Remember toddler privacy online

Research finds there is an emerging trend for very young children (toddlers and pre-
schoolers) to use internet connected devices, especially touchscreen tablets and
smartphones. This is likely to result in an increasing number of very young children
having access to the internet, along with a probable increase in exposure to risks
associated with such internet use, including risk generated by parents.

The new report critically reviews recent research to understand the internet use, and emerging policy priorities,
regarding children from birth to eight years old. Researchers find a substantial increase in usage by very young
children. Unfortunately this has not yet been matched by research exploring the benefits and risks of their online
engagement, so there are many gaps in our knowledge.
Dr Brian O'Neill, responsible for the EU Kids Online project in Ireland, explains: "EU Kids Online has spent
seven years investigating 9-16 year olds' engagement with the internet, focusing on the benefits and risks of
children's internet use. While this meant examining the experiences of much younger children than had been
researched before EU Kids Online began its work in 2006, there is now a critical need for information about the
internet-related behaviours of 0-8 year olds. EU Kids Online's research shows that children are now going online
at a younger and younger age, and that young children's lack of technical, critical and social skills may pose a
greater risk"
Parents need to take better care when publishing online
One of the main concerns relates to parents posting pictures and videos of their children online, and the
potential effect these postings may have on their children's digital footprint. Researchers urge that action is
taken:
"Specifically engagement with online service providers to review their user consent policies and responsibilities
to 'take-down' information in a wide range of circumstances. This includes confidential, risky and erroneous
information inadvertently posted by minors -- as well as parental postings," says Brian O'Neill.
The number of children accessing virtual worlds is on the increase with the most significant growth expected in
pre-teen users aged 3-11. More children are using the social network functions on sites such as Club Penguin,
Minecraft and Moshie Monsters. However, there is insufficient research to show that children under the age of
nine have the capacity to engage with the internet in a safe and beneficial manner in all circumstances,
especially when it comes to socialising online, either within age-appropriate virtual worlds or as under-aged
participants in sites intended for teenagers and adults (Facebook, You Tube etc.).
Key recommendations from the report include:

1. The development and promotion of realistic, evidence-based guidelines for parents/carers regarding very
young children's engagement with digital technologies and the internet. Parent education packages
should be aimed at specific age groups (0-2, 3-4, 5-8) and outline ways in which parents can maximise
the benefits and minimise the risks of their children going online.
2. The development and promotion of age-appropriate internet safety education for all age groups --
including pre-primary school or nursery/kindergarten settings.
3. Continued engagement with device designers to encourage the integration of default privacy protections
within the design of smart phones, tablets and other mobile devices.
4. Continued engagement to ensure the provision of greater transparency regarding how data is collected,
collated, used and shared via children's apps, and the provision of straightforward opt-out choices for
parents and children within these apps.
5. Engagement with online service providers to review their user consent policies and responsibilities to
'take-down' information in a wide range of circumstances. This includes confidential, risky and erroneous
information inadvertently posted by minors -- as well as parental postings.
6. Parental education regarding posts, pictures and videos of their children, and the potential effect these
postings may have on their children's digital footprint.
7. The development of appropriate investigative methods so as to include very young children's own
experiences and opinions.

How Does Online Gaming Affect Social Interactions?

Online multiplayer communities are social networks built around multiplayer online
computer games. Members of these communities typically share an interest in online
gaming and a great deal of the interaction between them is technologically mediated.
Marko Siitonen from University of Jyväskylä studied social interaction in online
multiplayer communities in his doctoral thesis of speech communication.

