Jim Liebelt's Youth Culture Watch

Connection, Creativity and Drama: Teen Life on Social Media in 2022

The following is excerpted from an online article posted by Pew Research Center.

According to a Pew Research Center survey of U.S. teens ages 13 to 17 conducted April 14 to May 4, 2022, teens paint a nuanced picture of adolescent life on social media. It is one in which majorities credit these platforms with deepening connections and providing a support network when they need it, while smaller – though notable – shares acknowledge the drama and pressures that can come along with using social media.

Eight-in-ten teens say that what they see on social media makes them feel more connected to what’s going on in their friends’ lives, while 71% say it makes them feel like they have a place where they can show their creative side. And 67% say these platforms make them feel as if they have people who can support them through tough times. A smaller share – though still a majority – say the same for feeling more accepted. These positive sentiments are expressed by teens across demographic groups.

hen asked about the overall impact of social media on them personally, more teens say its effect has been mostly positive (32%) than say it has been mostly negative (9%). The largest share describes its impact in neutral terms: 59% believe social media has had neither a positive nor a negative effect on them.

While these youth describe the benefits they get from social media, this positivity is not unanimous. Indeed, 38% of teens say they feel overwhelmed by all the drama they see on social media, while about three-in-ten say these platforms have made them feel like their friends are leaving them out of things (31%) or have felt pressure to post content that will get lots of likes or comments (29%). Another 23% say these platforms make them feel worse about their own life.

Read the full report at the source link listed below.

Source: Pew Research Center
https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2022/11/16/connection-creativity-and-drama-teen-life-on-social-media-in-2022/

Sleepaway Summer Camp Promotes Altruism in Children, Scientists Show

The following is excerpted from an online article posted by StudyFinds.

pending a little bit of time away from home may benefit kids in a big way, according to new research from the University of Geneva. Scientists report attending sleepaway summer camp can help promote essential socio-emotional abilities in kids, such as the ability to control oneself, cooperate, or help others. In comparison to other adolescents who hadn’t attended camp, those returning from their time away displayed a notable increase in altruism.

“These overnight camps are spaces of socialization and experimentation, outside the family, which take place over a more or less long period of time and integrate all daily life. They involve permanent interactions with adults and other children, rich in informal learning. We wanted to show that such a context is favorable to the development of socio-emotional skills,” says Edouard Gentaz, full professor at the UNIGE’s Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences and at the Swiss Centre for Affective Sciences, in a media release.

Researchers wanted to ascertain to what extent participation at sleepaway camps may increase both adolescent altruism and self-esteem. Study authors also wanted to identify whether specific elements, such as going with friends or not, may make the experience more or less beneficial. A sample of 256 children between the ages of six and 16 were asked to complete a standardized questionnaire. Some of those kids had attended sleepaway summer camps, while some had not.

In conclusion, researchers said their findings demonstrate the usefulness of sleepaway summer camps as a tool for developing socio-emotional abilities. Going away for just 10-15 days appears to promote increased altruistic intentions.

The study was published in PLoS ONE. 

Source: StudyFinds
https://studyfinds.org/sleepaway-summer-camp-altrusim/

Words Can Wound When Parents Talk to Kids About Obesity

The following is excerpted from an online article posted by HealthDay.

With U.S. health officials calling childhood obesity a public health crisis, conversations about weight are important. But what you say to your kids can be challenging, and even counterproductive, a new study found.

"Body weight is a sensitive issue, and the way we talk about it matters," said lead author Rebecca Puhl, deputy director of the University of Connecticut Rudd Center for Food Policy and Health.

"We really want to identify language that adolescents feel more comfortable using in these conversations, that they don't feel stigmatized, that they don't feel blamed or shamed," Puhl noted.

To do that, researchers reviewed 2021 survey data from more than 2,000 kids ages 10 to 17, along with more than 1,900 parents. Participants were asked about 27 terms and phrases that can be used to describe body weight.

The teens felt the most negative emotions about terms like "overweight," "fat," and "extremely obese," the study found. More than one-third of youths reported feeling embarrassment, shame, and sadness when their parents used these words.

Have a daughter? Tread lightly, the researchers recommended. Girls reported feeling more negative emotions in response to words used about weight than boys did.

"I think a lot of parents have positive intentions when it comes to talking about their child's weight. They want their child to be healthy. They want their adolescent to feel good about their body size, but sometimes the way that they communicate can come across as being critical or judgmental or using words that really make them feel bad about themselves," Puhl said.

