TMCnet News
Teens and technology -- a good match?Mar 07, 2010 (The Herald-Palladium - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- The amount of electronic media kids are exposed to is growing rapidly, but experts agree that parents remain the most effective filter to keep it from going too far. "Parents need to interact with everything their kids are doing," urged Janene Donarski, a counselor with Family Therapy & Development Centers in St. Joseph. Donarski and her colleague, Ronald Patzer, are seeing the fallout from the media blitz teens experience every day, part of a national tidal wave of electronic entertainment. A report released in January by the Kaiser Family Foundation, an organization that researches health issues, paints a portrait of runaway media exposure for young people and a glaring lack of parental supervision. The study found that 8- to 18-year-olds devote an average of about seven and a half hours a day (around 53 hours a week) to using entertainment media, including television, MP3 players, online time and video games. That's an increase of more than an hour per day from five years ago. Increasingly, mobile and multifunctioning devices, such as cell phones and laptop computers, contribute to the electronic media glut and have made it more difficult for parents to keep tabs on what their kids are doing. When multitasking is figured in, teens are actually absorbing almost 11 hours of media daily. And this does not even include texting, which consumes another hour and a half a day for seventh- through 12th-graders. In comparison, teens spend about 25 minutes a day reading books and three minutes reading newspapers. Drew Altman, president and CEO of the foundation, stated in the report that the time kids spend consuming media constitutes more than a full workweek. The Kaiser researchers aren't ready to declare that this trend is a plus or a minus for children. But they believe it needs more attention. "When children are spending this much time doing anything, we need to understand how it's affecting them -- for good or bad," Altman said. David Meyer, a researcher on brain functioning at the University of Michigan, sees reasons for concern. "Use of mobile media may become addictive and as a result become hard to control in a disciplined way," Meyer responded by e-mail. "It's always tempting to let their availability create distractions from other important activities that require extended intense concentration (studying, reading a book or solving hard math problems). Also, such excessive use can actually be dangerous, as in the case of cell phoning or texting while driving." Half of teens report having some type of media on while doing homework. Meyer's research has shown that multitasking in the adult workplace leads to inefficiency and increased errors. He urges further study of its effect on teens. "We're doing things 10 times faster, but I'm not sure we're doing them 10 times better," Patzer said. The Kaiser report notes that about half of heavy media users (more than 16 hours a day) get fair to poor grades in school, compared with the 23 percent of light users (less than three hours) who earn similar grades. Teens and screens The Kaiser study shows that media use jumps from less than eight hours a day for 8- to 10-year-olds to almost 12 hours a day in the 11- to 14-year-old group. What makes these young people adopt the latest gadgets so avidly? Even very young children have a natural affinity for using technology and an innate ability to acquire the skills to master it, Donarski said. As they get older, Donarski believes that teens are drawn to technology because it puts them in control of their highly competitive, overprogrammed lives. "The only freedom the kids have is on the computer. They have an escape in the Internet." And where are the parents while all of this is going on? "The family unit is not what it used to be," said Donarski, with fewer families sharing meals or other quality time together. So there is less time for setting down and enforcing rules. The Kaiser report reveals that only about three in 10 teens say they have any rules at home about watching TV, playing video games or using a computer. Only half say they have rules about what they can do on a computer. Yet 70 percent have a TV and half have a video game console in their rooms, away from parental scrutiny. But the report reveals that when parents do set limits, their teens spend nearly three hours less per day using electronic media than those without restrictions. Monitoring the changing technology can be a daunting task for parents of media-savvy kids. Patzer empathizes with the struggles of technologically challenged parents. "If you were born before 1980 you are like the immigrant trying to learn English," he said. "If you were born after 1980 it's like your second language." But that does not absolve parents from asking questions about what their kids are being exposed to. Plugged-in parents Sharon Deskins, the president of the Upton Middle School PTO, has seen big changes in how technology is used as she's raised her kids, who range in age from 13 to 21. Her oldest got his first cell phone when he was a sophomore in high school; the youngest, when he was 11. When the older boy played video games with his friends, they had to carry the systems from house to house. Now the kids play while connected online, communicating through microphones with each other and whoever else logs on. This has led Deskins to warn them to be careful about what they say, because they can't be sure who's listening. She also has seen texting explode. "I've seen a girl text with her hand inside her purse," Deskins said. She called her 19-year-old daughter the "texting queen" who once racked up a 25-page phone bill. Mom's reaction? "Thank goodness for unlimited texting." She acknowledges that many of the messages are short exchanges, and her main prohibition is against texting while driving. Most parents she has talked with want to make sure that their children's use of electronic media doesn't interfere with time that could be spent exercising, socializing or doing homework, Deskins said. They also want the kids to avoid contact with strangers through chat rooms and other forums. To accomplish these goals, Deskins suggests that everything to do with technology and the family should "really be out and in the open," and that televisions and computers shouldn't be in the kids' bedrooms. Over the line Parents need to know how to set limits and step in when things start to get out of control. But how do you know when it's too much? A kid who spends six hours a day plugged in or logged on is stepping over the line, Patzer said. "That's a quarter of the entire day." If the level of involvement with technology is affecting home, school and social life, there is likely a problem. If a teen is using technology to deal with feelings of depression or anger, there is likewise a cause for concern. Failing in efforts to cut back is another red flag. These are the same criteria used in determining alcohol and drug and addiction, and