Jim Liebelt's Youth Culture Watch

Multitasking Hinders Youth Social Skills

FaceTime, the Apple video-chat application, is not a replacement for real human interaction, especially for children, according to a new study.

Tween girls who spend much of their waking hours switching frantically between YouTube, Facebook, television and text messaging are more likely to develop social problems, says a Stanford University study published in a scientific journal recently.

Young girls who spend the most time multitasking between various digital devices, communicating online or watching video are the least likely to develop normal social tendencies, according to the survey of 3,461 American girls aged 8 to 12 who volunteered responses.

The study only included girls who responded to a survey in Discovery Girls magazine, but results should apply to boys, too, Clifford Nass, a Stanford professor of communications who worked on the study, said in a phone interview. Boys' emotional development is more difficult to analyze because male social development varies widely and over a longer time period, he said.

"No one had ever looked at this, which really shocked us," Nass said. "Kids have to learn about emotion, and the way they do that, really, is by paying attention to other people. They have to really look them in the eye."

The antidote for this hyper-digital phenomenon is for children to spend plenty of time interacting face-to-face with people, the study found. Tweens in the study who regularly talked in person with friends and family were less likely to display social problems, according to the findings in the publication Developmental Psychology.

Source: CNN
http://articles.cnn.com/2012-01-25/tech/tech_social-media_multitasking-kids_1_social-skills-study-facetime?_s=PM:TECH

Only One in Four Kids Wear Sunscreen Regularly

Despite numerous efforts to encourage people to wear sunscreen, a new study shows only 1 in 4 children regularly uses sunscreen.

Researchers say more than half of the children in the study also reported having a sunburn in the previous summer.

Experts say those results are troubling.

"The problem is if you sunburn in childhood, you raise your risk of developing skin cancer later on," says Sophie J. Balk, MD, a pediatrician at Children's Hospital at Montefiore in New York City.

A recent study showed that children who have a sunburn at an early age are nearly twice as likely to develop melanoma in adulthood. Melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer, and is responsible for nearly 9,000 deaths in the U.S. each year.

In the study, researchers surveyed 360 fifth graders about their sunscreen use and sun exposure habits in 2004 at about age 11 and again three years later in 2007. The results showed that half of the children reported routinely wearing sunscreen in 2004, but only 25% did so in 2007. In addition, more than half of the children said they had sunburns in both the summer of 2004 and 2007.

Researchers say the results show that the time between ages 11 and 14 is a critical time in developing attitudes about tanning and wearing sunscreen, especially among girls.

"Of most concern, it appears that groups at highest risk of skin cancer, very fair/fair children and those who obtained tans, were more likely to increase their sunburns during this crucial period," researcher Stephen Dusza, MD, of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, and colleagues write in Pediatrics.

Source: CBS News
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-500368_162-57364006/only-25-of-children-wear-sunscreen-regularly/

Children Psychologically Damaged When Parents Fight Over Money

A study published in the Journal of Research on Adolescence confirms what many American children are likely feeling these days: When parents bicker over money, it seriously damages the kid’s well-being.

Depression is a given, along with falling into the black hole of substance abuse, aggression, and other amorphous “problem behaviors,” especially among teens.

And the issues don’t end there—among the parents who said they were dealing with “money-related chronic stress,” the relationships with their offspring were the most fraught with tension, and sadly, the least intimate of all the parents surveyed.

It comes as little surprise that the recession is doing a number on children’s well-being. A culmination of factors, ranging from foreclosures to unemployment and deep-seated resentment (and money lies) are putting family bonds on ever-thin ice.

Source: Financial Post
http://business.financialpost.com/2012/01/31/a-new-study-shows-how-children-are-psychologically-damaged-when-parents-fight-over-money/

Divorce Causes "Irreparable Harm" to Children

A new study on divorce, looking at the complete spectrum of research on the subject, confirms what most people already know – even if they are not willing to admit it: divorce causes “irreparable harm” to the whole family, but  particularly to the children.

There have been plenty of individual studies exposing one or more effects of divorce, but rarely do researchers give an overview of the findings to date – and it makes disturbing reading.

Divorce puts some children on a “downward trajectory from which they might never fully recover”, says the study, The Effects of Divorce on Children, by Patrick F. Fagan and Aaron Churchill from US-based MARRI (the Marriage and Religion Research Institute of the Family Research Council). “It diminishes children’s future competence in all five of society’s major tasks or institutions: family, school, religion, marketplace and government.”

The study says that the reversal of the cultural and social status of divorce has been nothing less than a cultural revolution. Only a few generations ago, divorce was considered “scandalous”, it says, but now law, behaviour, and culture “embrace and even celebrate it”.

