Jim Liebelt's Youth Culture Watch

Many Teens Are 'Sextortion' Targets

*The following is excerpted from an online article posted on HealthDay.

Parents of teens can add "sextortion" to the list of things to worry about, because a new study shows that 5 percent of teenagers are targets of this cybercrime.

Another 3 percent of teens have likely done it to others, the study authors added.

Sextortion is threatening to share sexually explicit photos without consent if a person doesn't agree to certain demands, such as sexual favors or money.

Probably the most well-known case of sextortion was Canadian teenager Amanda Todd. She was only 12 years old when someone she met online talked her into lifting up her shirt in front of a web cam.

It turned out that that person wasn't another teen. He was a grown man, and he threatened to share the images of her breasts at her school if she didn't put on another sexual show for him. She refused and he followed through on his threat.

In fact, he followed her online and shared the images again when she changed schools. He tortured her so relentlessly, and recruited others to do so as well, that she ended up taking her own life just before her 16th birthday.

"Some kids make mistakes, and today the consequences can be pretty major and can follow them and affect them deeply psychologically and socially," said study author Sameer Hinduja.

"Teens in first love believe they'll be together forever, and don't want to do anything to ruin the relationship," he explained.

Hinduja is a professor of criminology at Florida Atlantic University in Jupiter.

Hinduja said he hasn't seen a specific sextortion law, but that charges for these behaviors can be filed under existing laws, such as laws on blackmail and extortion.

Dr. Richard Catanzaro, chairman of psychiatry at Northern Westchester Hospital in Mount Kisco, N.Y., said, "Sextortion is just the latest form of online predation. All predators work by preying on people who feel isolated and, because they think there is no recourse, are forced to submit."

The study included a nationally representative sample of more than 5,500 middle and high school students aged 12 to 17.

Males were much more likely to have participated in sextortion than females -- either as a victim or the perpetrator.

Teens who identified as non-heterosexual were more than twice as likely to be the victim of sextortion. This finding is similar to other research that shows gay and transgender children are more likely to be involved in online abuse.

Fifteen appears to be the most common age to be involved in sextortion, the new study found.

One finding parents may find particularly alarming is that teens being victimized by sextortion attempts usually know the person trying to take advantage of them. They may have been a romantic partner or a friend. It's unusual for someone to be targeted by a stranger, the researchers said.

The findings were published online recently in the journal Sexual Abuse.

Source: HealthDay
https://consumer.healthday.com/kids-health-information-23/children-and-teen-sex-news-605/many-teens-are-sextortion-targets-738698.html

A Majority of Teens Have Experienced Some Form of Cyberbullying

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

Name-calling and rumor-spreading have long been an unpleasant and challenging aspect of adolescent life. But the proliferation of smartphones and the rise of social media has transformed where, when and how bullying takes place. A new Pew Research Center survey finds that 59% of U.S. teens have personally experienced at least one of six types of abusive online behaviors.

The most common type of harassment youth encounter online is name-calling. Some 42% of teens say they have been called offensive names online or via their cellphone. Additionally, about a third (32%) of teens say someone has spread false rumors about them on the internet, while smaller shares have had someone other than a parent constantly ask where they are, who they’re with or what they’re doing (21%) or have been the target of physical threats online (16%).

While texting and digital messaging are a central way teens build and maintain relationships, this level of connectivity may lead to potentially troubling and nonconsensual exchanges. One-quarter of teens say they have been sent explicit images they didn’t ask for, while 7% say someone has shared explicit images of them without their consent. These experiences are particularly concerning to parents. Fully 57% of parents of teens say they worry about their teen receiving or sending explicit images, including about one-quarter who say this worries them a lot, according to a separate Center survey of parents.

The vast majority of teens (90% in this case) believe online harassment is a problem that affects people their age, and 63% say this is a major problem. But majorities of young people think key groups, such as teachers, social media companies and politicians are failing at tackling this issue. By contrast, teens have a more positive assessment of the way parents are addressing cyberbullying.

Read the full report on the Pew Research Centerwebsite.

Source: Pew Research Center
http://www.pewinternet.org/2018/09/27/a-majority-of-teens-have-experienced-some-form-of-cyberbullying/

Can Too Much Screen Time Dumb Down Your Kid?