Online multiplayer gaming is a playground which can give us clues about the future of social and technological
developments, Siitonen states.
Online multiplayer games enable the formation of lasting relationships
Online multiplayer games typically encourage interaction between players: some go even as far as demanding it.
Collaboration with other players may be a prerequisite for making progress in a game, or a game may be based
on competition between players.
Typical online games can be played fairly independently, without seeking closer contact with other gamers.
However, social interaction is a strong motive not only for playing multiplayer games, but also for forming lasting
social relationships with other gamers, Siitonen says.
Online games are based on the possibilities of computer networks. This shows in the scope of modes of
communication that typical multiplayer games offer. A single game can support communication based on text,
image, and sound. In addition, a game may provide tools for interaction between two people, as well as enable
communication between whole groups and communities.
In addition to using the modes of communication offered by games, members of multiplayer communities may
keep in touch face to face, over the phone, via email, or in IRC, Siitonen explains.
Long-term interaction lays the foundation for a feeling of community
Social interaction between members of multiplayer communities shares similarities to interaction in face-to-face
groups. Shared values and goals are the basis on which a shared understanding and a sense of community are
built on.
Negotiating values and goals is an ongoing process that takes place throughout the existence of a community.
They are reflected e.g. by how new members are accepted in the community and by how the roles that are
significant to the operation of the community are cast. Disagreement concerning these issues may lead to
conflicts within communities, yet solving these conflicts can serve the purpose of strengthening or changing the
community’s foundations.
The traditional building blocks of identity, such as appearance or age, are often insignificant in multiplayer
gaming communities. A 13-year-old French schoolgirl, a 27-year-old Swedish housewife, and a 44-year-old
American engineer can all be members of the same community. When the members never meet face to face,
they form perceptions of each other based on e.g. how active or reliable they think the others are, Siitonen
describes.
Forming images of the other members can be quick in a technologically mediated environment. Still, reputation
based on long-term social interaction does have real significance in online multiplayer communities. Activity and
motivation are emphasized in technologically mediated communication, and the most active members often hold
the leading positions in the communities.
Online multiplayer communities are susceptible to changes. Old communities perish and new ones are born
constantly, and gamers frequently shift between communities. However, the social networks and personal
relationships that form the base of these communities may survive even though the disbandment of a
community. It is possible that a new multiplayer community rises out of the old one’s ashes.
Siitonen used interviews and information gathered by participant observation as the data for his study. The
observation data was collected from two different communities within an online multiplayer game called Anarchy
Online.

Social networking's good and bad impacts on kids

Social media present risks and benefits to children but parents who try to secretly
monitor their kids' activities online are wasting their time, according to a presentation at
the 119th Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association.

"While nobody can deny that Facebook has altered the landscape of social interaction, particularly among young
people, we are just now starting to see solid psychological research demonstrating both the positives and the
negatives," said Larry D. Rosen, PhD, professor of psychology at California State University, Dominguez Hills.
In a plenary talk entitled, "Poke Me: How Social Networks Can Both Help and Harm Our Kids," Rosen discussed
potential adverse effects, including:

 Teens who use Facebook more often show more narcissistic tendencies while young adults who have a
strong Facebook presence show more signs of other psychological disorders, including antisocial
behaviors, mania and aggressive tendencies.
 Daily overuse of media and technology has a negative effect on the health of all children, preteens and
teenagers by making them more prone to anxiety, depression, and other psychological disorders, as well
as by making them more susceptible to future health problems.
 Facebook can be distracting and can negatively impact learning. Studies found that middle school, high
school and college students who checked Facebook at least once during a 15-minute study period
achieved lower grades.

Rosen said new research has also found positive influences linked to social networking, including:

 Young adults who spend more time on Facebook are better at showing "virtual empathy" to their online
friends.
 Online social networking can help introverted adolescents learn how to socialize behind the safety of
various screens, ranging from a two-inch smartphone to a 17-inch laptop.
 Social networking can provide tools for teaching in compelling ways that engage young students.

For parents, Rosen offered guidance. "If you feel that you have to use some sort of computer program to
surreptitiously monitor your child's social networking, you are wasting your time. Your child will find a workaround
in a matter of minutes," he said. "You have to start talking about appropriate technology use early and often and
build trust, so that when there is a problem, whether it is being bullied or seeing a disturbing image, your child
will talk to you about it."
He encouraged parents to assess their child's activities on social networking sites, and discuss removing
inappropriate content or connections to people who appear problematic. Parents also need to pay attention to
the online trends and the latest technologies, websites and applications children are using, he said.
"Communication is the crux of parenting. You need to talk to your kids, or rather, listen to them," Rosen said.
"The ratio of parent listen to parent talk should be at least five-to-one. Talk one minute and listen for five."

Teens’ online friendships just as meaningful as face-to-face ones

Many parents worry about how much time teenagers spend texting, sharing selfies and
engaging in other online activities with their friends. However, according to a recent
research synthesis from the University of California, Irvine, many of these digital
behaviors serve the same purpose and encompass the same core qualities as face-to-
face relationships.

