Parenting in the Digital Age

"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.""

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

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

"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. "

"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"

"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"

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

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

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.

"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. "

"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."

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.