I was at a meeting with other Media Specialists from around our county today and a guest speaker showed us a demo of a fairly new app by which users can live stream from their location and viewers can comment in real time. The app is Twitter's new acquisition, Periscope. While there may be many ways to use this app for good there are also many ways this app can expose teenagers to live stream video that you might not consider appropriate. The following is a list of apps, like Periscope, that parents should be aware of and links to their Common Sense Media reviews or other information. Time to be in the know! Each Common Sense Media review includes discussion questions for families. I hope this post helps you start some meaningful conversations with your children about online safety and digital footprints. For more information on emerging teen apps check out this article, or visit the Common Sense Media Blog.
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In our over-worked, over-stressed, over-scheduled, information free-for-all of a culture, it may be difficult for parents to keep in tune to what their teenagers are reading; but it is more important now, than ever, for parents to engage in open dialogue with their children about the books they are reading, as well as other forms of entertainment in their child's life. Parents, ask yourselves these questions: 1. Do you know the title of the book your teen is currently reading? Do you know the basic storyline of the book? 2. Do you know what movie your teen last watched? 3. Do you know the lyrics of your teen's favorite song? 4. Have you sat with your child while he played his favorite video game and tried to understand the basic premise of the game? These are important questions to know the answer to because they allow you to open a stream of dialogue with your child that meets him or her in an area of interest, as well as allowing you to broach thoughtful topics of conversation. Questions you can ask include: What do you like about that book? What do you think of the characters' choices? Do you think the love story is realistic? How does this book intersect with our family's beliefs or worldview? It is very important to remember to listen to your child's answer and not dive into a lecture if their opinion differs from your own. This is a good time to let your teen process out loud. Ask them leading questions. You may be surprised when they change their own mind about a topic as they hear themselves discuss it.
We are living in a book-to-film explosion so it is also important to consider how a movie will differ from a book in terms of age appropriateness. Here are a few popular examples: One hot topic many parents may not be aware of is the interest we have seen from our high school students about the adult romance series, Fifty Shades of Grey. We DO NOT have copies of this series in our library because our collection is geared to a young adult patron base, but we are frequently asked by students (grades 9-12) if we have the books. We have also heard of several instances where students have recommended the series to teachers as "so good" and "you have to read this." If this information is alarming to you, you may find the following reviews helpful in broaching a conversation with your teenager about the books and 2015 film adaptation.
https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/fifty-shades-of-grey http://www.pluggedin.com/movie-reviews/fifty-shades-of-grey Each family will have a different barometer of content age appropriateness and hopefully this blog post will help you find an open stream of dialogue with your child about their choices for entertainment and bring you closer as a family. |
AuthorRebecca Hamby, Media Specialist Archives
April 2016
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