"Increased peer interaction in cyberspace has led to growing concern that today's adolescent friendships are
now less intimate and an inadequate substitute for those back in the day that took place in person," said
Stephanie Reich, UCI associate professor of education and co-author of the study. "Many contacts between
adolescents are mediated through technology and can provide additional opportunities for friends to spend time
together, share thoughts and display affection than in offline spaces alone."
Reich, along with Ph.D. student and lead author Joanna Yau, identified six core characteristics of offline
friendships -- self-disclosure, validation, companionship, instrumental support, conflict and conflict resolution --
and their digital parallels. For each quality, they noted ways in which online interfaces corresponded with or
differed from in-person communication. The results are detailed in the May issue of Adolescent Research
Review.
Reich and Yau found that digital exchanges offer more benefits in some areas and carry increased risks in
others. On the plus side, online contact enhances companionship between friends via conversations that can
continue throughout the day and night without disrupting others, and it also allows more time to control emotions
and calm down before crafting and sending a response to something upsetting. Conversely, friendships can be
damaged by gossip and rumors, which spread much faster and farther through cyberspace.
"Digital communication may increase the ramifications of conduct due to the permanence of information and the
speed by which it travels, but at the core, friendships seem to have the same key characteristics," Reich said.
"The majority of adolescents interact electronically most often with individuals they consider friends offline. So
rather than reducing intimacy in these relationships, technology-mediated communication may provide additional
benefits to teens as connections occur both face-to-face and online."

What are the causes and effects of increased gaming in

adolescent girls and boys?
Technological innovations, multiple genres, online gaming and mobile apps have led
gaming to become big business. Call of Duty Black Ops sold 1.4 million copies and
registered 2.6 million Xbox Live players on launch day. Adolescents increasingly use
gaming for a significant part of their leisure time. New research in the Journal of Youth
Studies examines World Health Organization data on adolescent well-being collected
from over 4,000 children aged 11-15 to determine why some adolescents gaming
habits are escalating. The author reflects on gender, age, policy, parental influences
and outcomes for adolescents.

About half of all adolescents are gaming for two or more hours per day, spending more time at home and less
time out socialising. There are well-documented risks to social development, physiology, sleep, mental health
and school performance. Further hypotheses of reduced empathy and propensity for aggression remain
unproven. On the plus side gaming is shown to benefit motivational skills, tenacity, problem solving and strategic
thinking. So how much is too much? Why are some adolescents exceeding healthy levels of gaming?
Policy recommendations for use of electronic media are two hours per day in the US, UK and Australia. Parental
monitoring methods are increasingly recognised as a significant factor. Many parents monitor 'co-play', partly to
scrutinise content the child is exposed to. Children whose parents regularly monitor usage were less likely to go
above two hours. Those whose parents were very controlling became defiant, pushing up usage, but many
reported no parental input at all.
Children with mixed gender friend groups game for longer, an indicator of the increase in sociable group gaming.
Early adolescents game longer than 15 year olds, a likely pointer to educational stage and development. Gender
affects time spent gaming; boys are three times more likely than girls to spend over six hours gaming per week.
Across both genders gaming provides an escape from stress; in boys from bullying and girls from
discontentment. Boys with higher levels reported frequent hunger at bedtime, which may be evidence of gaming
interfering with meal times. The author concludes "gendered interventions may be necessary to address
successfully those who are engaging in very high levels of gaming with the associated negative consequences
to their overall well-being."

Video Games Linked To Poor Relationships With Friends, Family

A new study connects young adults' use of video games to poorer relationships with
friends and family – and the student co-author expresses disappointment at his own
findings.