*The following is excerpted from an online article posted on HealthDay.

If you're worried that too much "screen time" could be sapping your child's intelligence, new research suggests you might be right.

Kids with the sharpest intellects spent less than two hours a day on their cellphones, tablets and computers, coupled with 9 to 11 hours of sleep and at least an hour of physical activity, the study found.

Unfortunately, very few U.S. children meet all three of these daily goals, said lead researcher Jeremy Walsh, a postdoctoral fellow with the CHEO Research Institute in Ottawa, Canada.

"Only 5 percent of our sample met all three guidelines," Walsh said.

About 41 percent met one of the guidelines and 25 percent met two, he continued.

"That means 30 percent of our sample didn't meet any of the guidelines, which I think is a very important statistic to focus on," Walsh said.

The study is based on data gathered from over 4,500 U.S. kids aged 8 to 11 between September 2016 and September 2017 as part of a new, federally funded 10-year study on brain development and child health.

Walsh and his colleagues used the data to see if children are limiting their screen time while also getting enough sleep and exercise, based on Canadian guidelines published in 2016.

Half of the children got the recommended 9 to 11 hours of sleep, 37 percent met the screen time guideline of less than two hours, and 18 percent got an hour or more of exercise. On average, the kids in the study spent 3.6 hours a day engaged in screen time.

The study couldn't prove cause-and-effect, but the more individual recommendations a child met, the better their ability to think and reason. That's what the researchers found when they compared guideline adherence against performance on brain exercises ("cognition").

Kids who met the sleep and screen time guidelines appeared to have the best intellects, followed by the kids who met just the screen time guidelines, the findings showed.

Too much screen time could be wrecking kids' ability to focus, especially if they are switching between apps on a device or between different screens at the same time, Walsh suggested.

The findings were published online Sept. 26 in The Lancet: Child & Adolescent Healthjournal.

According to Dr. Shawna Newman, an attending psychiatrist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, the study "clearly demonstrates the specific benefit of exercise for children, in addition to that of good sleep hygiene and the limitation of screen time contributing positively to cognitive development." Newman was not involved with the new study.

Source: HealthDay
https://consumer.healthday.com/general-health-information-16/media-health-news-760/can-too-much-screen-time-dumb-down-your-kid-738063.html

Parents Blame Smartphones, Tablets for Teens' Sleep Troubles

*The following is excerpted from an online article posted on HealthDay.

Many American teens are sleep-deprived, and parents blame their attachment to electronics, new survey results show.

Researchers at the University of Michigan conducted a national poll of more than 1,000 parents with at least one child between 13 and 18 years old.

"This poll suggests that sleep problems are common among teens and parents believe late-night use of electronics are a main contributor," said poll co-director Sarah Clark.

"Teens' hectic schedules and homework load, as well as anxiety about school performance and peer relationships, also are seen by parents as contributing to sleep problems," she said in a university news release.

Forty-three percent of the parents said their teen had trouble falling asleep or tossed and turned during the night.

And 56 percent of these parents said that electronics, particularly cellphones and social media, were robbing their teenagers of sleep, the C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health showed.

Less often, parents blamed their child's busy schedule. More than 40 percent of the parents surveyed suggested their teens' homework load and activities disrupted their sleep schedule. Meanwhile, 31 percent of parents said worries about school affected their child's ability to sleep, and 23 percent said their teen's concerns about their social life kept them up at night.

In addition, 10 percent of parents reported that a health condition or medication had a negative effect on their child's sleep habits.

Many parents reported trying to encourage better sleep. More than half said they suggest limiting caffeine intake in the evening or tell their teen to turn off their phones and other electronic devices at bedtime. More than 40 percent recommend a snack before bed, 36 percent tried natural sleep remedies like melatonin, and 28 percent said their teen has tried a sleep aid.

But only 4 in 10 parents with sleep-deprived teens said they talked to a doctor about it.

