Jim Liebelt's Youth Culture Watch

Where's Your Kid?

I was doing my regular news surfing this morning and came across a new iPhone application, iCurfew, that boasts a simple interface, allowing kids to check in with their parents via email, sending Mom or Dad an un-editable link that maps their precise location.

The app utilizes the iPhone's GPS capabilities to generate a link with precise coordinates - and when parents receive the email, they click on the link and a map is displayed with the location of the phone.

A positive aspect of this application is that it doesn't spy on the kid and generate the email automatically, but rather depends on the kid to identify their location (which generates the link) and then send the email.

My mind immediately wanders over to some lousy ways this application could be used by parents which could damage trust between them and their kids.

Also, I'm thinking that because many kids today are extremely tech saavy, if using iCurfew, they could pretty easily figure out ways to circumvent the purpose (the kid leaves their phone with a friend at the movies, who sends the check-in email, while the kid goes somewhere else, for example.) And, it seems reasonable to think that kids will come up with hacks to the application to send a false location.

So, in terms of a parent's overall goal of keeping track of one's kids, iCurfew, might not be a good option, especially for those who are having problems and trust issues with their kids.

But, in some circumstances, where parents and kids have an overall healthy relationship it might be a positive tool, not only for keeping track of where kids are, but helping to build accountability and responsibility in a teen's life.

The app also has some other benefits outside of the primary purpose of checking in. For example, helping parents with precise information on where to pick up their kid, and where to meet one another, let's say when on a shopping trip at a big mall.

In fact, I'm thinking of all of the uses it might provide for me in connecting with my wife. Like sending her my location when I'm out fishing local rivers on my own. Could provide some piece of mind for both of us. Seems like it would be well worth the $0.99 to download and use it myself.

The application is only available for use on the iPhone.

Source: HomeWord / Center for Youth and Family at APU

Technology Not Causing Social Isolation: Pew Study

Parents should keep in mind that although the modes of communication have changed since they were teenagers, today's social media platforms (texting, social networking sites, cell phones) are the preferred method teens use to communicate. Pew Internet's new study, though not specifically investigating teens, is a good reminder that technology use in communication isn't creating social isolation. Parents should also consider jumping on the bandwagon, if they've resisted, as it appears that contrary to popular belief, technology actually builds broader social interactions, which means there's opportunity for better communication and connection with their teens.

Contrary to popular belief, technology is not leading to social isolation and Americans who use the Internet and mobile phones have larger and more diverse social networks, according to a new study.

"All the evidence points in one direction," said Keith Hampton, lead author of the report by the Pew Internet and American Life Project released Wednesday. "People's social worlds are enhanced by new communication technologies.

"It is a mistake to believe that Internet use and mobile phones plunge people into a spiral of isolation," said Hampton, an assistant professor of communication at the University of Pennsylvania.
The authors said key findings of the study -- "Social Isolation and New Technology" -- "challenge previous research and commonplace fears about the harmful social impact of new technology."

"There is a tendency by critics to blame technology first when social change occurs," Hampton said.

"This is the first research that actually explores the connection between technology use and social isolation and we find the opposite.

"It turns out that those who use the Internet and mobile phones have notable social advantages," Hampton said. "People use the technology to stay in touch and share information in ways that keep them socially active and connected to their communities."

The study found that six percent of Americans can be described as socially isolated -- lacking anyone to discuss important matters with or who they consider to be "especially significant" in their life.

That figure has hardly changed since 1985, it said.

Source: Google / AFP
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5j4aQ3JneT8Z4Rws7Qd4UqY1FzXtQ

Survey: Family Time Eroding as Internet Use Soars

Whether it's around the dinner table or just in front of the TV, U.S. families say they are spending less time together.

The decline in family time coincides with a rise in Internet use and the popularity of social networks, though a new study stopped just short of assigning blame.

The Annenberg Center for the Digital Future at the University of Southern California reported that 28 percent of Americans it interviewed last year said they have been spending less time with members of their households. That's nearly triple the 11 percent who said that in 2006.

In the first half of the decade, people reported spending an average of 26 hours per month with their families. By 2008, however, that shared time had dropped by more than 30 percent, to about 18 hours.

