Jim Liebelt's Youth Culture Watch

Energy Drinks Pose Serious Health Risk to Kids

A critical editorial published by Canada’s leading medical journal is the latest move a mounting effort to convince the Canadian government to crack down on the sale of caffeinated energy drinks to minors.

Energy drinks that contain high amounts of caffeine – some more than five times the amount in a can of cola, or nearly double the amount in a cup of brewed coffee – can pose serious health risks to children and adolescents and require stronger warning labels, according to the Canadian Medical Association Journal’s editorial.

Chris Turner, Health Canada’s director-general of the marketed health products directorate, said the department has received several dozen reports of adverse reactions linked to energy drinks, and that 15 of them were cardiac events.

Unlike cola drinks or similar carbonated beverages, energy drinks usually contain much higher levels of caffeine. For instance, a 250-ml (approx. 8 oz.) bottle of Coca-Cola contains 26 milligrams of caffeine, according to the company’s web site. But a 75-ml (approx. 2.5 oz.) bottle of Rockstar “energy shot” contains 200 mg of caffeine. A 355-ml (approx. 12 oz.) can of Red Bull contains 113.6 mg of caffeine.

Excessive caffeine consumption can lead to irritability, loss of sleep or nervousness. But there is also concern that its stimulating effects can cause rapid heat rate, an abnormal rhythm or other problems that could have serious health consequences.

Source: The Globe and Mail
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health/energy-drinks-pose-serious-health-risk-to-kids-canadian-medical-journal/article1652080/

Teen Swaps Old Cell Phone for Porsche

A California teenager demonstrates that in today's culture, persistence can be more valuable than money...

Seventeen-year-old Steven Ortiz is fairly sure he is the only student at Charter Oak High School who drives a convertible Porsche to school.

And, to the surprise of some of his friends, it doesn't belong to his parents.

Steven started with an old cell phone and eventually traded up to his impressive ride.

It didn't happen overnight, but with the help of the Craigslist website and a lot of patience, Steven made 14 online swaps over two years to get his 2000 Porsche Boxster S.

Steven is part of a growing number of people who use the barter section of Craigslist to unload unwanted items and acquire desired goods, rather than just buying and selling them.

But he does more than just make a casual posting to swap concert tickets or an old bike. He spends five to six hours a day on his i-Phone scouring the website for good deals.

The teen said most of the people he trades with aren't after something for nothing.

They are simply looking to get rid of an item they don't need in exchange for something they do. And they often can get a better deal than if they sold the item for cash.

Source: San Gabriel Valley Tribune
http://www.sgvtribune.com/ci_15533701

Three Predictions About Generation Z

In 2010, Gen X, the group defined as having graduated high school around the turn of the millennium, might as well be considered over the hill. Likewise, Gen Yers are slowly growing up and out of their "teen" phase, paving the way for tweens to take the crown. Increasingly, pre-teens of today are becoming more savvy and in tune with behaviors and preferences normally reserved for teens.

So what is this generation -- chronologically called by the name "Generation Z" -- going to look like? Here are three predictions:

1. Sorry, Kindle, Gen Zers are iPad enthusiasts.
The iPad has been the breakthrough device of the year. One could argue that the iPhone 4 or other mobile technologies should take that crown. But the iPad has created an entirely different way of receiving and absorbing information in 2010.

The iPad will outpace the iPhone for the chosen "keep the kids entertained device" for Gen Z parents as there is more room for security, limited need for a data plan, and the device will allow parents to hold onto their cell phones

2. They won't take criticism well.
If there's one thing we've learned from Generation Y, it's that they're not to be ... umm ... messed with. One slip of the tongue with a teenager and they're likely to stomp on your foot, leave the room, and start an empire quicker than you can say Facebook. The generation of entitlement is only going to continue to grow, so be prepared to speak to your young-ers the right way.

3. They will continue to find loopholes.
Generation Z will continue to find ways to access their information more quickly. Overall, a very interesting game of cat and mouse is about to ensue, and marketers will need to be even more on their toes in choosing the right strategy, creative, and media to engage this audience in something interactive.