At least half of the kids surveyed don't want their parents talking about weight. They're more willing to talk when they bring it up first or if their parents ask their permission to discuss it, Puhl said.

Even better than talking is modeling healthy behaviors and providing opportunities to eat healthy food at home. Go for walks and make dinner together as a family, she said.

The study findings were published in the December issue of Pediatrics.

Source: HealthDay
https://consumer.healthday.com/child-obesity-2658669715.html

Kids Who Feel Poorer Than Their Friends More Likely to Have Mental Health Problems

The following is excerpted from an online article posted by HealthDay.

Youngsters who try to keep up with richer friends are more likely to have worse mental health than those who feel economically equal, a new study reveals.

Researchers from the University of Cambridge say feeling poorer can lead to lower self-esteem, anxiety, and behavior problems such as anger issues or hyperactivity. Those who felt equal in wealth had much higher self-esteem and behaved better socially, with those who felt poorer or richer than their friends being more likely to bully others.

Researchers link their findings to a difficulty to feel a sense of belonging when feeling economically inadequate.

“Adolescence is an age of transitions, when we use social comparisons to make self-judgments and develop our sense of self,” says study lead author Blanca Piera Pi-Sunyer, a Cambridge Gates Scholar and PhD candidate in the university’s Department of Psychology, in a media release.

“A sense of our economic position not just in wider society, but in our immediate environment, might be problematic for our sense of belonging,” Piera Pi-Sunyer adds. “Belonging is particularly important for well-being and psychosocial functioning during adolescence.”

“It may be that feeling different in any way at a time when belonging is important increases the risk of interpersonal difficulties such as bullying,” the researcher continues. “Our research suggests that wealth comparisons with those around us might contribute to a sense of social and personal self-worth when we are young.”

The researchers analyzed perceived economic inequality within friendship groups of 12,995 11-year-olds in the United Kingdom. They surveyed children who were born between 2000 and 2002 and gathered data on their family income.

The self-esteem of those who thought they were poorer than their friends was six to eight percent lower than those who felt equal. They also scored 11 percent lower in well-being than those who saw themselves as economically equal to their friends.

The children who felt poor in their friendship groups were 17 percent more likely to report being bullied compared to those who felt they were in the same financial position as their friends. On the flip side, those who felt richer or poorer than friends were three to five percent more likely to bully others.

The study was published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry.

Source: StudyFinds
https://studyfinds.org/kids-feel-poorer-mental-health/

What's Hot? 11/18/22

Trending Today on Twitter - 11/18/22
1. Post Prod
2. Qatar
3. #fridaymorning
4. #Twittershutdown
5. Mastodon
6. #baatuyilmaz
7. Elon
8. #TWUG
9. #PowerTrip
10. Budweiser
Source: Twitter

Trending Today on Google - 11/18/22
1. Yuji Naka
2. Packers
3. Twitter
4. Pelosi
5. Starbucks
6. Warriors
7. Pokemon Scarlet
8. Hakeem Jeffries
9. Darrell Brooks
10. Dead to Me
Source: Google

Top Five on Apple Music - 11/18/22
1. Rich Flex - Drake & 21 Savage
2. Spin Bout U - Drake & 21 Savage
3. Major Distribution - Drake & 21 Savage
4. On BS - Drake & 21 Savage
5. Circo Loco - Drake & 21 Savage
Source: Apple Music

Top Box Office Movies - Weekend of 11/11/22
1. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
2. Black Adam
3. Ticket to Paradise
4. Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile
5. Smile
Source: Showtimes.com

TV Shows Trending on Streaming Services - 11/18/22
1. Yellowstone - Peacock
2. The English - Prime Video
3. Tulsa King - Paramount+
4. The White Lotus - HBO Max
5. The Peripheral - Prime Video
Source: Reelgood

Trending Today on YouTube - 11/18/22
1. Elemental | Teaser Trailer
2. Young Dolph - Get Away
3. Who Took The First Selfie
4. AMP HELL'S KITCHEN 2
5. DUKI | BZRP Mussic Sessions #50
Source: YouTube

Netflix Top 5 TV Shows in the U.S. Today - 11/18/22
1. The Crown
2. Ancient Apocalypse
3. Love is Blind
4. Manifest
5. From Scratch
Source: FlixPatrol

Over a Billion Young People Could Lose Hearing Due to Earbuds, Loud Concerts

The following is excerpted from an online article posted by HealthDay.

