EmergingSocialSoftware

Don’t folks love these studies that make them hang on to their seats! It’s a research murder mystery turned cliff hanger! The reality is no one knows who “dunnit”! People can guess all they want. Parents can play it safe and deactivate accounts without any real basis, but it might make them feel better. The truth is we won’t know unless further study is completed some day in the future after more data is collected and described. Then and only then can some patterns be looked at and then perhaps a study looking at causation could be undertaken. And that will be a long time from now.So what are parents to do? If parents have been vigilant about how much time children spend on technology whether computer, television, video games, or the internet, keep up the good work. If parents have not been monitoring time spent with technology, then maybe some consideration is needed. But parents should do so not because they are fearful of lower grades. Instead, parents should monitor social networking because, done in excess, it keeps teens from doing other activities that are probably better for them in the long run in achieving a balanced life and true learning success. 

"Being able to use technology does not necessarily mean being able to use technology critically, wisely, or meaningfully," the article says. "The digital generation often falls short in demonstrating the fundamental understanding of digital media."