Digital Smarts Blog

Cell phones are still absent from most U.S. schools, but recent data is now showing they are steadily gaining acceptance. This can be seen as administrators bow to parents’ wishes to keep tabs on their kids, and teachers finding ways to work them into lessons. The percentage of K-12 public schools that prohibited cell phone use was about 66 percent in 2015-16, down from more than 90 percent in 2009-10, according to data from a survey conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics. Among high schools, the shift over the same period was especially striking — dropping from 80 percent with bans to 35 percent.

Facebook has released an option that lets users remove third-party apps in bulk. Now all you have to do is go to the Apps portion of your Facebook settings where you can click on any number of third-party apps with direct access to your data and remove them in bulk. The changes are part of Facebook’s larger efforts to make app access easier to manage and understand, alongside Facebook’s decision to more broadly limit app developers’ access to user data. The company also says it will remove apps from users' accounts automatically if they have not been accessed in more than three months.

You are likely aware that dating today is nothing like it was years ago. Smartphones, apps and social media have even affected the relationships of middle-school students. In an article in Wired called The Middle School Relationship Is Dead (As We Knew It), current and recent middle-schoolers share what's in -- Instagram and Snapchat -- and what's out -- human connection.

An article by Jean M. Twenge, “Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation?” summarizes many parents’ worries about allowing their children to have and use smart devices, and whether or not it is true that smartphones are making kids depressed. The truth is that we really don’t know, and there is not much research on the possible causes for why this generation seems to be more depressed – and more likely to self report their depression – than past generations.

In the end, it is all about mentoring. Parents – and other important people in kids’ lives– need to model thoughtful relationships with digital devices and recognize their actions set the path kids may follow. That means no distracted conversations with your child while you are texting or checking Instagram. That means no reading of derogatory tweets out loud to significant others even if you think the author is right on target. And no smartphones at the dinner table or long chats while you are supposed to be watching a kid’s sporting event or rehearsal. It is also very important to set clear boundaries for using devices and most importantly, stick to them even if it isn’t convenient for you as a parent. It also means teaching kids to use technology to make a positive difference in the world, rather than for navel-gazing, self-promotion or obsessing about other people.

Although Cyberbullying is a topic is written about extensively, it never hurts to review steps to protect your children. In a blog post on the Today Show’s parenting site, some basics are covered such as talking to your kids about cyberbullying, setting rules for and keeping track of your children’s online activities, finding reliable security software, reminding kids to save evidence of online harassment and reviewing the rules of netiquette.

Concerns about how Facebook has used its users' data have some users pledging to delete their accounts. However it may not be that easy, as schools, teachers, and even parent teacher organizations use Facebook pages to deliver news about what is going on at school or to highlight activities. Some high school teachers also use Facebook as a way to communicate with class members, answer student questions after hours and even enhance instruction. While many schools and teachers have moved on to other apps and learning management systems, it still raises the question of whether or not it is necessary to have a Facebook account.

If you've ever downloaded a personality quiz through Facebook, you may be one of the thousands of people who unwittingly supplied information about yourself and your friends for use in highly targeted psychological profiles exploited in the 2016 presidential campaign. Frankly, most of us don't spend much time thinking about online privacy until a breach occurs. Sure, we tell our kids not to tell online strangers where they live, but beyond basic safety precautions, we're pretty hands off. Targeted ads? Who cares. Endless email alerts? Whatever. But now we know one of the key methods of getting personal information: personality quizzes. It may seem like such a menial thing to stay away from, but it is just the tip of the iceberg and serves as a reminder to be mindful of new online marketing methods and updates to your privacy settings. 

All social media offers privacy settings -- some more than others. The companies usually keep them off by default, so you have to go in and enable the ones you want. This is a good time to sit down with your kids and go over their privacy settings. Facebook, for example, offers many levels of privacy for each piece of information it stores. The safest setting to use is "Only Me," which means you're the only one who can view it and Facebook is not allowed to share it. Take a look at this guide for help in reviewing your Facebook settings.

Are you curious about the Russian social media disinformation campaigns that have been a hot topic in the news recently? The Hamilton 68 dashboard tracks Russian social media in real time as it appears on Twitter. Named after Alexander Hamilton's Federalist Paper 68 (on the importance of "protecting America’s electoral process from foreign meddling"), the dashboard initially tracked election-related tweets but has since expanded to additional topics, such as the Parkland school shooting. It is an interesting tool to look at with your kids when talking about misinformation online.

Turns out that 90% of the camps accredited by the American Camp Association have a cellphone ban. How do camps, kids and parents fare with that kind of challenge? Actually everyone does rather well according to an article on the Philly.com site. Ironically parents seem to be the worst offenders and often smuggle phones in with kids despite signing a pledge not to subvert the rules. Kids also adjust, learning how to practice direct human interactions and enjoying the great outdoors rather than staring at a screen all day.

Smart speakers, like Amazon’s Alexa or Google Home, are showing up in homes more and more with 75 percent of homes likely to have one by 2020. Child-development experts are considering how smart speakers affect learning and development. Some suggest that without intentional planning, the devices could reduce the kind of "serve-and-return conversations" with adults that are so necessary for the development of childrens’ language, literacy and social skills and one-on-one reading time.