The study describes some negative affects of divorce: “It frequently leads to destructive conflict management methods, diminished social competence and for children, the early loss of virginity, as well as diminished sense of masculinity or femininity for young adults. It also results in more trouble with dating, more cohabitation, greater likelihood of divorce and higher expectations of divorce later in life.”

Source: MercatorNet
http://www.mercatornet.com/family_edge/view/10241
 

Fewer Teens Desperate to Drive

In 1983, about 46 percent of 16-year-old Americans had a driver’s license, but by 2008, only 31 percent had one, according to a recent study by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute.

Older teens are also driving less: The number of 18-year-olds with licenses fell from 80 percent in 1983 to 65 percent in 2008, while the number of 17-year-olds on the road dropped from 69 percent to 50 percent.

In fact, the number of drivers all the way up to 29 has dropped, according to the study, which is based on data from the Federal Highway Administration.

Study co-author Michael Sivak says the Internet may be a big reason for the drop. “Virtual contact through electronic means reduces the need for actual contact,” Sivak wrote in an email to the Chicago Sun-Times, adding jokingly, “My favorite characterization of the social-media explanation (with some anecdotal evidence for it) is that ‘driving interferes with texting.’ ”

Concerns about preserving the environment, the recent economic downturn and a migration of young people to the cities — where public transportation is more readily available — likely are all contributing to the lack of interest in driving, Sivak said.

Source: Chicago Sun-Times
http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/10114331-418/fewer-teens-desperate-to-start-driving-is-the-internet-the-reason-why.html

What's Hot? 1/27/12

Google Hot Internet Searches - 1/27/12
   1. welcome back kotter
   2. vanna white
   3. pat sajak
   4. republican debate
   5. joe paterno memorial service
   6. epstein
   7. jan brewer
   8. morgellons disease
   9. saul alinsky
  10. gop debate
Source: Google

Top 10 U.S. Websites - 1/27/12
   1. Google
   2. Facebook
   3. YouTube
   4. Yahoo!
   5. Amazon
   6. Wikipedia
   7. eBay
   8. Twitter
   9. Craigslist
  10. BlogSpot
Source: Alexa

iTunes Top 10 Singles - 1/27/12
   1. What Doesn't Kill You (Stronger) - Kelly Clarkson
   2. Set Fire to the Rain - Adele
   3. Turn Me On - David Guetta & Nicki Minaj
   4. Rack City - Tyga
   5. Good Feeling - Flo Rida
   6. Young, Wild & Free (feat. Bruno Mars) - Snoop Dogg & Wiz Khalifa
   7. International Love (feat. Chris Brown) - Pitbull
   8. Domino - Jessie J
   9. Sexy and I Know It - LMFAO
  10. We Found Love (feat. Calvin Harris) - Rihanna
Source: Apple iTunes

Top 10 TV Shows in Prime Time - Week Ending 1/22/12
   1. Fox NFC Championship
   2. Fox NFC Championship - Postgame
   3. American Idol - Wednesday
   4. American Idol - Thursday
   5. The Big Bang Theory
   6. Person of Interest
   7. The Mentalist
   8. Betty White 90th Birthday
   9. NCIS
  10. Two and a Half Men
Source: Nielsen Co

Top 5 Most Viewed Videos on YouTube - This Week - 1/27/12
   1. Nicki Minaj - Stupid Hoe (Explicit)
   2. Steven Tyler Messes Up National Anthem
   3. Boomer Breaks the Backboard
   4. Real Death Note!
   5. Sh*t Drake Says
Source: YouTube

Top 5 Movies - Week Ending 1/26/12
   1. Underworld Awakening
   2. Red Tails
   3. Contraband
   4. Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
   5. Haywire
Source: Variety

Teen Passengers Are Driving Distractions

A pair of studies by The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and State Farm® identify factors that may lead teens to drive with multiple peer passengers and, then, how those passengers may affect their driver's behavior just before a serious crash. The studies were published in the Journal of Adolescent Health.

Experts have long known that peer passengers increase teen driver crash risk. What hasn't been well understood was how they increase crash risk.

The first study surveyed found that teens who are most likely to drive with multiple passengers shared the following characteristics: considered themselves "thrill-seekers," perceived their parents as not setting rules or monitoring their whereabouts, and possessed a weak perception of the risks associated with driving in general.

The second study analyzed teen drivers involved in serious crashes to compare the likelihood of driver distraction and risk-taking behaviors just prior to the crash when teens drive with peer passengers and when they drive alone.