Source: HealthDay
https://consumer.healthday.com/kids-health-information-23/adolescents-and-teen-health-news-719/parents-blame-smartphones-tablets-for-teens-sleep-troubles-737746.html

How Teens and Parents Navigate Screen Time and Device Distractions

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

Amid roiling debates about the impact of screen time on teenagers, roughly half of those ages 13 to 17 are themselves worried they spend too much time on their cellphones. Some 52% of U.S. teens report taking steps to cut back on their mobile phone use, and similar shares have tried to limit their use of social media (57%) or video games (58%), a new Pew Research Center survey finds.

Teens’ sometimes hyperconnected relationship with their devices is also evident in other findings from the Center. Fully 72% of teens say they often or sometimes check for messages or notifications as soon as they wake up, while roughly four-in-ten say they feel anxious when they do not have their cellphone with them. Overall, 56% of teens associate the absence of their cellphone with at least one of these three emotions: loneliness, being upset or feeling anxious. Additionally, girls are more likely than boys to feel anxious or lonely without their cellphone.

Parents, too, are anxious about the effects of screen time on their children, a separate survey shows. Roughly two-thirds of parents say they are concerned about their teen spending too much time in front of screens, and 57% report setting screen time restrictions for their teen in one way or another.

At the same time, some parents of teens admit they also struggle with the allure of screens: 36% say they themselves spend too much time on their cellphone. And 51% of teens say they often or sometimes find their parent or caregiver to be distracted by their own cellphone when they are trying to have a conversation with them.

Additionally, 15% of parents say they often lose focus at work because they are distracted by their phone. That is nearly double the share of teens (8%) who say they often lose focus in school due to their own cellphones.

These are some of the main findings from the Center’s survey of 743 U.S. teens and 1,058 U.S. parents of teens conducted March 7-April 10, 2018. Throughout the report, “teens” refers to those ages 13 to 17, and “parents” refers to parents of at least one child ages 13 to 17.

Source: Pew Research Center
http://www.pewinternet.org/2018/08/22/how-teens-and-parents-navigate-screen-time-and-device-distractions/

Teens Too Busy Texting and Online to Read Books

*The following is excerpted from an online article posted on HealthDay.

One of every three American teens has not read a book just for the fun of it in a year, a new study finds.

That's because they're busy texting, checking social media and playing video games four to six hours a day.

The insight into their media habits comes from an analysis of data from more than 1 million teens who were surveyed between 1976 and 2016. In recent years, less than 20 percent said they read books, magazines or newspapers for pleasure, while more than 80 percent used social media every day.

"In the mid-2010s, the average American 12th-grader reported spending approximately two hours a day texting, just over two hours a day on the internet -- which included gaming -- and just under two hours a day on social media," said study lead author Jean Twenge. She's a professor of psychology at San Diego State University.

"That's a total of about six hours per day on just three digital media activities during their leisure time," she noted.

Tenth-graders spent five hours a day on the three digital activities and eighth-graders spent four hours a day.

The study, published Aug. 20 in the journal Psychology of Popular Media Culture, also found:

• Online time:Leisure-time internet use doubled to two hours a day for 12th-graders between 2006 and 2016; rose 75 percent among 10th-graders; and 68 percent among eighth-graders.
• Print media: In the early 1990s, 33 percent of 10th-graders said they read a newspaper nearly every day. By 2016, just 2 percent did. In the late 1970s, 60 percent of 12th-graders said they read a book or magazine almost every day, compared to 16 percent by 2016.
• Books: By 2016, 12th-graders read two fewer books each year than in 1976, and a third said they hadn't read any at all for pleasure in the past year. That includes e-books, as well.

The steep decline in teen reading surprised the researchers.

"It's so convenient to read books and magazines on electronic devices like tablets. There's no more going to the mailbox or the bookstore -- you just download the magazine issue or book and start reading. Yet reading has still declined precipitously," Twenge said in a journal news release.

The findings suggest teens may have challenges when they go to college.

"Think about how difficult it must be to read even five pages of an 800-page college textbook when you've been used to spending most of your time switching between one digital activity and another in a matter of seconds. It really highlights the challenges students and faculty both face in the current era," Twenge said.

Source: HealthDay
https://consumer.healthday.com/kids-health-information-23/adolescents-and-teen-health-news-719/read-any-good-books-lately-no-teens-say-we-re-too-busy-texting-and-online-736844.html

Love-Hate Relationship Between Teens and Their Smartphones

*The following is excerpted from an online article posted on eMarketer.