some psychologists are pushing to have addiction to the Internet and texting included in the diagnostic manual for mental illness. Texting clearly can get out of control. Some parents are reporting that their kids send 3,000, and as many as 6,000, text messages a month. The Washington Post reports that a Nielsen Co. study found teens with cell phones send an average of 2,272 text messages a month, in contrast to 203 calls. Common-sense solutions can work to save wear and tear on thumbs and phone bills. In one discussion on the web site Momster.com, a parent wrote that she has her children pay for their own cell phone bills, around $13 a month. "I kind of laugh because what was once a must for my 12- and 13-year-old daughters has now become, well, we don't want to spend our allowance that way," the mom wrote. The role of schools Schools also have a role to play in setting parameters for constructive use of technology, said Tim Winter, assistant principal at Upton Middle School in St. Joseph. Middle school is a crucial training ground. It is during these years that teens latching onto technology are the most vulnerable to everything from cyber-bullying to online predators. The school has offered a cyber safety course through the Michigan Attorney General's office (with a parents' forum through the PTO) and a "Digital Citizenship" curriculum for kindergarten through eighth grade. Upton prohibits cell phones in the classroom. They are not only a distraction but can tempt kids to cheat on tests, using text-messaging or even snapping a photo of an exam paper and forwarding it to a friend on the other side of the room. The emerging technology has forced the school to address these new challenges. "Five years ago we didn't have a policy" on cell phones, Winter said. Now the school requires that phones and other devices be turned off and left in lockers during school hours. For the first violation of the policy, the phone is taken away and a parent has to pick it up. The school recommends that parents check the phone to see what calls are coming in and going out, Winter said. On a second violation, the student is asked not to bring a phone to school for the rest of the year. Further violations can result in suspensions. Parents have been supportive of the policy, Winter said. Schools have had to learn to step in when cyber-bullying occurs, even if it's happening outside of school hours or off school grounds. The big problem with sending hurtful texts or e-mails is, without the face-to-face contact "It's not really real" for the sender and it can easily become extreme, Winter has observed. "But it's real for the victim." And when 100 kids have seen the messages, Winter believes that he must step in. The growth of technology and connectivity can be "a great asset, or a great liability, a blessing and a curse" in education, Winter said. Today's classrooms have distance learning and Smart Boards that offer the Internet and other teaching tools. Technology is being used to the parents' advantage. The school's Parent Internet Viewer allows for up-to-the-minute monitoring of a child's grades. Parents can even set the viewer to notify them if the grades fall below a certain level. Technology is not something that can be ignored or wished away, but must be channeled, Winter said. "For kids today, it has never not been the situation," Winter said of electronic media. "It's not a luxury. It's not unusual or a change. It's ever-present." Classrooms of today For that reason Ren Baldwin, director of technology for the district, advocates capturing the attention and talents of students through technology. "To fully engage the student, you have to connect with who they are," Baldwin said. That has led the St. Joseph district to create a so-called Classroom of Today in every building using 21st-century technology. The classroom even uses cell phone-like devices that allow students to enter test answers. The teacher can immediately calculate the results to determine which parts of the lesson need to be reinforced. Baldwin acknowledged that having students with technological capabilities is the key to making the project work. Students of today Katie Schlienz, a St. Joseph junior, and Patrick Mathis, a sophomore, have found it easier to learn in the updated classroom. They agreed that the universe of technology is their natural habitat. Their generation is so immersed in new technology every day that it's easy to "get attached" and to learn how to use the latest devices, Schlienz said. The ever-evolving cell phone has been the biggest change for them in the last five years. Katie confesses to sending 500 text messages a day. Patrick said he only sends around 100. Both spend a lot of time with Facebook and MySpace, around four or five hours a day. How much time is too much to spend online? They agreed that around seven hours or more a day is probably excessive. The students admitted that their parents sometimes complain about the amount of time they spend on the computer. But they have been able to point out the benefits, as well. Katie introduced her father to Facebook, which has been a good way for him to stay in touch with his 13 siblings. A survey of students in Carol Morris' algebra class (using the high-tech equipment) lined up with the Kaiser study results. Fifteen out of 19 students said they have a computer in their bedroom. Sixteen students said their parents do not monitor what they are doing online and that they have no rules about what they can do on the computer. Five students said they spend up to five hours a day using electronic media, eight spend six to 10 hours a day, and four spend 10 or more hours. Twelve students responded that they believe 10 or more hours a day of exposure could be harmful to home and school life.The ultimate screeners Therapists Donarski and Patzer offered guidelines for helping teens avoid the traps technology can set. Limiting game-playing time is one strategy. Checking the age rating on the video game box (and reviewing the game) is another. "Absolutely, at all costs" avoid violent games, Patzer said. One study showed that boys who played Grand Theft Auto III experienced increased blood pressure and a spike in uncooperative behavior. Make sure all homework and chores are done before allowing time for entertainment, the therapists recommended. "All research shows that chores are good for kids," Patzer said. And do not allow a computer or video game box in the bedroom, they both said. Donarski also believes that teens shouldn't be setting up their own Facebook or MySpace pages outside of parental supervision. Three-quarters of teens say they have a profile on a social networking site. Play games with your kids, Donarski suggested. "I learned Guitar Hero from my son and we've been rocking to Queen," Donarski said enthusiastically. "How much fun is this!" [email protected] To see more of The Herald-Palladium or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.thechronicle.com. Copyright (c) 2010, The Herald-Palladium, St. Joseph, Mich. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. |