Showing posts with label Facebook. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Facebook. Show all posts

Can Social Networking Websites Harm your Children's Brains?

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At what cost do social networking websites and technology have to human relationships?  How true that these sites cause disturbing changes in the brains of parents' children?  Popular social sites like Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and others are said to promote immediate satisfaction, decrease attention spans, and make children more self-absorbed.


Approximately 250 million use Facebook to keep in touch with loved ones and friends.  They share videos, images and post regular updates about their activities.  Further 150 million have signed up to micro-blogging Twitter that allows users to circulate and exchange text messages to fellow tweeters.
This present generation is the time where parents give more complaints. They say their children lack the skills to communicate off their computer screen.While social networking websites are extremely popular to parents and children, an increasing number of neuroscientists and psychologists believe this technology may be giving more harm than good especially to children.

What neuroscientists believe in?
The claims of neuroscientist Susan Greenfield will make alarming reading for the million users.  This is true for children whose social lives rely on logging on every day to their favorite social networking websites.
The alarm is that this present technology is having brain impacts to parents’ children who are attracted by the bright lights and buzzing noises.They believe that repeated exposures to social networking websites could effectively re-wire the brains of users particularly to young children.  Experts are concerned that kids using on-line communications will affect their minds.
Technology and internet computer games and fast-paced TV shows were also additional factors.  They know how newborn infants need continuous re-assurance that they alsoexist like adult parents.
Computer game exposures, chat rooms, instant messaging, and social networking websites could leave this generation (onwards) with small attention spans.

Concerns on Social Networking and Technology
1.   Parents wonder whether genuine conversations can give way to easy screen dialogues found in social networking websites.  This could be same way where butchering and skinning animals to eat is switched to convenient meat packages in supermarkets.
2.   There is a sharp decline in children’s ability to understand each other.  It is hard to see how this way of living has hindered brains from fully developing. Parents see teenagers spending more than eight hours a day visiting social networking websites.
3.   Psychologists have also argued that digital technology is changing the way we are thinking now. Children do not anymore need to plan essays before writing.  How grateful we are to word processors, they do editing as they go along.  Systems of satellite navigation have invalidated the value of reading maps.
4.   Educational psychologists believe thatparents should not allow children to use computer games until they reach seven.  Often, on-line games and social networking websites will only trigger the fight or flight portion of the brain, instead of areas responsible for reasoning.
5.   Children's low brain development happens because kids don't engage in activities they are supposed to be do—like the traditional mind and physical activities.
While parents and children find great benefits in technology and social networking,  it doesn’t say that these are all good enough for children.  Before kids start should doing it, they need to learn to make real interactions and develop relationships with real humans—away from machines.  What do you think parents?




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Mark Zuckerberg says Children below 13 will use Facebook

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Facebook will challenge law stopping children using the site ‘at some point,' says founder Mark Zuckerberg.

The under-13s age should be allowed to use Facebook, the social network’s founder and chief executive Mark Zuckerberg has said.

Speaking at a summit on innovation in schools and teaching in Newark, New Jersey, Mark Zuckerberg said that the current age limit would be challenged “at some point”.  Claire Perry, Conservative MP for Devizes, who has campaigned for online safety, said that ““I would be very uncomfortable about extending this and I think it’s very, very irresponsible of Facebook to be suggesting it.”

“With close parental supervision,  Mark Zuckerberg's Facebook site can be interesting and enjoyable. But I know from my own experience it is all too easy for a young child to get involved in situations that I think are really uncomfortable,” she said.

Facebook’s usual 13-and over age limit elsewhere is dictated by the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), which became Federal Law in America in 1998. Current UK legislation does not, however, preclude Mark Zuckerberg's Facebook from being used by under-13s but the site’s own terms and conditions do. The US is currently reviewing its COPPA legislation. In Spain, only those children 14-and-over are permitted to use Facebook because of national legislation.

Mark Zuckerberg claimed that the educational benefits of using Facebook were so great that children should be allowed to use the site. The site currently closes the accounts of 20,000 underage users per day.

"My philosophy is that for education you need to start at a really, really young age,” Mark Zuckerberg said. “Because of the [legal] restrictions we haven't even begun this learning process. If they're lifted then we'd start to learn what works."

Facebook of Mark Zuckerberg has been criticized in the past for failing to police its own policies that prevent children from using the site, and by a range of government agencies for failing to prevent predators from using the site under an alias to groom children.

The NSPCC emphasised the need for media literacy and online education.  There have been great benefits brought by the internet but there online bullying is particularly prevalent on social networks. The Information Commissioner has said it is about the age of 12 when a child can understand the risks of handing over personal data and we would agree with that. We would like to see safety tools as prominent as possible, and social networking like Facebook should be proactively trying to identify individuals who pose a risk, not just reacting to reports from children.


America's Consumer Reports, however, claims that 7.5 million of Facebook's 600 million users are under 13 anyway. Facebook said a large proportion of under-age accounts were either set up by parents for children, or with parents’ knowledge.

A spokesman of Mark Zuckerberg for Facebook said that “Facebook is currently designed for two age groups, 13-18 year olds and 18 and up. We provide extensive safety and privacy controls based on the age provided. However, recent reports have highlighted just how difficult it is to implement age restrictions on the Internet and Facebook that there is no single solution to ensuring younger children don’t circumvent a system or lie about their age on the site of Mark Zuckerberg. We agree with safety experts that communication between parents or guardians and children about their use of the Internet is vital.”


Mark Zuckerberg: 13-year-old Children can be Allowed to use Facebook is an article written by  Matt Warman, a Consumer Technology Editor of   The Telegraph.  You can find more of his interesting articles in The Telegraph.