Meanwhile, more people say they are worried about how much time kids and teenagers spend online. In 2000, when the center began its annual surveys on Americans and the Internet, only 11 percent of respondents said that family members under 18 were spending too much time online. By 2008, that grew to 28 percent.

Source: Yahoo! Tech
http://tech.yahoo.com/news/ap/20090615/ap_on_hi_te/us_tec_internet_family_time

Another Study Shows Parental Conflict Has Negative Affect On Teens

The findings of this study, again underscores the importance of spouses maintaining a healthy marriage in order to raise healthy children. According to the study, adolescents living in homes where there is frequent conflict between mom and dad, fare no better than kids raised in blended family or single parent homes.

The research is clear: Adolescents tend to fare better -- academically and behaviorally -- when they live with both biological parents. But when their parents frequently argue, young adults are significantly more likely to binge drink than other teenagers. They also tend to smoke, and their poor school grades are similar to those of their peers who don't have both biological parents at home.

"Our findings suggest that exposure to parental conflict in adolescence is associated with poorer academic achievement, increased substance use and early family formation and dissolution, often in ways indistinguishable from living in a stepfather or single-mother family," said Kelly Musick, Cornell associate professor of policy analysis and management.

"Our results clearly illustrate that the advantages of living with two continuously married parents are not shared equally by all children," said Musick. "Compared with children in low-conflict families, children from high-conflict families are more likely to drop out of school, have poor grades, smoke, binge drink, use marijuana, have early sex, be young and unmarried when they have a child and then experience the breakup of that relationship."

"The odds of binge drinking are about a third higher for children from high-conflict families compared to single-mother families," Musick said.

The bottom line, she said, is that children in high-conflict married households tend to do no better than those in stepfather and single-mother families.

The full report, "Are Both Parents Always Better Than One? Parental Conflict and Young Adult Well-Being," is available as a PDF.

Source: Science Daily
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090529212600.htm

For helpful information on strengthening your marriage and resolving conflict, see the following resources on the HomeWord.com website:

10 Ways to Transform Your Marriage

Tips for Resolving Conflict in Your Marriage

VIDEO - Barriers to Conflict Resolution

VIDEO - More Barriers to Conflict Resolution

Boys More Prone To Trouble After Family Upheavals

Family disruptions such as divorce or children being forced to live elsewhere are tougher on boys than girls, according to a newly published University of Florida study, which finds that rates of male juvenile delinquency and drug use rise when the household composition changes.

When families go through transitions such as children leaving home to live with grandparents or a mother’s boyfriends moving in or out of the house, boys are more likely to find trouble by running with the wrong crowd, said Marvin Krohn, a professor in UF’s department of criminology, law and society, who led the study.

“While girls may respond to what goes on in the family by being depressed or showing signs of stress, boys are much more likely to externalize their displeasure with what goes on in the family by acting up,” Krohn said. “They react to the turmoil by seeking out friends who are
engaged in delinquent behavior, which increases the probability they will commit delinquent acts themselves.”

Source: University of Florida News
http://news.ufl.edu/2009/04/08/family-transitions/

Study: Parental Conflicts Have Lasting Influence on Teens

Exposure to family arguments during adolescence has a lasting impact on an individual's mental health and functioning as an adult, according to a study published in the March edition of The Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.

The longitudinal study, led by Simmons School of Social Work Professor Helen Reinherz, shows adolescents who reported increased arguments at age 15, compared with their peers, had an elevated risk of major depression, alcohol abuse/dependence, drug dependence, and adult antisocial behaviors at age 30. These participants also had a twofold risk for being unemployed as adults.

"It was no surprise that we found long-term effects of exposure to physical violence, but the documentation of the potential lasting influence of verbal conflict is significant," said Reinherz. "We believe that exposure to increased family arguments in adolescence served as an important marker for impaired functioning into adulthood."

Source: PRNewswire
http://sev.prnewswire.com/health-care-hospitals/20090309/DC8086509032009-1.html

Grandparents Answer a Call

I remember back in the 80's & 90's how experts in the youth ministry field regularly noted the negative impact that our mobile society and the resultant lack of exposure to extended family was having on that generation of kids. The implication was a means of reinforcing the need for church youth ministries to provide supportive adult relationships and role models for kids. Today, (fortunately) it appears that more and more families have rediscovered the value and power of establishing a multi-generational family approach to raising kids. I'm interested to see how much of a trend this becomes in the days ahead. Here at HomeWord, we've noticed an increase in the amount of communication we receive from grandparents and we're evaluating the need for adding grandparenting content to our website.