Mobile banking apps are generally secure, experts say, but consumers should be aware of their smartphone's overall security as consumers and the way they use their cellphones is often the weakest links. Consumer advocates agree that banks need to do a better job on educating consumers on safety practices, which include having a strong password and keeping smartphone software up-to-date.

Are students' personal cellphones and devices subject to searches at school? That's the question some states are beginning to address with legislation, writes Ariel Fox Johnson, senior counsel for policy and privacy at Common Sense Media, who urges school leaders to provide clarity on policies regarding students' devices. While the Supreme Court ruled in 2014 that police need a warrant to search a cell phone, there has been a little more leeway when it comes to schools. If a student, parent or teacher were to challenge a search, the court must consider why the search was undertaken and if the search’s scope was reasonably related to the circumstances that led to the search in the first place. For example, if a student has video of a disagreement between a student and a teacher in a classroom, it would not be reasonable for a search to be done of all the e-mails on the child’s phone, whereas a search of other videos might be warranted. Do you know what your state’s or district’s policies are on searching students’ digital devices?

The number of 12- to 18-year-olds who report being bullied has declined, according to the federal School Crime Supplement to the National Crime Victimization Survey. Data shows that 20.8% reported being bulled in 2015, down from 31.7% in 2007. The survey covers bullying that takes place in schools, on school property, on a school bus, or going to or from school, and it defines bullying by students who report:

• being made fun of, called names or insulted
• being the subject of rumors
• being threatened with harm
• being pushed, shoved, tripped or spit on
• being pressured into doing things they did not want to do
• being excluded from activities on purpose
• having had property destroyed on purpose

Students were also asked whether they're bullied based on their race, religion, ethnic background or national origin, disability, gender or sexual orientation, which researchers documented as hate-related speech. The reported drops come as schools have increased their focus on bullying prevention and focused more intentionally on what's known as social and emotional learning in an effort to improve school climate. It should be noted that this survey was done before the 2016 election and the bump in bullying that many educators have reported anecdotally.

Shareholders and parents have been asking Apple for months to address how addictive smartphones are and to offer tools to deal with the problem. Recently, Apple posted a new resource page outlining what parents can do now to monitor their kids' iPad and iPhone use. There are no new features on this resource page, though Apple in January said that it is working on “new enhancements” to address concerns about problematic tech use — a response to investors asking for more “choices and tools to help [parents] ensure that young consumers are using your products in an optimal manner.”

Apple's recent purchase of Texture, a subscription service for over 200 titles, proves that they see a future in digital magazines. Called the “Netflix of Magazine Publishing,” the service combines articles from across publications into a single format, like in Apple’s Newsstand app. Apple’s interest in Texture shows they think it could be a way for young consumers and magazines to reconnect.

Verification – those blue check marks that appear on certain profiles mainly belonging to celebrities - may soon be an option for any Twitter user, CEO Jack Dorsey announced recently. The company's goal is to widen verification "in a way that's scalable, where ... people can verify more facts about themselves and we don't have to be the judge or imply any bias on our part," Dorsey says.

Technology and social media are contributing to self-doubt, isolation and vulnerability among female students, according to The Girls' Index, a survey of 10,000 5th- to 12th-grade girls conducted by the nonprofit Ruling Our Experiences. The report found 46% of girls entering high school say they don't believe they are smart enough for their dream careers, while students' confidence rate drops between fifth and ninth grades. Other takeaways from the survey include:

• 30% of the respondents reported having been bullied or made fun of on social media. 19% said they have made fun of someone else on those forums.
• Many of the girls who were the heaviest social media users struggle in making connections with peers, and they tend to have fewer outside interests
• Girls who spent the most time using technology are 5 times more likely to say they are sad or depressed nearly every day. Girls who engaged with technology the most were also the least likely to be involved in activities such as clubs, sports, band, music, and theater.
• Girls who spent the most time on technology are the least likely to say they have supportive friends and supportive adults to talk to about serious issues.
• 75% of the 12th grade girls who took the survey said  “most students their age send sexually explicit photos.” And more than half of 8th grade girls surveyed had been asked to send a sexually explicit photo.

Survivors of the Parkland, Fla., high school shooting are using their voices on Twitter to advocate for gun-control measures -- a move that has garnered some negative attention and criticism, including threats. In a recent interview in The Washington Post, the students share how they are coping with the spotlight and fighting back against "trolls." The interview is an interesting view into what your kids can come up against when online.

Cybersecurity researchers are finding that as people are using their phones for more and more things, hackers are increasingly targeting smartphones with malware and other cyberattacks. Because attacks on mobile devices are getting easier and payoffs are bigger, the trend is expected to grow. The best way to stay safe is to make sure your smartphone always has the latest updates from the manufacturer.

Did you know there are tools already part of your computer’s operating system for keeping track of how much time your children play games and do other things online? Detailed instructions on how to find those free tools and use them for both the Windows 10 and the Macintosh operating system are part of a recent Personal Tech blog post in The New York Times. You can keep track of what games, apps, and websites your children visit and how much time they spend on each, and even check out what keywords they are searching for in your browser. You can also set limits on your children’s screen time.