Brigham Young University undergrad Alex Jensen and his faculty mentor, Laura Walker, publish their results
Jan. 23 in the Journal of Youth and Adolescence.
The research is based on information collected from 813 college students around the country. As the amount of
time playing video games went up, the quality of relationships with peers and parents went down.
"It may be that young adults remove themselves from important social settings to play video games, or that
people who already struggle with relationships are trying to find other ways to spend their time," Walker said.
"My guess is that it's some of both and becomes circular."
For the record, Walker did not stand in the way of her family's wish for a Nintendo Wii. Jensen had hoped to find
some positive results as justification for playing Madden NFL.
Study participants reported how often they play video games. They also answered a battery of questions
measuring relationship quality, including how much time, trust, support and affection they share with friends and
parents.
But the researchers say video games do not themselves mean "game over" for a relationship because the
connection they found is modest.
"Relationship quality is one of a cluster of things that we found to be modestly associated with video games,"
Walker said. "The most striking part is that everything we found clustered around video game use is negative."
Statistical analyses also revealed that the more young adults play video games, the more frequent their
involvement in risky behaviors like drinking and drug abuse. Young adults who played video games daily
reported smoking pot almost twice as often as occasional players, and three times as often as those who never
play.
For young women, self-worth was low if their video game time was high.
And despite heavy involvement with the research, Jensen does not admit the results to his own family. For now
he holds out hope that future research will exonerate consoles or games designed for multiple players.
He's also curious how video games may affect young couples. Nearly three-fourths of college-aged men in the
study played video games regularly. By comparison, just 17 percent of their female counterparts played more
than once a month.
"The gender imbalance begs the question of whether chasing a new high score beats spending quality time with
a girlfriend or wife," Jensen said.
Walker teaches in BYU's School of Family Life. Her colleagues Larry Nelson and Jason Carroll are co-authors
on the study.

A cure for social anxiety disorders

Since the invention of the telegram, the adoption of new technologies, such as
television, smartphones and social media, has often led to fears of the decline of face-
to-face interactions and the potential of decreased happiness. Now, researchers at the
University of Missouri and the University of Kansas have found that social media use
has no significant negative effect on social interactions or social well-being.

"The current assumption is that when people spend more time on apps like Facebook and Snapchat, the quality
of their in-person social interactions decreases," said Michael Kearney, assistant professor at the MU School of
Journalism. "However, our results suggested that social media use doesn't have a strong impact on future social
interactions."
Kearney and the research team set up two studies, one long-term and one short-term, to test the theory. The
first study, which followed the social media use of individuals from 2009 to 2011, found that change in social
media use was not associated with changes in direct social contact. In addition, the participants' feelings of
social well-being actually increased.
The second study, which surveyed adults and college students through text-messaging over the course of five
days, found that social media use earlier in the day did not have any impact on future social interactions.
However, the researchers also found that passive social media use led to lower levels of well-being if that
person had been alone earlier in the day.
"People who use social media alone likely aren't getting their face-to-face social needs met," Kearney said. "So if
they're not having their social needs met in their life outside of social media, it makes sense that looking at social
media might make them feel even lonelier."
The aspect of time may be an important element to consider when it comes to studying the effects of social
media, the researchers found. For example, Kearney says that while time spent using social media sites like
Facebook doesn't take away from other social interactions, it is likely that using any type of media borrows time
that could be used for face-to-face interactions.
"People are spending increased amounts of time using the internet and other media that may replace the time
they could use for speaking face to face, but that doesn't mean that they are worse for it," Kearney said. "People
must ultimately be responsible for maintaining their relationships, whether that's through social media or other
means."
"Two tests of social displacement through social media use," was published in Information, Communication and
Society. The co-authors of the study are Jeffrey Hall, associate professor at the University of Kansas and Chong
Xing, a doctoral candidate at the University of Kansas.
Social media does not decrease face-to-face interactions
Social phobia is the most common anxiety disorder of our time. But the current
treatment regimen for patients with this diagnosis has not proven very effective. Now a
team of Norwegian and British researchers believe they have found a cure for social
anxiety disorders.

