The Alberta Teachers’ Association

Parents need to be involved in kids’ online lives

The evening public lecture on technology and Canadian youth drew a full house in early May, and the free live webcast had more than 528 viewers, including some from the US, Spain and Indonesia. The session, co-sponsored by the Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) and the Alberta Centre for Child, Family and Community Research, considered the impact of online digital activities on youths’ offline health and mental well-being.

The first speaker, Dr Michael Rich, an associate professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School, has a background in media and medicine and refers to himself as the world’s first “mediatrician.”

Rich opened his presentation by acknowledging the values-driven response that clouds many people’s perceptions of technology and encouraging a research-driven response instead. “We come at technology with a lot of preconceptions based on what we think is right and wrong,” explained Rich. “But ultimately this is not about values. We need to think about technology the way we think about our children’s nutrition or our children’s education. Let’s use evidence to see how we are changed in positive or negative ways by these media and then make conscious use of them.”

The evidence Rich presented revealed both the advantages and disadvantages of the technology-centric world our youth live in. While it is tempting for parents to focus on the negative aspects of social media and games—violence, pornography, bullying, for example—media is also very fertile ground for the intellectual and moral development of teens and pre-teens. “They seek experience; they seek independence; they seek connections. One of the great things the Internet has done is create an environment where youth who feel isolated can create community,” said Rich.

But how much technology is too much? Research shows that children between the ages of 8 and 18 use media (mobile phones, laptops, tablets and computers) for an average of 7 hours and 38 minutes every day—and that does not include texting and talking time. This doesn’t leave a lot of time for developing the type of creativity that comes from good old-fashioned boredom, said Rich. He cited research that links creativity with those times when our minds wander and our thoughts “flit from memory to sensation like a butterfly flitting from flower to flower.” There’s not much flitting going on, however, during an intense round of League of Legends or Grand Theft Auto. Rich asked, “Are we doing our kids a disservice by allowing them to stay stimulated by being online all day? Are we robbing them of their creativity?”

In closing, Rich encouraged audience members to play an active role in helping their children navigate the perils and the promise of screen time. “We have to help our kids understand social media. We can help them learn how to use the powerful tools they have online,” he said.

“Canadian kids are connected and they are connected young,” said Dr Valerie Steeves, the evening’s second speaker.

Steeves, an associate professor with the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Ottawa, has done extensive research on the ways that social media affects the minds and bodies of Canadian children and youth, in particular young women.

In Canada, Steeves is a bit of a technology-and-kids guru. Since 1999, she has been involved with MediaSmart’s Young Canadians in a Wired World project, which tracks young people’s uses and perceptions of technology. Through that research she learned that “kids’ online lives are very, very gendered. Boy and girls have vastly different things to say about social media.” That data sparked the eGirls project, which explores girls’ experience on social media.

In many ways, technology use has not lived up to expectations, said Steeves. “When we talk about digital natives and the digital generation, the assumption has always been that if you give kids access to technology, they’ll make more technology. They’ll be so good at it that they will create apps and get involved more deeply in the connected world.” Data, however, suggests otherwise. While kids can “push buttons,” the vast majority do no more than that. Listening to music, playing games, watching television, updating social media sites, following friends, family and celebrities—these are the primary ways that youth spend their online time.

Use of social media increases throughout kids’ school years, and this has particular implications for young women. “Rather than opening up their world to new possibilities, online technologies are so enmeshed with mainstream media content that it is actually harder for girls to be authentic,” said Steeves. Participants in the eGirls Project commented on the ways that social media creates tension and anxiety. Whether they are being “unfriended,” worrying about missing out or wanting to appear “sexy but not too sexy” in the photos they post, many girls find the world of social media is fraught with pressure. For girls, “social media increases the need to be beautiful,” said Steeves. “They are bombarded with ads for clothing, make-up, hair products and diets.”

Learning to navigate the media stereotypes is just one of many challenges for girls who are connected. Steeves was encouraged, however, to learn that most youth will seek support from their parents when their online worlds go awry. “Parents play a primary role in helping their kids and teens figure out how to interact with social media,” she said. “And that’s a good thing.”

To find out more about connected kids, view the webcast at www.learningourway.ca. ❚