Related topics to read on: 
      Facebook & Kids: Know Its Social Networking Benefits 
      Parents on Facebook: Can Kid’s Accept Them as “Friends”


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Parents on Facebook: Can Kid’s Accept Them as “Friends”

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While technology and Internet make more parents sign up daily, more children shy away at the idea of adding a parent as a “friend” on their Facebook account.   In this present day, more have formed support communities to use this new trend of social networking. If your child is 21 years old, accepting a mom or a dad on Facebook is probably to lower his or her calmness quotient.  You become a Big Brother, and your kid’s friends will perhaps edit their messages and images.  They’re afraid of being viewed and criticized.

This is the problem going on in your child's brain when a friend request from mom or dad pops up. Accepting parents would mean danger of being separated by their peers.  Ignoring them means there’s a threat of getting grounded.


Parent's DO's and DON'T's on Facebook

1.   Make a close relationship with the kid.  The most horrible thing you can make is surprise attack your child.  Discuss with your kid about Facebook prior to signing up.  Know how they would feel about being your friend.  Put up some limitations like not writing on their Facebook wall which could cause any embarassment. 

2.   Ask your child to assist you set up your account.  This becomes a quality bonding time for both of you.  Normally, the younger the kids, the more they know about technology and internet.  Not only it benefits the parents, it also gives a way of becoming a friend on your kid’s network.

3.   Never get hurt by denial.  If your child says he’s not comfortable to accept you, then make efforts to be brave.  This won’t be the last part of the world, though.  Trusting your kids allows them personal privacy.  If they accept parents, children may feel like having them listening to their phone calls.  It is simply uncomfortable although other children never mind it at all. The rejection may hurt, but you still can connect in other ways.

4.   Realize some restrictions.  In short, if your child accepts you as a friend, don't automatically think you now know everything about him.  Facebook lets users to restrict some images and messages. You may be both friends, but some images and videos may be restricted and you can’t see all the crazy and wild messages.

5.   Create a network with your friends.  Try also to connect with your friends.  Facebook has a search engine where you can easily find long-lost friends.  Just type their names or email address.   Warning: this is extremely addictive.  You’ll see yourself trying to recall the name of your 6th grade friend. It’s great when your "friend" request is accepted. Facebook is indeed a social networking site for you.

6.   Monitor children's activity in the internet.  This is an across the board application, not only on Facebook.  For tweens, it's recommemded to put the computer in an open area where you can view their internet activities.  They can lock you out from knowing everything they have on Facebook, but you can see in their monitors how they work online.

In this generation, Facebook is a great social networking site for you and your children.  But don't anticipate for it to progress much your relationship.  Use this latest technology and internet to connect with your friends on Facebook.   As for connecting with your children, save that for every day activities with them!


Parents on Facebook: Can Kid’s Accept Them as “Friends”  is a post on  Modern Parenting Tips: Styles & Approach to Train & Discipline Children


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Facebook & Kids: Know Its Social Networking Benefits

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If you’re a parent, have your kids always been fighting with you because of a computer or a laptop? Do they disturb you while using your online Facebook account pushing you away and doing all to sit before the laptop.  Then they begin to log out your account and log in theirs.  Most of the time, both of you end up having a fight.  Worse, your child seems smarter than you are in using technology and Facebook.


Having a Facebook account for children is a big issue, and it’s getting harder and more complicated.  Based on the rules, a child who is below thirteen (13) years old is never permitted to create his or her own account.  Actually, making an account for someone who is thirteen below is definitely lying.  This thing has never been imposed and multitudes of children across the world can’t just be stopped working on this.  With or without their parents’ approval, they join and have fun logging in to this well-known social networking.

Creating an Account

There are lots of cases where parents or guardians do initiate the creation of a Facebook account for their kids.  The reason is they perceive many good opportunities to educate their sons and daughters.  They can train them about the proper and improper way of using social networking.

This is a good occasion that won’t be around the moment kids turn 13 years old and begin using Facebook for themselves.  There are, however, many parents that keep the password for themselves in order to control the unguarded exploring moments of their kids.

If you think you are confused whether or not to allow your child to have Facebook social networking, we got some few helpful guidelines about its benefits:

Advantages:
·     
1.   Early learning development -- Most often, teens and students will take advantage of the social network to talk about school’s work, projects, and activities.  Sharing of thoughts and ideas that concerns homework is the biggest reason why they can allow their children to use Facebook.

2.   Ability to express what they know, feel, or understand -- A Facebook account contains a home page on the web—a page where children can communicate and express themselves independently.  They can also discuss about their activities and sort of interests. They can freely form and join a group and give support to fan pages.  They can find what other children of their age are interested in.

3.   Skills in social networking are developed -- Their Facebook account allows them to keep in touch with current, old, and new friends.  This is one of the fastest ways to introduce themselves to others and find additional friends.  Using it in the proper way, social networking experience will boost the child’s self-esteem and guide them not to experience loneliness.

4.   Enhanced digital capability -- Facebook pages will train up kids how to respond and give comments, upload images and videos, and navigate the website.  Having a great experience on-line will increase their social media skills which are very important elements in life as they grow up and mature.

As Internet, Technology and Facebook continue to influence children’s lives, parents can’t help but let their kids use it to their advantage.  Preparing them for new technology era is paramount to educating them how to develop friendliness, social living and computer know-how.



Facebook & Kids: Know Its Social Networking Benefits   is a post on  Modern Parenting Tips: Styles & Approach to Train & Discipline Children


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