Raising Kids In The Digital Age

Even though cell phones are blamed for several problems because they are mobile and can be carried everywhere, a person has to realize there may be other factors to the issues that do not include cell phones. According to Chelsea Clinton, in the foreword to the book by James P. Steyer, Talking Back to Facebook; The Common Sense Guide to Raising Kids in the Digital Age: Today, many kids are spending more time consuming media than interacting with their parents or teachers, and the challenges are vast - from the many young people who regret by high school what they've already posted about themselves to cyberbullying, to the hypersexualization of female characters in video games to the "ratings creep" in the movies and the

It could very well be that video games and movies have influenced students with a false sense of what's right and wrong. A lot of movies are about violence, bullying, the feeling of procrastination, and the notion of "You Only Live Once." For as many drawbacks as social media and entertainment has, it also has a positive side. Some teachers and parents find social networking very useful. For example, according to Choudhary, Momin, and Kantharia, "A majority of the participants when asked about the benefits of Facebook and Whatsapp replied that Facebook and Whatsapp are very useful in sharing academic information and also play an important role during entrance exam preparation." So, even though we sometimes consider social media bad, it has some very good qualities and can be very helpful to us. Social networking is becoming a huge deal in our society today. Teachers and parents across the world are having to adapt to the new ways of communication and learning. Even though there are many drawbacks to having social media, there are

Larry Rosen, professor of psychology at California State University, students that are very active on social media can express their sympathy and emotions to others on social media better than students who are less active on social media. Rosen refers to these emotions as "virtual empathy." Rosen also believes that using Facebook and other forms of social media can assist socially awkward students with socializing. He believes that when these students are not conversing face to face with other students, but are conversing virtually, with either cell phones or computers, they are discovering how to communicate with others better and overcome their awkwardness. Rosen is convinced that social media can give teachers tools to help them gain their student's attention. Social media seems to be rather two-faced at times because it has helpful qualities, but it also has several drawbacks. Even though there are some helpful tools we can acquire from social media, there can be some disadvantages as well. Dr. Larry Rosen also listed some negative effects of social media. According to Rosen, young students who are active on social media seem to be self-absorbed, but older students who are active on social media seem to show evidence of having mental insecurities like reclusiveness and