The ‘tweens in our lives often know more about technology than we adults do, which creates a challenge for parents, educators and others working to nurture responsible behaviors and choices in the virtual world, just as we do in real life.
bNetS@vvy is here to help. We have assembled this guide to help you understand what the tweens and teens in your life are talking about—and doing—on computers, mobile phones, interactive gaming devices and other wireless technology.
Is something getting lost in translation? Check out Say What? A Glossary of Tech Terms, A-Z.
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Connected Kids, Informed Adults:
A Guide to Getting Savvy
Contents:
Setting the Context
Who’s online?
The vast majority (93 percent and counting) of young people ages 12 to 17 are online, according to the Pew Internet & American Life Project.
What are they doing?
In school and out, teens spend significant time online. Most are experts at multi-tasking—they’re on social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook, using instant messaging (IM) and surfing the Web even as they’re doing homework and watching TV. (Check out the 2009 report, It’s Personal: Similarities and Differences in Online Social Network Use Between Teens and Adults, at PewInternet.org)
The most popular activities tend to be IM, text messaging, and interacting through games, like Runescape and Club Penguin, and on social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook.
Active, not passive. In today’s Web 2.0 culture, participating online is not a one-way street—interacting and sharing are key. More than half (64 percent) of online teens are content creators: they write blogs (Web logs) or post artwork, photos and/or videos.
Out with e-mail? Young people are far more likely to use IM, texting and other rapid-fire tools such as social networks to connect with each other.
That’s why your students or children may look at you funny when you talk about e-mail. While they use it as to communicate with schools or to sign up for a game or program, it’s not as socially popular among ‘tweens and teens as it is among adults.
Are there gender differences?
When it comes to cluing in to today’s youth, gaining insights on different online interests between girls and boys can help you understand what they are doing online and why certain programs or games appeal to them.
Research suggest that boys are more likely than girls to use gaming consoles like Xbox, PlayStation or Wii but the gap narrows when it comes to portable handheld gaming devices. There’s almost no difference between girls and boys when it comes to playing computer games, and girls are more likely than boys to play games on wireless phones or handheld organizers, according to a “2008 Pew study.
Girls are also more likely than boys to be content creators, bloggers and social networkers. That can be good news for verbal skills and tech-confidence, but gives rise to greater likelihood of involvement in cyberbullying and inappropriate interaction.
How young is too young?
Using technology in the school – even in kindergarten classrooms – has become commonplace today. However, many children develop technology skills even before then.
According to Kaiser Family Foundation research, more than 30 percent of children age 3 and under are using computers. While the American Academy of Pediatrics does not recommend television for children under the age of 2, a growing number of computer and Internet games targeting the toddler demographic have been introduced in recent years.
What’s an Adult to Do?
It’s increasingly “their world”…
Technology has changed the childhood experiences many parents and educators remember. Today’s youth are “digital natives.” Growing up in a world saturated with technology, digital natives have an intuition when it comes to tech culture and learning new games and programs.
“Digital immigrants”—a term often used to describe anyone who can remember life without computers and wireless phones—often feel challenged by today’s tech-savvy youth and struggle to keep up with a changing tech landscape.
… but we’re still the adults here
Despite a gap in techno-intuition, parents and educators are still critical in guiding today’s ’Net generation in their use of technology. Monitoring activities, teaching social etiquette and developing dialogue about a child’s interests and activities online is an important part of our job as adults, at home and in the classroom.
What today’s parents and teachers lack in tech experience, they have in life experience. Applying traditional life skills, manners and safety practices to online activities is necessary to help today’s young people become responsible digital citizens.
Throughout this site, you’ll find stories, tools and tips to help you connect with the young teens in your life and stay savvy about their online experiences, so you can help them stay safer online.
Get Started
How to use this site
- Check out our glossary.
- Read our stories: first-hand insight from teachers, parents and tweens
- Visit the bNetS@vvy blog
- Share your stories, questions and ideas
