Interestingly, if a stranger joins a hangout, google will kick a teen user off their own hangout. Anyone who is 13 and up can now use Google plus.
"Google said Thursday that it is opening up its Google+ social network to teens 13 and over, while rolling out new protections for those teens who join."
Not exactly kicking them off, their camera will be turned off and mic muted if someone that is not in their circles joins a hangout. The teens have the choice to continue back in the hangout if they want to. Pretty powerful tool for them to have.
From the Google Safety Center:
Hangouts are a great way to connect with other people face to face to face. Just like in real life, you can decide which people you want to chat with. However, sometimes someone joins a conversation that you don't want to chat with (also like real life). So when someone outside your circles joins a Hangout, we'll pull you out and ask if you want to continue. This gives you a safe and easy way to leave the conversation without having to interact with the new attendee first. At the same time, this still gives you the ability to stay if the new person is someone you want to chat with, but you haven't added to circles yet.
http://support.google.com/plus/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=2409072
The instant text, picture and video messages have become part of some teens' courtship behavior, police and school officials said.
"I've seen everything from your basic striptease to sexual acts being performed," said Reynoldsburg police Detective Brian Marvin, a member of the FBI Cyber Crime Task Force of Central Ohio. "You name it, they will do it at their home under this perceived anonymity."
"This happens a lot," said Kelsey, author of Generation MySpace: Helping Your Teen Survive Online Adolescence. "It crosses every racial socio-economic group. Christian kids are doing it. Jewish kids are doing it."
Male teens are also doing it.
A study last year found teens are placing more of an emphasis on image and fame than in the past. Jean Twenge, a psychology professor at San Diego State University who studies young people's trends, found that teens are more confident and assertive than ever before.
Teens are really moving a lot of their relationships to cell phones as Danah Boyd said recently on a Wow2 show. This example of teenage habits of sharing photographs on cell phones is an example. Discussions of cell phone use should be a part of what parents and teachers do with kids. This makes me think twice about allowing cell phone cameras on my children's phones, but I'd rather help them be wise in using it.
"Many people believe that teenagers today grow up faster than they used to, while others argue that today's youth are growing up more slowly, perhaps due to overprotection by their parents. A new study explored this issue by examining how often teens in recent years (compared to teens in previous decades) engaged in adult activities such as drinking alcohol, working, driving, or having sex. The study found that today's adolescents are less likely than their predecessors to take part in activities typically undertaken by adults."
"A later school start time could mean teens are more likely to get adequate amounts of sleep, according to Penn State researchers.
In a national study of urban teenagers, researchers found that high school start times after 8:30 a.m. increased the likelihood that teens obtained the minimum recommended amount of sleep, benefiting their overall health and well being."
Teens write a lot, but they do not think of
their emails, instant and text messages as
writing. This disconnect matters because
teens believe good writing is an essential
skill for success and that more writing
instruction at school would help them.
Teens write a lot, but they do not think of their emails, instant and text messages as writing. This disconnect matters because teens believe good writing is an essential skill for success and that more writing instruction at school would help them.
"Happiness is not a warm phone, according to a new study exploring the link between adolescent life satisfaction and screen time. Teens whose eyes are habitually glued to their smartphones are markedly unhappier, said study lead author and San Diego State University and professor of psychology Jean M. Twenge."
Why do teenagers so often seem like a different species? Journalist Patricia Hersch gives a troubling answer in her fascinating, up-close-and-personal look at what it means to be a teen in today's American high schools. Rather than interviewing "high-risk" teens (those already swept up in a cycle of drug use, gang violence, or unintended pregnancy, for example), Hersch focuses her attention on "regular kids"--adolescents who are average achievers on academic and social levels. In light of this, A Tribe Apart is all the more startling to read: Hersch's investigative approach makes it impossible for parents to shrug off their responsibilities by saying "That's not my kid." This is your kid.
Online social networking
is now so deeply embedded in the
lifestyles of tweens and teens that
it rivals television for their attention,
according to a new study
from Grunwald Associates LLC
conducted in cooperation with
the National School Boards
Association.
Nine- to 17-year-olds report
spending almost as much time
using social networking services
and Web sites as they spend
watching television. Among teens,
that amounts to about 9 hours a
week on social networking activities,
compared to about 10 hours
a week watching TV.
Students are hardly passive
couch potatoes online. Beyond
basic communications, many students
engage in highly creative
activities on social networking
sites - and a sizeable proportion
of them are adventurous nonconformists
who set the pace for their
peers.
"Whyville is a virtual world geared for teen and pre-teen girls and boys.
Whyville's millions of registered "citizens" come from all over to learn, create, and have fun together. Whyville is their world. Whyville has places to go, things to do, and of course, people to see. Whyville has its own newspaper, its own Senators, its own beach, museum, City Hall and town square, its own suburbia, and even its own economy - citizens earn "clams" by playing educational games. And much, much, much more!"
So many great health and science lesson plans running around. This is from the American Heart Association and is three lessons to help kids. This from the site:
"Sudden Cardiac Arrest can strike anyone, anywhere - and a victim's chance of survival depends on the people around them. Be the Beat offers free games, music, videos and giveaways to educate teens about recognizing a cardiac arrest, calling 911, CPR and using an AED, while they have fun!
Schools play a vital role in this movement to train teen lifesavers. As a complement to your CPR and AED program, or other curriculum, check out our free resources and register now so we can keep you updated on the latest news. Then, encourage your students to play and learn on Be the Beat. Together we can create the next generation of lifesavers!"
With summer approaching in the USA and the inevitable tragic drownings that always happen - your teaching could save someone's life!
"Teens who choose to spend time alone may know what's best for them, according to new research that suggests solitude isn't a red flag for isolation or depression.
The key factor is choice, say researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and Wilmington College: When solitude is imposed on adolescents and young adults, whether as punishment or as a result of social anxiety, it can be problematic. But chosen solitude contributes to personal growth and self-acceptance, they found."
But he acknowledged that an investigation into the delay in notifying authorities was "possible."
A message posted to his final MySpace blog by his mother Friday mentioned a history of mental illness.
"He was blogging between 3 and 4 a.m. on the 19th, Wednesday, at which time he inserted a link in the blog to a live webcam and posted a suicide note, and then was seen lying down on the bed," Crane told FOXNews.com.
Oh my goodness - this is terrible. A florida teen committeed suicide via webcam. This is horrible.
Knowing how to report online crime is something we need to be able to do - a sort of e911 for online is what we need.