Digital Smarts Blog

A new study published in the journal Psychiatric Quarterly suggests that the link between heavy screen time and teen depression is actually quite minimal, and that spending some extra time on the phone or computer is not as damaging as many believe. Study leader Dr. Christopher Ferguson of Stetson University believes that the strict attention to limiting screen time by policy makers and advocacy groups is uncalled for. Instead, Ferguson sees more value in focusing on how media are used — for example, as a tool for learning and socialization — than on consumption time alone. Until late last year, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommended only two hours of screen time a day for youth, but dropped the recommendation completely from their current guidelines. This change reflects the fact that the data guiding these recommendations is somewhat unclear and that screen time suggestions are simply experts’ best guesses.

A new study published in the journal Psychiatric Quarterly suggests that the link between heavy screen time and teen depression is actually quite minimal, and that spending some extra time on the phone or computer is not as damaging as many believe. Study leader Dr. Christopher Ferguson of Stetson University believes that the strict attention to limiting screen time by policy makers and advocacy groups is uncalled for. Instead, Ferguson sees more value in focusing on how media are used — for example, as a tool for learning and socialization — than on consumption time alone. Until late last year, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommended only two hours of screen time a day for youth, but dropped the recommendation completely from their current guidelines. This change reflects the fact that the data guiding these recommendations is somewhat unclear and that screen time suggestions are simply experts’ best guesses.

Do you follow the security advice from experts and keep a passcode for locking your phone, or do you prefer not to have one? It bears repeating that without a passcode, personal information on your phone can be accessible to anyone who might find it — and could even make the phone easier to steal. If you are worried that a passcode could make it difficult for someone who might find your phone and want to return it, you can always enter a message in a text app with a family member or good friend’s phone number, take a screenshot of the page and save it as your lock-screen wallpaper.

Do you follow the security advice from experts and keep a passcode for locking your phone, or do you prefer not to have one? It bears repeating that without a passcode, personal information on your phone can be accessible to anyone who might find it — and could even make the phone easier to steal. If you are worried that a passcode could make it difficult for someone who might find your phone and want to return it, you can always enter a message in a text app with a family member or good friend’s phone number, take a screenshot of the page and save it as your lock-screen wallpaper.

Misinformation can comes in many forms, including pictures. How can we learn to identify “Photoshopped” or digitally manipulated pictures? While there are numerous points to consider when analyzing pictures, there are some basics you and your children should pay attention to. These include considering the source of the image, looking at the aesthetics (angle, possible cropping, distance from the subject and more) and examining the caption for an agenda or possible verified source. For more on this, check out this article: Want to resist the post-truth age? Learn to analyze photos like an expert would.

Misinformation can comes in many forms, including pictures. How can we learn to identify “Photoshopped” or digitally manipulated pictures? While there are numerous points to consider when analyzing pictures, there are some basics you and your children should pay attention to. These include considering the source of the image, looking at the aesthetics (angle, possible cropping, distance from the subject and more) and examining the caption for an agenda or possible verified source. For more on this, check out this article: Want to resist the post-truth age? Learn to analyze photos like an expert would.

Need some tips on how to institute a device free meal at your house? Take a look at this video by Today Show’s Sheinelle Jones about breaking the addictive culture of obsession with our digital devices. In the short video, parents and children alike express what they have learned from the simple act of putting their phones, tablets and computers away during mealtime.

Need some tips on how to institute a device free meal at your house? Take a look at this video by Today Show’s Sheinelle Jones about breaking the addictive culture of obsession with our digital devices. In the short video, parents and children alike express what they have learned from the simple act of putting their phones, tablets and computers away during mealtime.

Got a minute? Take a look at the some of the short advice videos on the Common Sense Media site for some great videos that could start a discussion with your kids about particular digital safety issues. Topics include ways to spot fake news, four great fact-checking sites, five internet safety tips, five tips for dealing with haters and trolls and much more.

Got a minute? Take a look at the some of the short advice videos on the Common Sense Media site for some great videos that could start a discussion with your kids about particular digital safety issues. Topics include ways to spot fake news, four great fact-checking sites, five internet safety tips, five tips for dealing with haters and trolls and much more.

The mobile app Science Journal, ideal for ages 10 and up, is a tool that uses the different sensors on your Android phone to conduct experiments and record findings. Parents and teachers can check out the Making & Science website for activity ideas that go along with the app, such as building musical instruments that respond to light.

The mobile app Science Journal, ideal for ages 10 and up, is a tool that uses the different sensors on your Android phone to conduct experiments and record findings. Parents and teachers can check out the Making & Science website for activity ideas that go along with the app, such as building musical instruments that respond to light.

