenges, and those virtual environments and devices that children take for granted. It's not really about technology anymore. Instead it's about lifelong learning, collaboration, problem solving, and flexibility. Media! Tech! Parenting! examines or reviews three or four items of digital news and information each week, surveying newspapers, blogs, research, and magazines, as well as the media, safety, and educational websites. Blog posts, as often as possible, provide links pointing readers toward the sites or publications covered in blog posts."

"This wiki is a space where we can share resources on parenting and raising digitally connected kids. "

"Insights from the latest research into parents, young people, and digital and mobile media."

"REPORT: Parenting in the Age of Digital Technology" from the conference "Parenting in the Age of Digital Technology: How Families Use Media and Technology in their Daily Lives"

"Parenting wired kids can be difficult, especially if you didn't grow up with the same technologies. These resources can help."

"You can help your child become a responsible, ethical digital citizen with healthy online relationships. To do that, you'll use the same successful parenting skills that you're already using at home. Resilient digital citizens recognize and seek out the 3Cs-appropriate contact, content, and conduct-in all digital settings (e.g., iPods,instant messaging, chat, computer games, game consoles, cell phones, text messaging, webcams).  "

Relevant and interesting research about media, parenting, education and kids

"Complete collection of presentations from the 2013 Policy Conference: Parenting in the Age of Digital Technology: How Families Use Media and Technology in their Daily Lives, eld at the Pew Charitable Trusts Conference Center in Washington, DC on Tuesday, June 4, 2013"

Having an accurate understanding of the role of media in children's lives is essential for all of those concerned about promoting healthy child development: parents, educators, pediatricians, public health advocates, and policymakers, to name just a few. The purpose of this study is to provide publicly accessible, reliable data about media use among children ages 0 to 8, to help inform the efforts of all of those who are working to improve children's lives.

"According to a study scheduled for release on Friday, however, less than half the time that children age 2 to 10 spend watching or interacting with electronic screens is with what parents consider "educational" material. Most of that time is from watching television, with mobile devices contributing relatively little educational value."

"Smartphone adoption among American teens has increased substantially and mobile access to the internet is pervasive. One in four teens are "cell-mostly" internet users, who say they mostly go online using their phone and not using some other device such as a desktop or laptop computer. These are among the new findings from a nationally representative Pew Research Center survey that explored technology use among 802 youth ages 12-17 and their parents. Key findings include: 78% of teens now have a cell phone, and almost half (47%) of them own smartphones. That translates into 37% of all teens who have smartphones, up from just 23% in 2011. 23% of teens have a tablet computer, a level comparable to the general adult population. 95% of teens use the internet. 93% of teens have a computer or have access to one at home. Seven in ten (71%) teens with home computer access say the laptop or desktop they use most often is one they share with other family members. "The nature of teens' internet use has transformed dramatically - from stationary connections tied to shared desktops in the home to always-on connections that move with them throughout the day," said Mary Madden, Senior Researcher for the Pew Research Center's Internet Project and co-author of the report. "In many ways, teens represent the leading edge of mobile connectivity, and the patterns of their technology use often signal future changes in the adult population.""

"The reason is that our capacity to control impulses is limited on any given day. Sleep, downtime, or exercise is needed to recharge our supply. Stress, negative feelings, and 'high demand' environments diminish our reserve of self-regulation. That's why people tend to eat junk food when they are sad or at the end of the day when their will power is worn down after hours of refusing sweets. So it takes a lot of mental energy to inhibit the urge to check Facebook for the latest news. When you find that your teen responded to a string of texts while writing a paper, it may be more out of mental exhaustion than outright defiance."

"At this age, the Internet is no longer a solitary or passive experience. For preteens and teens, the Internet is social. Teens are using the Internet to express themselves and to experiment anonymously with different identities. While the desire to strike out on their own is age-appropriate, these kids still need parental guidance (sometimes from a respectful distance) on how to conduct themselves safely online."

"This goes against years of research showing that screens, in any capacity, do everything but help us fall asleep. In 2012, the American Medical Association's Council on Science and Public Health said that "exposure to excessive light at night, including extended use of various electronic media, can disrupt sleep or exacerbate sleep disorders." Sleep researchers say that looking at a blue light, which is produced by smartphone and tablet screens, sets off brain receptors that are designed to keep us awake and interferes with circadian sleep patterns. Experimental research has found that if people use a tablet for up to two hours before bed, it takes an extra hour to fall asleep."

Whether it's a physical barrier (no iPads at the dinner table) or a conceptual one (turn off devices by 11 p.m.), users say these weaning techniques are improving their relationships - and their sanity. "Disconnecting is a luxury that we all need," said Lesley M. M. Blume, a New York writer who keeps her phone away from the dinner table at home. "The expectation that we must always be available to employers, colleagues, family: it creates a real obstacle in trying to set aside private time. But that private time is more important than ever." Much of the digital detoxing is centered on the home, where urgent e-mails from co-workers, texts from friends, Instagram photos from acquaintances and YOLO updates on Facebook conspire to upend domestic tranquillity.