"Both male and female teen drivers with peer passengers were more likely to be distracted just before a crash as compared to teens who crashed while driving alone," explained study author Allison Curry, PhD, director of epidemiology at the Center for Injury Research and Prevention. "Among the teens who said they were distracted by something inside the vehicle before they crashed, 71 percent of males and 47 percent of females said they were distracted directly by the actions of their passengers."

Additionally, the researchers found males with passengers were almost six times more likely to perform an illegal maneuver and more than twice as likely to drive aggressively just before a crash, as compared to males driving alone. Females rarely drove aggressively prior to a crash, regardless of whether they had passengers in the car.

Source: MarketWatch
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/teen-passengers-the-other-distraction-for-teen-drivers-2012-01-24

One in Six Teen Moms Didn't Believe They Could Get Pregnant

Half of teen mothers say they were not using birth control when they got pregnant, and a new report outlines the reasons teens give for not doing so.

Of teen moms who reported not using birth control, 31 percent said they did not believe they could get pregnant at the time. To decrease teen birth rates, teens need factual information about the conditions under which pregnancy can occur, along with public health efforts aimed at reducing or delaying teens' sexual activities, according to the report released by researchers for the Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention.

Others gave various reasons for not using birth control — 24 percent said their partner did not want to use contraception, 13 percent said they had trouble getting birth control, 9 percent said they experienced side effects from using contraception and 8 percent said they thought their sex partner was sterile. Twenty-two percent of the teens said they did not mind getting pregnant.

Source: Fox News
http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/01/20/1-in-6-teen-moms-didnt-believe-could-get-pregnant/

Eight in Ten Teens Lie to Parents

In a survey released by the Josephson Institute of Ethics on the values and ethical actions of more than 40,000 high school students, the gap between what students believe and their actions does not bode well for future generations.

Survey highlights: While 89 percent of students believe that being a good person is more important than being rich, almost one in three boys and one in four girls admitted stealing from a store within the past year. Moreover, 21 percent admitted they stole something from a parent or other relative, and 18 percent admitted stealing from a friend.

On lying, more than two in five said they sometimes lie to save money (48 percent of males and 35 percent of females). While 92 percent of students believe their parents want them to do the right thing, more than eight in ten confessed they lied to a parent about something significant.

Rampant cheating in school continues. A majority of students (59 percent) admitted cheating on a test during the last year, with 34 percent doing it more than two times. One in three admitted they used the Internet to plagiarize an assignment.

Michael Josephson, president of the Institute and a national leader in ethics training, said the results of this survey, conducted in 2010, are slightly better than those of the 2008 survey.

Source: Josephson Institute
http://charactercounts.org/programs/reportcard/2010/installment02_report-card_honesty-integrity.html
 

What's Hot? 1/20/12

Google Hot Internet Searches - 1/20/12
   1. gary carter
   2. republican debate
   3. gop debate
   4. newt gingrich
   5. open marriage
   6. department of justice
   7. doj
   8. dept of justice
   9. swizz beatz
  10. sarah burke
Source: Google

Top 10 U.S. Websites - 1/20/12
   1. Google
   2. Facebook
   3. YouTube
   4. Yahoo!
   5. Amazon
   6. Wikipedia
   7. eBay
   8. Twitter
   9. Craigslist
  10. BlogSpot
Source: Alexa

iTunes Top 10 Singles - 1/20/12
   1. Turn Me On - David Guetta & Nicki Minaj
   2. Set Fire to the Rain - Adele
   3. What Doesn't Kill You (Stronger) - Kelly Clarkson
   4. Good Feeling - Flo Rida
   5. Without You - Glee Cast
   6. We Found Love (feat. Calvin Harris) - Rihanna
   7. Sexy and I Know It - LMFAO
   8. Domino - Jessie J
   9. It Will Rain - Bruno Mars
  10. nternational Love (feat. Chris Brown) - Pitbull
Source: Apple iTunes

Top 10 TV Shows in Prime Time - Week Ending 1/15/12
   1. AFC Divisional Playoff - Sat
   2. Fox NFC Playoff - Sun
   3. NCIS
   4. Golden Globe Awards
   5. NCIS: Los Angeles
   6. The Big Bang Theory
   7. Person of Interest
   8. The Mentalist
   9. ROB
  10. Modern Family
Source: Nielsen Co

Top 5 Most Viewed Videos on YouTube - Today - 1/20/12
   1. Estupro no BBB
   2. The Bark Side: 2012 Volkswagen Game Day Commercial Teaser
   3. Forget You - Vasquez Sounds (Cover)
   4. Zebra Hickey - Garfunkel and Oates
   5. One For The Money Official Trailer
Source: YouTube

Top 5 Movies - Week Ending 1/19/12
   1. Contraband
   2. Beauty And The Beast
   3. Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol
   4. Joyful Noise
   5. Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
Source: Variety