A survey of 13- to 18-year-olds conducted for Screen Education, a nonprofit group focused on reducing screen time, found that teens consider more than half of their friends "addicted" to their phones.

The survey uncovered widespread anxiety about phone usage, ranging from feelings of pressure to respond immediately to notifications, to a sense of being overwhelmed by the flow of messages and information they receive.

The survey also found a mixed response when it came to limiting screen time. On the one hand, 65% said they wished they were better able to limit the amount of time they spend on phones. On the other, 69% said they had successfully reduced the amount of time they spend on phones.

Similarly, while 69% said they would like to spend more time socializing face to face rather than online, more than half said that when they do spend time together with friends, there are long stretches where they are on their phones, not talking with each other.

Of course, it's not just teens who are conflicted. A 2017 study from Deloitte, conducted by Ipsos MORI, found that most people check their device approximately 47 times per day. (Among the younger people surveyed, the frequency was almost twice as high—roughly 86 times a day.)

That study, too, found a yearning to reduce screen time. Fully 47% of those polled said they were taking actions to reduce the time they spend with their device, either by keeping it out of sight or by simply turning it off.

Efforts to limit mobile time don't appear to be working terribly well, though. According to our latest estimates, the average US adult will spend about 215 minutes per day with mobile devices. And that time is expected to increase in coming years.

Source: eMarketer
https://www.emarketer.com/content/the-love-hate-relationship-between-teens-and-their-smart-phones

Two in Five Teens Text While Driving

*The following is excerpted from an online article posted on HealthDay.

Nearly 40 percent of teen drivers in the United States say they text while driving, a new survey finds.

Researchers analyzed survey data from teen drivers aged 14 and older in 35 states and found that more than a third said they'd texted while driving at least once in the month before the survey. In 34 of the 35 states, text messaging by drivers under the age of 21 is illegal.

Rates of teen texting while driving ranged from 64 percent in South Dakota to 26 percent in Maryland. Teens were also more likely to text and drive in states that had a lower minimum learner's permit age and in states with higher percentages of student drivers.

Five states where more than 50 percent of teen drivers said they texted while driving had a learner's permit age of 15 years or younger, the researchers noted.

"The increase in texting while driving at the age when teens can legally begin unsupervised driving was not surprising," said the lead author, Dr. Motao Zhu. He is principal investigator at the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children's Hospital, in Columbus, Ohio.

"Graduated driver licensing laws could have an impact on texting while driving behavior: the earlier teens start driving, the earlier they start texting while driving," Zhu added in a hospital news release.

The investigators also found that teens who engage in other risky driving behaviors were also more likely to text while driving. Those who didn't regularly wear seat belts were 21 percent more likely to text while driving than frequent seat belt users. Those who admitted to drinking and driving were nearly two times more likely to text while driving than those who did not drink and drive.

The researchers also pointed out that the survey findings likely underestimate teen drivers' cellphone use. Because the survey only asked about "texting and e-mailing while driving," it may not take into account the many ways teens use their cellphones while driving, such as answering or placing a phone call, checking social media, selecting music and accessing other apps.

The study was published in the Journal of Adolescent Health.

Source: HealthDay
https://consumer.healthday.com/general-health-information-16/distracted-driving-968/2-in-5-teens-text-while-driving-survey-shows-736872.html

France Bans Smartphones in Schools

*The following is excerpted from an online article posted on Engadget.

Under new legislation, French students will be prohibited from using smartphones and tablets while at school. The law, which was originally noted in President Emmanuel Macron's election campaign, was elevated to a matter of public health amidst concerns French youth has become super-connected.

France endorsed a blanket ban on smartphone usage for drivers (even those who move to the side of the road) earlier this year, so more action in school settings is not unexpected.

Agence France-Pressereports that a softer ban -- which prevented smartphone usage during class hours -- has already been in practice since 2010. The latest prohibition will completely forbid phone use between classes and even during meal times, although schools have been given the option to make 'pedagogical' exceptions.