More than a billion young people are at risk for hearing loss because of listening to loud music at concerts and using earbuds and other personal listening devices, a new study suggests.

"There is an urgent need for governments, industry, and civil society to prioritize global hearing loss prevention by promoting safe listening practices," the study authors said in a BMJ Global Health news release.

The researchers include Lauren Dillard of the department of otolaryngology head & neck surgery at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston.

For the study, Dillard and her colleagues estimated the number of people at risk by gauging the prevalence of unsafe listening practices among teens and young adults.

The investigators used 33 studies that had data on more than 19,000 participants aged 12 to 34. Seventeen of the studies focused on personal listening devices (PLDs, such as smartphones, headphones, and earbuds), and 18 were based on loud entertainment venues.

With a global population in that age group of 2.8 billion and the prevalence of PLD use and attendance at loud entertainment venues ranging from 24% to 48%, the researchers estimated that from 0.67 to 1.35 billion teens and young people are at risk for hearing loss.

Smartphones, headphones, and earbuds are problematic because of precarious and unregulated sound levels. Most users typically choose volumes as high as 105 dB — far higher than levels generally considered safe, the researchers said. Safe levels are 80 dB for adults and 75 dB for kids, according to past research. Average entertainment venue volume ranges from 104 to 112 dB, the study authors noted.

Source: HealthDay
https://consumer.healthday.com/hearing-loss-2658643460.html

Over 3 Million U.S. School Kids Now Vaping or Smoking

The following is excerpted from an online article posted by HealthDay.

Despite continued efforts by health advocates and U.S. public health officials, a huge number of middle and high school students are still using addictive tobacco products, most often vaping products.

A new study released by two federal agencies estimated a total of 3.08 million U.S. middle and high school students using some form of tobacco product within the previous 30 days in 2022.

"Commercial tobacco product use continues to threaten the health of our nation's youth, and disparities in youth tobacco product use persist," said Deirdre Lawrence Kittner, who directs the Office on Smoking and Health at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In total, just over 11% of all students in middle and high school now vape or use cigars, cigarettes, or some form of tobacco product, according to the new report issued jointly by the CDC and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Rates were higher at the high school level, with 16.5% of kids in that age group using a tobacco product. About 4.5% of middle school students used tobacco products.

By far, the most commonly used tobacco product among all students was electronic cigarettes for the ninth consecutive year, the researchers said. Vape products were used by 2.55 million students. Next in popularity were cigars, which 500,000 students had used, and cigarettes, which were smoked by 440,000 teens. Another 330,000 kids used smokeless tobacco, the analysis found.

The study was based on data from the 2022 National Youth Tobacco Survey. This survey of students in grades nine through 12 was administered between Jan. 18 and May 31, 2022. The researchers behind the new study said the results can't be compared to previous years because survey methods have recently changed.

Both the FDA and CDC called on parents, educators, and health care providers to help in efforts to prevent youth tobacco use.

The study findings were published in the Nov. 11 issue of the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Source: HealthDay
https://consumer.healthday.com/teen-vaping-2658629908.html

Violence on TV: Effects From Age 3 Can Stretch into the Teen Years

The following is excerpted from an online article posted by MedicalXpress.

Watching violent TV during the preschool years can lead to later risks of psychological and academic impairment by the summer before middle school starts, according to a new study led by Linda Pagani, a professor at Université de Montréal's School of Psycho-Education.

The study was published in the Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics.

Before now, "it was unclear to what extent exposure to typical violent screen content in early childhood—a particularly critical time in brain development—can predict later psychological distress and academic risks," said Pagani.

Pagani and her team examined the violent screen content that parents reported their children viewing between ages 3 1/2 and 4 1/2 and then conducted a follow-up when the children reached age 12.

At the follow-up, two reports were taken: first, of what teachers said they observed, and second, of what the children themselves, now at the end of grade 6, described as their psychological and academic progress.

"Compared to their same-sex peers who were not exposed to violent screen content, boys and girls who were exposed to typical violent content on television were more likely to experience subsequent increases in emotional distress," said Pagani.

They also experienced decreases in classroom engagement, academic achievement, and academic motivation by the end of the sixth grade," she added. "For youth, transition to middle school already represents a crucial stage in their development as adolescents. Feeling sadness and anxiety and being at risk academically tends to complicate their situation."

