Teenagers’ Friendships Online Provide Emotional Support, Study Finds
From doing homework to reading the news to hanging out with friends, teenagers’ lives increasingly take place online.
Friendships that form face-to-face carry over onto Snapchat, Instagram, and other digital platforms. And for the most part, talking with friends online provides the same kind of support and validation for teenagers as seeing friends offline, according to a new review study of teenagers’ virtual social interactions.
Online friendships matter as much as in-person for teens: study
Although many adults might believe that kids today aren’t skilled at real, face-to-face interaction with other humans because of the vast amount of screen time they engage in, a new study shows that they’re not missing out on gaining essential interpersonal skills after all.
Teens’ online friendships just as meaningful as face-to-face ones
Many parents worry about how much time teenagers spend texting, sharing selfies and engaging in other online activities with their friends. However, according to a recent research synthesis from the University of California, Irvine, many of these digital behaviors serve the same purpose and encompass the same core qualities as face-to-face relationships.
E-books versus print: is one better than the other?
As the use of e-books and tablets continues to rise, the question of whether they’re as beneficial as print books for children learning to read is an important one. And it’s a topic researchers at the University of California, Irvine tackled in a recent review published in the Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics.
O.C. groups dedicated to girl power
When the Always brand of feminine products debuted its ad “Like a Girl” during the 2015 Super Bowl, it illustrated how the common phrase can affect the self-esteem of girls and women. To “throw like a girl” is often translated to mean weakness, and “playing like a girl” suggests a lack of skill. In the U.S., gender discrimination is sometimes indistinguishable from social norms and can have a damaging effect on the self-worth that parents try to impart to their children….
Sleep And Social Media: New Study Finds Link Between Facebook Use And Lack Of Sleep
It’s becoming more apparent than ever that our addiction to social media has become a detriment to our health. Studies have increasingly showed the effect of social media on our psychology, and last week, Medical Daily reported on a study showing how social media use creates sleep disturbances. Now, a new study suggests something similar, but in reverse: we frequently check Facebook because of our lack of sleep….
Families that play together … stay together
Moms: How many times have you taken your children to the park so they could play on the monkey bars, and you watched from a park bench while chatting on your cellphone or with another mom? Dads: How many times have your kids wanted to play with you after dinner, but you said no because you were busy working on the computer? With parents and children busy with jobs, daily chores, homework and after-school activities…
‘Real World’ Social Media Helps Students Bond, Say Researchers
As technology becomes ever more ubiquitous in children’s social lives, new research suggests fundamental skills still apply, particularly in environments that mirror real life. Children’s online social lives were a big topic at the annual Society for Research in Child Development conference in Seattle last week. Several new studies presented there suggest that while socializing virtually can make it harder for students to make deep connections…
Youth summit today on bullying, social media
Parents who want to know more about the affects of bullying, social media and the internet on their children are invited to attend the 2nd annual 2012 Children and Youth Summit. The summit will be held at the Bell Tower Regional Center. Countywide experts will speak on varying topics such as texting, Facebook posts, setting Internet boundaries, dealing with bullying and understanding social media effects on children…
For teens, a friend online is usually a friend offline, too
New research about online and offline friends shows that most teens use the Internet to interact with people they already know rather than strangers who might turn out to be predators. The 2008 study by University of California researchers asked 251 teens about their face-to-face friends and those they communicate with via social networking and instant messaging. The study will be presented at a meeting of the Society of Research in Child Development…