Those opposed to the ban previously cited the logistical problems of storing phones, and suggested signal jamming as a possible alternative. But experts fear excessive mobile phone use and the allure of the internet may be fuelling cyber-addiction, sleep disruption and bullying. Speaking with LCI News, France's Education Minister Jean-Michel Blanquer argued mobile phones might be a "technological advance," but they should not "monopolize our lives."

Today, approximately 90 percent of children in France aged between 12 and 17 have access to a smartphone. Blanquer says the ban "sends a message to French society," but it could be a while before similar measures are adopted in the US. American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten points out that cellphones are "an essential safety and security tool" that can provide reassurance to parents during emergencies.

Source: Engadget
https://www.engadget.com/2018/08/01/france-bans-smartphones-schools/

Can Smartphones Trigger ADHD Symptoms in Teens?

*The following is excerpted from an online article posted on HealthDay.

Teenagers who constantly use their smartphones may have a heightened risk of developing symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, a new study suggests.

The findings offer a look at a question many parents may have: Can those ubiquitous digital devices -- and their constant pull on kids' attention -- cause mental or behavioral issues?

The answer, the study authors said, is "maybe."

The researchers found that teens who used their devices "many times" a day were at increased risk of developing attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms over the next two years.

Around 10 percent reported new problems with attention, focus or being still, which are hallmarks of ADHD. That compared with less than 5 percent of their peers who kept their device use to a minimum.

But the findings do not prove that digital media are to blame, said Dr. Jenny Radesky, who wrote an editorial published with the study.

There are many other factors that could affect teenagers' likelihood of reporting those symptoms, said Radesky, an assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Michigan.

The researchers accounted for the factors they could -- such as family income and whether kids had depression symptoms, smoked or used drugs or alcohol at the outset.

But there were things the researchers couldn't measure, Radesky said.

A key missing piece, she said, is how parents influenced their kids. Teens who were not glued to their phones might have had parents who set more rules at home -- or encouraged their kids to have "positive activities" that fostered their mental development.

That said, Radesky called the study important.

"It's one of the first to be able to look at this question longitudinally," she said, meaning it followed the same group of teens over time.

So, it was able to show that the higher rate of ADHD symptoms came after -- not before -- the heavy device use.

Media distractions -- from TV to music to video games -- are nothing new. But mobile technology is different, said lead researcher Adam Leventhal.

"It's the unrelenting access and constant engagement throughout the day," said Leventhal, a professor at the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine, in Los Angeles.

It's possible, he explained, that when kids get used to that constant stimulation, they could develop problems with patience or "tolerating a delay in gratification."

The researchers found that teens who used their devices "many times" a day were at increased risk of developing attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms over the next two years.

Around 10 percent reported new problems with attention, focus or being still, which are hallmarks of ADHD. That compared with less than 5 percent of their peers who kept their device use to a minimum.

But the findings do not prove that digital media are to blame, said Dr. Jenny Radesky, who wrote an editorial published with the study.

There are many other factors that could affect teenagers' likelihood of reporting those symptoms, said Radesky, an assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Michigan.

The researchers accounted for the factors they could -- such as family income and whether kids had depression symptoms, smoked or used drugs or alcohol at the outset.

But there were things the researchers couldn't measure, Radesky said.

A key missing piece, she said, is how parents influenced their kids. Teens who were not glued to their phones might have had parents who set more rules at home -- or encouraged their kids to have "positive activities" that fostered their mental development.

That said, Radesky called the study important.

"It's one of the first to be able to look at this question longitudinally," she said, meaning it followed the same group of teens over time.

So, it was able to show that the higher rate of ADHD symptoms came after -- not before -- the heavy device use.

Media distractions -- from TV to music to video games -- are nothing new. But mobile technology is different, said lead researcher Adam Leventhal.

"It's the unrelenting access and constant engagement throughout the day," said Leventhal, a professor at the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine, in Los Angeles.

It's possible, he explained, that when kids get used to that constant stimulation, they could develop problems with patience or "tolerating a delay in gratification."

The findings were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Source: HealthDay
https://consumer.healthday.com/kids-health-information-23/attention-deficit-disorder-adhd-news-50/can-smartphones-trigger-adhd-symptoms-in-teens-735856.html