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posted by janrinok on Tuesday March 13 2018, @11:26AM   Printer-friendly
from the spliffs-but-no-tweets dept.

The Australian Broadcast Corporation reports:

Australian parents are more worried about their children using social media and technology than drugs, alcohol or smoking, according to new research.

The youth mental health support service ReachOut surveyed parents of 12 to 18-year-olds about their concerns and found that 45 per cent were worried about their children's use of social media.

Technology closely followed at 42 per cent.

In comparison, 25 per cent were worried about their children using drugs, alcohol or smoking. [...] ReachOut surveyed 890 parents in December 2017, a month before the suicide of 14-year-old Amy "Dolly" Everett put cyberbullying on the national agenda.

Mr Nicholas said parents were concerned about the anonymity of social media. "They're really concerned about the nature of bullying that may happen on social media sites and how easy it is given that this is a product that young people are likely to use every day," he said. "That the harm and particularly the psychological harm can be really significant."


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  • (Score: 2) by c0lo on Tuesday March 13 2018, @11:57AM (3 children)

    by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday March 13 2018, @11:57AM (#651780) Journal

    There was this thing called "parenting" but it seems like is going the way of the Dodo, with both parents needing to work to keep their kids at school (and their own parents in retirement homes) and pay a mortgage and an ever-rising electricity bill... and... and...

    But this is a short lived problem, this too shall pass... their kids are going to live with the parents, because the "kids" won't be even able to afford to have a family on their own by the time their reproductive age is over. Problem solved.

    (grin)

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  • (Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Tuesday March 13 2018, @12:55PM (2 children)

    by JoeMerchant (3937) on Tuesday March 13 2018, @12:55PM (#651793)

    their kids are going to live with the parents, because the "kids" won't be even able to afford to have a family on their own by the time their reproductive age is over.

    Ah, the Italian solution...

    Seriously, though - the parents all have experience with Drugs, Alcohol and Smoking - they fear what they do not understand.

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    • (Score: 4, Interesting) by edIII on Tuesday March 13 2018, @07:37PM (1 child)

      by edIII (791) on Tuesday March 13 2018, @07:37PM (#651946)

      Fear what they do no understand? Perhaps not in this case. That argument has worked for a long time, especially with rock & roll, hippies, etc. The older generation has always been saying the younger generation is the stupidest one yet. There was some variant of "get of my lawn" in the time of the Pharaohs, I'm sure.

      However, social media really is quite destructive. Many studies have been made about the psychological effects of superficial conversation and "likes". I think trolls are far more active than they would be in real life, and unlike a school environment, there is very little oversight. The adults can be 10 feet away, but on the Internet, they may as well not exist. In my childhood before the Internet, you could at least get away from the bullies and little shits making fun of you. Home was sanctuary, and the city was big enough that you could hang out with your friends and not run into the assholes making school miserable. These days with wireless coverage there is literally no escape, not even for a second, to children from an online playground where they're being judged by their peers and manipulated by craven executives for more profit.

      I think social media has trained people in general to be addicted to very superficial interactions, and engage in unhealthy behaviors. It's a problem for adults, so I can't see why it wouldn't be a problem for kids either.

      There are adults that couldn't put their phone down, and their connection to social media, for 2 minutes. Not even long enough to attempt a conversation. I think that is what a generation raised on the Internet has delivered to us. People incapable of driving because they can't focus, and incapable of putting down a phone for longer than 2-3 minutes top.

      I think adults understand social media just fine. That's why they're afraid for the children.

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      • (Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Tuesday March 13 2018, @08:31PM

        by JoeMerchant (3937) on Tuesday March 13 2018, @08:31PM (#651981)

        I think trolls are far more active than they would be in real life,

        I don't know about your elementary/middle/high school experience, mine was literally full of trolls - not the message board variety, the real life lead somebody on as long as possible to finish with something that tries to make them look foolish type, the tollbooth variety, and many others.

        unlike a school environment, there is very little oversight.

        Wow, again, my school experience was one of minimal adult oversight - one teacher to 30 kids, often that teacher wasn't paying attention or was completely out of the room 20% or more of the school day. And then kids also interact outside of school without adult supervision, or at least they did in the 1970s.

        Home was sanctuary

        Yep, mostly, except when the little shits started crank calling the house. But, how is home not sanctuary today? Trolls on the internet bothering you? Infinite channels, dumping an account and signing up under a new name is way easier than getting the phone company to change your number, and if a forum is a repeat problem, how many other forums are there?

        manipulated by craven executives for more profit.

        As if toy advertisers didn't own the 4th graders of 1978.

        I think social media has trained people in general to be addicted to very superficial interactions, and engage in unhealthy behaviors.

        I think people were prone to these behaviors and that social media enables the air brushers and image shapers to indulge in their fantasy world much more deeply than ordinary makeup and party guest lists used to.

        I think adults understand social media just fine. That's why they're afraid for the children.

        The options are ever-present to tune in, turn on, drop out, whichever floats your personal boat. I did get a bit worried in 2013 when I went for a job interview and the entire company had been all through my LinkedIn profile in depth, in that particular case it made me look (accurately) a very good fit for the position, but LinkedIn's skills and ratings system is such a bunch of +1 like horse shit, I worried about the day that not playing that particular game very well might hurt me. It hasn't yet. Another job interviewer (who also hired me) commented "I don't waste time on all that Facebook nonsense, either..." referring to my empty Facebook account, I have one but it's pretty obvious that I've only used it for about 10 minutes in the past 6 years. There will come a day when appropriately crafted and curated Facebook, LinkedIn and other profiles will be essential for good employment opportunities.

        Just have faith that, with so many millions, perhaps billions, of idiots out there with insanely bad things hanging out in their online profiles, the world will be adjusting to the idea that we are all human, less than professionally perfect 24x7x365x85, and that's O.K. It does make one wonder about the "bro club" jobs of the future, where a minimum of ten confirmed consecutive black-out drunk nights of partying in the past year is required for consideration.

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