"Preschool children tend to identify with characters on TV and treat everything they see as real," Pagani said. "They are especially vulnerable to humorous depictions of glorified heroes and villains who use violence as a justified means to solve problems.

"Repeated exposure," she added, "to rapidly paced, adrenaline-inducing action sequences and captivating special effects could reinforce beliefs, attitudes and impressions that habitual violence in social interactions is 'normal.' Mislearning essential social skills can make it difficult to fit in at school."

Source: MedicalXpress
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2022-11-violence-tv-effects-age-teen.html

Kids' Screen Time Rose by 50% During the Pandemic: Three Tips for the Whole Family to Bring It Back Down

The following is excerpted from an online article posted by MedicalXpress.

Has your child's screen time increased since COVID? If you were to estimate by how much would you say 20%, 30% or even a 50% increase?

A newly released review comparing children's screen time before and during COVID, shows children's screen time spiked by a whopping 52% between 2020 and 2022. Increases were highest for children aged 12 to 18 years, and for handheld devices and personal computers.

Increased screen time likely did not negatively interfere with well-being during lockdown periods as it was the only way to remain socially connected. However many worry, about the impact of ongoing high levels of screen time on children.

There are important points to consider regarding how problematic screen time impacts mental and cognitive health, which sit at the core of learning and development for children, and for us as adults.

Even though life is (almost) back to normal, many parents have noticed their child's technology use is still much higher than pre-COVID levels. Their instinct may be to come down hard with rules and restrictions.

Taking measures to cut a child's screen time may seem like the most obvious parenting strategy. However, it is not necessarily the best as it often cannot be sustained. There are other measures that are more effective.

Like children, adults also experienced excessive screen time during COVID. Given parents' level of screen use is strongly associated with children's screen use, getting our own screen time back under control is an important role model that children need to see. Here are three tips:

1. Approach it together. One study from Denmark focused on all family members taking measures together to change their screen habits and the results were highly effective.
2. Prepare for challenges. Important to the success of families in the study was that they were encouraged to talk about their expected challenges of reducing screen use and list potential solutions.
3. Guide all elements of healthy screen use. Ensure parental guidance focuses on all three aspects of healthy device use: screen time, screen quality and screen buddies. This means keeping a eye on time spent on a device but also ensuring a child uses technology in a wide variety of positive ways, in varying social situations—sometimes independently but often with others.

Source: MedicalXpress
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2022-11-kids-screen-rose-pandemic-family.html

What's Hot? 11/11/22

Trending Today on Twitter - 11/11/22
1. Veteran's Day
2. #fridaymorning
3. #studentloanforgiveness
4. Ash Ketchum
5. Luke Enrique
6. #RemembranceDay
7. Armistice Day
8. Youngkin
9. United States Armed Forces
10. #navy
Source: Twitter

Trending Today on Google - 11/11/22
1. Student-loan forgiveness
2. Are banks open on Veterans Day
3. Tulsa King
4. Veterans Day
5. Panthers
6. Hurricane Nicole update
7. Real Madrid
8. Nick Cannon
9. CPI
10. Lindsay Lohan
Source: Google

Top Five on Apple Music - 11/11/22
1. Rich Flex - Drake & 21 Savage
2. Major Distribution - Drake & 21 Savage
3. On BS - Drake & 21 Savage
4. Spin Bout U - Drake & 21 Savage
5. Privileged Rappers - Drake & 21 Savage
Source: Apple Music

Top Box Office Movies - Weekend of 11/4/22
1. Black Adam
2. One Piece Film: Red
3. Ticket to Paradise
4. Smile
5. Prey for the Devil
Source: Showtimes.com

TV Shows Trending on Streaming Services - 11/11/22
1. Yellowstone - Peacock
2. The White Lotus - HBO Max
3. Inside Man - Netflix
4. The Peripheral - Prime Video
5. The English - Prime Video
Source: Reelgood

Trending Today on YouTube - 11/11/22
1. John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023 Movie) Official Trailer
2. I Used Trains to Create Absolute Mayhem in Satisfactory
3. The Insect Tier List
4. Rod Wave - Break My Heart
5. Pokemon Fan plays Digimon and hated it
Source: YouTube

Netflix Top 5 TV Shows in the U.S. Today - 11/11/22
1. Love is Blind
2. The Crown
3. Manifest
4. From Scratch
5. Killer Sally
Source: FlixPatrol