| MediaSmarts

Bonding over video games

We’ve been using video games to bond with our kids for a while now. If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em, right?

Digital Health, Internet & Mobile, Parents, Video Games

Getting your News from Social Media

Lynn Jatania An interesting thing happened the other day. My husband was talking about some recent political events in the United States, and my kids and I didn’t know what he was talking about.

Authenticating Information, Digital Health, Internet & Mobile, Journalism & News, Parents

Matthew Johnson Meet Sasha. At age 8, she's a real social butterfly, both online and off, and is very concerned with how the world sees her: she spends a lot of time making sure she looks good in photos online but doesn't always think twice about who might see them. Violet is Sasha's older sister and her polar opposite: she's a hardcore gamer, and just as tough as her Level 65 Barbarian. Though she despairs of her sister sometimes, she's also fiercely protective of her and will unleash her considerable wrath on anyone she thinks is picking on Sasha.

Cell Phones and Texting, Cyberbullying, Digital Citizenship, Digital Health, Excessive Internet Use, Internet & Mobile, Online Ethics, Privacy, Resources, Social Networking, Video Games

The COVID-19 Letdown

Lynn Jatania I feel like I should knock wood when I say this, but it feels like maybe, someday, this lockdown might be over.

We’re still in rocky days as I write this, with active cases not dropping off as much as we all would like, and shops and attractions not as open as we would hope. But the vaccine is getting out there, albeit slowly, and some of the people we know have even received it already. Progress is being made, and we can start to dream of a time when life opens up again and we feel safer and more able to do the things we love to do.

Digital Health, Excessive Internet Use, Parents

Communicating Safely Online: Tip Sheet for Youth

a. Types of Unhealthy Online Relationships

Exploitation: Some people use digital media to get teenagers involved in relationships they’re not ready for. They do this by finding someone who is vulnerable and then showering them with attention, sympathy, affection and kindness, all to persuade the victim that they love and understand them.

Digital Citizenship, Digital Health, Internet & Mobile, Sexual Exploitation

Communicating Safely Online: Tip Sheet for Parents and Trusted Adults

a. Types of Unhealthy Online Relationships

Online exploitation is when someone uses digital media to find teens and get them involved in romantic or sexual relationships.

Digital Citizenship, Digital Health, Sexual Exploitation

Electronic gifts for preteens and teens (other than video games)

As your kids grow older, their gift requests may start to look a lot different than when they were younger. While they once circled all the toys in the holiday catalogues that arrived at the door, now they are sending parents text messages or Google Docs with links to their wish list items.

Digital Health, Marketing & Consumerism, Media Production, Parents, Video Games