No statistics track the number of grandparents who are pulling up stakes and moving closer to adult children and grandchildren. Yet anecdotal evidence suggests that the trend, while still modest, is growing.

Even President Obama's mother-in-law, Marian Robinson, has agreed to leave Chicago and move into the White House to help care for her granddaughters, Malia and Sasha.

In a poll released last week by Grandparents.com, 83 percent of respondents said Mrs. Robinson's high-profile relocation will redefine the importance of grandparents in the American family. Two-thirds believe more families will follow the Obamas' expanded family structure.

"In the 1960s we were all a little wild and couldn't get away from home far enough or fast enough to prove we could do it on our own," says Christine Crosby, publisher of Grand, a magazine for grandparents. "We've matured now as a generation and realize how important family is and how important it is to be near them, especially when you're raising children."

Source: Christian Science Monitor
http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0126/p17s01-lifp.html

Family Fun Reduces Risky Teen Sex, Boston College Study Finds

Teens are less likely to engage in risky sex if families spend more time at the dinner table and "having fun", researchers say.

The detailed US study of nearly 5000 teenagers found parents who do not want their teens to engage in dicey sexual behavior should make family time a priority.

Adolescents who took part in family activities more often had sex less frequently, less unprotected sex, and fewer sexual partners, Boston College researcher Rebekah Levine Coley and colleagues found.

Dr Coley’s investigation reported in the August issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health also found overbearing parents were more likely to trigger early and risky sex in their children.

On the other hand, teens who frequently ate dinner with their family, did “something religious" or had family fun were less likely to go astray.

Family activities were "centrally important supports for children, providing opportunities for emotional warmth, communication, and transmission of values and beliefs”, the study authors found.

Source: Heraldsun.com.au
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,24069614-661,00.html

Regular family dinnertime, family fun, and family spiritual activities to reduce at-risk behaviors... This is what we at HomeWord have been advocating to parents over the years. It's nice to have some current research to back up these notions!

There's A Gender Gap At The Dinner Table

For adolescent girls, the positive impact of sharing regular family meals appears to last throughout their teenage years. Those who ate with their families at least five times a week during middle school were much less likely to drink, smoke or use marijuana five years later, researchers at the University of Minnesota found in a study published recently.

But the same was not true for boys. For reasons that the researchers could not explain, regular family meals had no influence on their later substance abuse.

The research is the latest in a series of studies that may be helping to revive the family dinner hour in the United States. Researchers at the university and elsewhere have proven the power of regular family meals to protect kids from unhealthy behavior -- everything from eating disorders to addiction and suicidal thinking. Some previous studies also have shown that the impact is much greater on girls than boys.

Source: Minneapolis - St. Paul Star Tribune
http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/health/25741649.html?location_refer=Homepage:highlightModules:3

Family Meals Turn Teenaged Girls Away From Drugs, Alcohol

Adolescent girls who sit down for frequent meals with their families are half as likely to smoke, drink and use marijuana as those who share family meals less often, according to a new study.

"Part of it is just parents being more in touch with their kids, being able to see earlier on if their kids are veering down a path that might not be filled with healthy choices," says Marla Eisenberg, lead author of the paper and a professor of pediatrics in the University of Minnesota's medical school.

Family meals may also offer protection simply because they increase the amount of time teens spend at home instead of out with their friends, she says - the environment where they are most likely to experiment with cigarettes, drugs and alcohol.

Interestingly, teen boys do not enjoy the same benefit, with frequent family meals having no bearing on their substance use down the road.

"It's really not as clear for boys, we've had a hard time pinning down what's going on with boys," says Eisenberg.

She speculates the difference may be due to the distinct ways in which they engage with their families, with girls tending to be emotionally closer to their parents and better equipped to pick up on "emotional cues" of support.

Source: OttawaCitizen.com
http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=68993b1b-67d7-4584-b4fc-2a4b5d43f43c