"We've set a new world record in effectively treating social anxiety disorders," says Hans M. Nordahl, a professor
of behavioural medicine at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). He has led a project
with a team of doctors and psychologists from NTNU and the University of Manchester in England to examine
the effects of structured talk therapy and medication on patients with social anxiety disorders.
Until now, a combination of cognitive therapy and medication was thought to be the most effective treatment for
these patients. The researchers' results, which have just been published in the journal Psychotherapy and
Psychosomatics, show that cognitive therapy on its own has a much better effect in the long term than just drugs
or a combination of the two.
Nearly 85 per cent of the study participants significantly improved or became completely healthy using only
cognitive therapy.
"This is one of the best studies on social anxiety disorders ever," says Nordahl. "It's taken ten years to carry out
and has been challenging both academically and in terms of logistics, but the result is really encouraging," he
says.
Mistreatment with "happy pills"
To clear up some terms: social anxiety is not a diagnosis, but a symptom that a lot of people struggle with. For
example, talking or being funny on command in front of a large audience can trigger this symptom. On the other
hand, social anxiety disorder -- or social phobia -- is a diagnosis for individuals who find it hard to function
socially, and anyone with this diagnosis has high social anxiety.
Medications, talk therapy or a combination of these are the most common ways to treat patients with this
diagnosis. NTNU researchers set out to examine which of these approaches is most effective.
"A lot of doctors and hospitals combine medications -- like the famous "happy pill" -- with talk therapy when they
treat this patient group. It works well in patients with depressive disorders, but it actually has the opposite effect
in individuals with social anxiety disorders. Not many health care professionals are aware of this," says Nordahl.
Drugs camouflage the problem
"Happy pills," like selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs), may have strong physical side effects. When
patients have been on medications for some time and want to reduce them, the bodily feelings associated with
social phobia, like shivering, flushing and dizziness in social situations tend to return. Patients often end up in a
state of acute social anxiety again.
"Patients often rely more on the medication and don't place as much importance on therapy. They think it's the
drugs that will make them healthier, and they become dependent on something external rather than learning to
regulate themselves. So the medication camouflages a very important patient discovery: that by learning
effective techniques, they have the ability to handle their anxiety themselves," says Nordahl.
Social anxiety -- a public health issue
The most common anxiety disorder experienced today is social anxiety disorder. It is a public health problem
with major negative consequences for the individual and for society. Nearly twelve per cent of the population will
be impacted during their lifetime.
Most affected individuals report that anxiety has significantly hampered their functioning at school and in their
work life. These are issues that negatively affect their choice of career, entry into the labour market and how
they adjust to their work environment. They are also a major cause of absenteeism.
People with social anxiety disorder dread situations where they risk being exposed to the critical gaze of others.
They are afraid that others will look at them, judge them and form a negative opinion of them. They especially
fear the embarrassment of being deemed nervous, weak or stupid.
Speaking in front of large groups, participating in parent meetings at school, and eating or writing with others
watching can be problematic for people with the disorder. Some people are particularly afraid that others will see
their hands or voice shake, or that they are blushing and sweating. They will do their best to avoid these types of
situations.
They may also resort to various coping strategies to hide their anxiety, which unfortunately only reinforce the
problem.
Cognitive therapy is a treatment where the therapist works to get patients to accept their fear, to go into
challenging situations and to shift their attention to what they want to say and do in those situations. In other
words: Accept inwardly and focus outwardly.
World record in treating social phobia
NTNU researchers set up the project to compare the most recognized methods for treating social anxiety
disorders. Well over 100 patients participated in the study and were divided into four groups.
The first group received only medication, the second group received only therapy, the third group received a
combination of the two, and the fourth received a placebo pill. The four groups were compared along the way,
and researchers conducted a follow-up assessment with them a year after treatment ended.
During treatment and right afterwards, the patients in groups two and three were managing equally well. But
after a year, it was clear that the group two participants -- those who had only received cognitive therapy -- fared
the best.
Only with the help of cognitive therapy have researchers managed to increase the recovery rate in patients with
social anxiety disorders by 20 to 25 per cent, as compared with the norm for this group.
"This is the most effective treatment ever for this patient group. Treatment of mental illness often isn't as
effective as treating a bone fracture, but here we've shown that treatment of psychiatric disorders can be equally
effective," says Nordahl.
Many patients don't get adequate treatment
Torkil Berge is a psychologist at Diakonhjemmet Hospital in Oslo and head of the Norwegian Association for
Cognitive Therapy. He says social anxiety disorder is a public health problem with major negative consequences
for the individual and for society. Nearly twelve per cent of the population will be affected by this illness during
their lifetime.
"This is a hidden disorder, and many patients find it difficult to communicate their struggle to their healthcare
providers. Thousands upon thousands of individuals end up not receiving adequate treatment. Of those who do
get treatment, most are probably offered drug therapy," Berge says.
"I can well imagine that the combination of drug therapy and cognitive therapy isn't the best approach, as NTNU
researchers have determined in this study," he said.
Using metacognitive therapy
Nordahl and the rest of the research team have also worked to improve standard cognitive therapy. They have
added new processing elements, which have shown greater effectiveness.
"We're using what's called metacognitive therapy, meaning that we work with patients' thoughts and their
reactions and beliefs about those thoughts. We address their rumination and worry about how they function in
social situations. Learning to regulate their attention processes and training with mental tasks are new
therapeutic elements with enormous potential for this group of patients," says Nordahl.
The researchers now hope to develop standardized cognitive therapy further for patients who suffer from social
anxiety disorders.