New research paints a clear picture
New research is showing us the level of saturation of media use by children and youth is up dramatically. Common Sense Media released a study this year, called “Social Media,…
New research is showing us the level of saturation of media use by children and youth is up dramatically. Common Sense Media released a study this year, called “Social Media,…
I believe we are getting closer to using technology realistically and I’m encouraged by some of the recent voices and awareness raising about excessive screen time and how it’s affecting…
How is your school handling student use of social media and streaming services? Some schools in B.C. have banned specific apps (see Maple Ridge School District article). They have banned…
Have a Great SafeOnline Summer! Summer is here and before your students head out the door, I'm sending you a link to a list of safe, educational and pro-social websites…
Rule Suggestions for Parents Every parents wants to, and ultimately does, have control over their children’s level of online access. Like the other incremental responsibilities and freedoms we provide our…
Current levels of technology use by children, youth and their parents, are costing children and youth their developmental milestones. Children are now showing signs of language delays, limited vocabulary and lack of…
Parents less aware of impact of trolls* in online gaming According to Canadian statistics, Canadian girls grades 4-11 face stricter rules about their online activities than boys do. At the…
Today's story about the Abbotsford teen charged with child luring, extortion, making child pornography and sexual interference, brought several reporters to my office for my views on the situation. Our…
By its very nature, adolescent development includes elements of peer negotiation, identity construction, and sexual experimentation (including gender roles and exhibitionism). It’s the learning process required by young people to function as members of our culture. In other words, they have to figure out who they want to hang out with, how they want to act and think of themselves as social and sexual persons, and they have to try out boyfriend/girlfriend relationships.
This has long been the approach of Safe Online where we appraoch the Internet and Internet Safety from a place of possibility and positivity rather than negativity and scare tactics.…