Are you or someone in your family intrigued by the ingenuity of MacGyver (either the old television series or the new)? One great way to help rev up your kids’ digital thinking skills is to present them with sticky “MacGyver-like situations” and then ask them to engineer their way out of it. Check out some challenges on Make magazine online, who is re-running a series called “MakeShift”. The column, which ran for five years, presented challenging scenarios (such surviving a zombie attack) and asked readers to use their knowledge of science and engineering to come up with creative solutions. The challenges, as well as the submitted solutions (and the winners), will be posted weekly.

Are you or someone in your family intrigued by the ingenuity of MacGyver (either the old television series or the new)? One great way to help rev up your kids’ digital thinking skills is to present them with sticky “MacGyver-like situations” and then ask them to engineer their way out of it. Check out some challenges on Make magazine online, who is re-running a series called “MakeShift”. The column, which ran for five years, presented challenging scenarios (such surviving a zombie attack) and asked readers to use their knowledge of science and engineering to come up with creative solutions. The challenges, as well as the submitted solutions (and the winners), will be posted weekly.

When it comes to hateful exchanges online, most people think of Twitter as the worst offender. Twitter has vowed several times to put a lid on abuse, but it is still often gone unchecked. Recently, Twitter has offered new attempts to stop abuse, including preventing people who have been permanently suspended from Twitter from creating new accounts, and identifying accounts that were created "only to abuse and harass others.” "Safe search" results are also being turned on for users. These results remove tweets that contain sensitive content such as violent or pornographic images or language, or tweets that come from blocked or muted accounts. Twitter is also working to identify and "collapse" potentially abusive and "low quality" replies to tweets.

Of course, it is not all for purely altruistic reasons. The Walt Disney Co. recently decided not to pursue a bid for Twitter, citing concern about bullying on the service. The lack of interest from potential acquirers cranked up pressure on Twitter management, which has fallen out of favor with Wall Street, to do something about the abuse.

When it comes to hateful exchanges online, most people think of Twitter as the worst offender. Twitter has vowed several times to put a lid on abuse, but it is still often gone unchecked. Recently, Twitter has offered new attempts to stop abuse, including preventing people who have been permanently suspended from Twitter from creating new accounts, and identifying accounts that were created "only to abuse and harass others.” "Safe search" results are also being turned on for users. These results remove tweets that contain sensitive content such as violent or pornographic images or language, or tweets that come from blocked or muted accounts. Twitter is also working to identify and "collapse" potentially abusive and "low quality" replies to tweets.

Of course, it is not all for purely altruistic reasons. The Walt Disney Co. recently decided not to pursue a bid for Twitter, citing concern about bullying on the service. The lack of interest from potential acquirers cranked up pressure on Twitter management, which has fallen out of favor with Wall Street, to do something about the abuse.

Have you thought about what might happen to your digital life – your social media accounts, hard drive back-ups in the Cloud, email, etc. ­– if something should happen to you? It is probably something that should be added to our wills, but since it is a relatively new concept you might want to establish a plan with a loved one. Take a look at the article Is Your Digital Life Ready for Your Death? from the Tech section of The New York Times for more information.

Have you thought about what might happen to your digital life – your social media accounts, hard drive back-ups in the Cloud, email, etc. ­– if something should happen to you? It is probably something that should be added to our wills, but since it is a relatively new concept you might want to establish a plan with a loved one. Take a look at the article Is Your Digital Life Ready for Your Death? from the Tech section of The New York Times for more information.

Have you ever watched children choosing books at a library or bookstore? Most kids do not pick books based on title, author, or jacket description the way adults do. Instead, they spend time exploring each book, skimming through pages and looking at pictures. What are they looking for? A book that explores a subject the child is excited about at that moment. It could be butterflies or baseball, buildings or ballet.

Where can you look to get that kind of variety for kids to explore? One idea is Epic!, the digital reading resource that focuses on reader-driven, instantly accessible reading choices. It’s a free resource for teachers and school librarians and offers more than 20,000 titles for kids under 12. As parent you can harness the power to offer a large variety of books on a wide variety of topics to your kids for $4.99 per month.

Have you ever watched children choosing books at a library or bookstore? Most kids do not pick books based on title, author, or jacket description the way adults do. Instead, they spend time exploring each book, skimming through pages and looking at pictures. What are they looking for? A book that explores a subject the child is excited about at that moment. It could be butterflies or baseball, buildings or ballet.

Where can you look to get that kind of variety for kids to explore? One idea is Epic!, the digital reading resource that focuses on reader-driven, instantly accessible reading choices. It’s a free resource for teachers and school librarians and offers more than 20,000 titles for kids under 12. As parent you can harness the power to offer a large variety of books on a wide variety of topics to your kids for $4.99 per month.