EmpoweringParents.com

I’ve been giving all my friends pop quizzes on technology issues since EP editor Elisabeth Wilkins wrote about the texting habits of teens and how it might have a long term affect on a teen’s ability to communicate and socialize.

I stuck a recent cover of The New Yorker magazine under their noses and asked what they could decipher in the cartoon that depicted a child teaching a roomful of gray haired grannies and middle-aged parents the commonly used abbreviations of texting and online communication.

My friends flunked and my husband fared no better.  What I did find out is the parents of tweens I know are already afraid of technology because they don’t understand it or see a practical application for it.

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Are we creating a generation of social misfits?

Inappropriate or risky behavior around texting has been widely reported (sexting, anyone?) but some experts are saying that texting can also rob our kids of the ability to interact socially.  Seems all the texts that are being sent back and forth each day also prevent people from picking up on body language and facial expressions –  a basic skill that we all need in order to communicate effectively. (Do you remember getting the raised eyebrow from your mom when you were a kid, for example? Or the scowl on a teacher’s face when you’d done something wrong? Pretty handy to know how to react next, don’tcha think?)

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Last week, the first Internet Addiction Center in the U.S. opened in a Redmond, Washington, a Seattle suburb near the home of Microsoft’s headquarters. Called ReSTART, the residential treatment center helps kids and adults who are addicted to online gaming such as World of Warcraft, and social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. While Internet addiction isn’t yet listed as a separate disorder by the American Psychiatric Association, it is thought of a true addiction in South Korea, China and parts of Europe.

According to Dr. Kimberly Young, a leading expert on Internet Addiction and the director of the Center for Internet Addiction Recovery in Bradford, Pa., the following are addiction warning signs:

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A recent CNN report states that 2,000+ sex offenders from North Carolina are registered users on the popular social networking site MySpace.com.  MySpace was ordered to turn over the names to officials and Facebook was also asked to do the same.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with MySpace or Facebook, here’s the skinny. Both are Internet sites where users can post information and pictures about themselves and allow other people on the site to view those pictures and read the information if they accept them as their “friend”.  Some users have more than 500 friends, and it is a common to compete to have the most.

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In Cape Cod this week, another group of middle schoolers was found “sexting” photos of a 13 year old female classmate to each other. (Watch the newsclip here.) If you haven’t heard, “sexting” is the act of sending nude photos of yourself or others via your cell phone. A recent study conducted in December suggested that I out of every 5 teens in America has tried sexting, either via cell phone or while online.

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How do you feel about your teen’s texting habit?

My cousin’s son recently told me that his girlfriend broke up with him by text. He was devastated, but the two of them still haven’t talked face-to-face since he got the message two weeks ago. It makes me wonder, what are teens losing out on? I think hard conversations can teach us how to be empathetic, sensitive and diplomatic — you actually see what effect your words are having on the other person. To me, a text message is like shooting a dart out into the atmosphere, and never having to feel its sting.

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This question came in on the blog from a reader named Dawn, and I thought I’d share it with you all. She’s wondering about using the timer on the XBox to limit her kids’ video game time. Has anyone else out there used it?
Here’s Dawn’s question:

“My son (12)also has become a “basement vampire” for about 10 hours a day, if I let him. He wants GTA - the new one and I said no. I have read the ratings and I talk to the guys in the store. My philosophy is that all of his friends have the games but at my house I keep it to No strong language and No nudity at all. There are M rated games that he can watch as long as he is killing aliens or some other nonhuman thing. I read every game before he buys it. I call the parents of his friends and say no GTA. My newest thing is that XBox has a timer. I haven’t used it yet. Has anyone else - some thoughts?”

Here at EP, we’re also wondering how other parents set up video game time in their homes–do you set limits on the time your kids spend playing, or do you take away video games as a consequence for bad behavior? And would anyone out there be interested in a resources page on Empowering Parents that would help you navigate the maze of video games, online concerns and technology? Let us know!

I came across this article on Internet Safety and thought I’d pass it along, since we’ve been talking about this topic a lot on EP and in the blog. Some good info in here for parents of tech-savvy kids.

And by the way, if you have any other good Internet Safety tips, please pass them along!