Source: Engage:Teens - MediaPost
http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=132445

Dark Side of the Internet

Just in case you had any doubts that there is a darker side to the Internet (and I'm not even referring to Internet pornography) consider this current example:

• Eleven-year-old Jessie Leonhardt (aka "Jessi Slaughter" and "kerligirl13") has a computer, unsupervised internet access, and web cam - with her parents' approval.

• Through her online interactions, she started collecting "haters" - people who would post negative comments about her and her posts.

• Jessie responded to the "haters" by recording and uploading a video of herself - in a verbally explicit rant against them (one that might make Mel Gibson proud).

• Given the viral nature of online video, the video was re-posted repeatedly and ended up on a popular "trolling" website. These websites are known for attracting people whose intent is to select individuals and harass them online and offline.

• Internet users began attacking Jessie online with comments, posting her personal information (address, phone number, email, social networking information). Jessie's family was deluged with phone calls, pranks, and threats.

• Jessie posted another video (crying) and her dad jumped in and began yelling into the camera. This video went viral also. Some of the Jessie videos have received over a million views.

• The harassment continued with posts of rumors that her father had given Jessie PCP and that she had committed suicide.

• Jessie was eventually placed in protective police custody.

What can parents learn from this? Jessie's story underscores the importance of proactive parental supervision of their kids' Internet usage.

In an interview with the website MomLogic, Jessie's mother remarked that all of Jessie's friends have computers and web cams and that they video chat with each other. She said that she was unaware that Jessie had been making videos. She said that she can't be in the room with Jessie 24/7.

But, Jessie IS ONLY eleven-years-old, has acquired knowledge and vocabulary that would make many adults blush, and clearly Mom and Dad did not set any sort of appropriate boundaries or consequences for violating their expectations.

The Internet is perhaps the most powerful information and communication tool ever invented. But, it does have a dark side. In my mind, while I understand that even in the best circumstances parenting is difficult, the major cause of this sad story has to do with Mom and Dad's lack of proactive and protective parenting.

Source: Momlogic
Warning: The videos embedded in the Momlogic link below contain explicit language.
http://www.momlogic.com/2010/07/exclusive_interview_mom_defends_11_year_old_youtube_sensation_jessi_slaughter_jessica_leonhardt_dianne_leonhardt.php

Do As I Say, Not As I Text

Providing new insight into the complexities of contemporary parenting, the "LG Text Ed Survey," conducted by TRU Research and sponsored by LG Mobile Phones, found that parents engage in poor texting behaviors, consistently underestimate the misuse of texting by their teens, but believe that texting produces increased communication and better relationships between family members.

The LG Text Ed Survey is a national snapshot of texting behaviors among 13 to 17 year olds and parents of 13 to 17 year olds.

Key Survey Findings

Do as I say, not as I text: Data from the LG Text Ed survey exposed parents participating in the following mobile misuse behavior:
• 28 percent of parents admit to engaging in some form of "sexting" and 43 percent of teens admit to doing the same.
• Almost half of all parents and teens surveyed admit to texting and driving.

The parent-teen gap: Additionally, the LG Text Ed survey revealed that many parents are unaware of teen mobile phone misuse. Of those surveyed:
• 45 percent of teens admit to texting and driving. And only 4 percent of parents believe their teens ever text while driving.
• 41 percent of teens admit to sending, receiving, or forwarding a text that said something sexual, while only 11 percent of parents thought their teens had ever sexted.

Texting = closer families: The LG research also revealed an encouraging fact about life in the digital age. Results showed that the simple act of communicating over teens' preferred medium of communication, texting, facilitated a closer relationship between parent and child. The survey found:
• 90 percent of texting parents felt closer to their teen as a result of the medium.
• 42 percent of parents said that texting increased the frequency of communication between parent and teen.
• 68 percent of all texting parents agree that communicating via text makes them more comfortable when their teen is out.

Source: PRNewswire
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/do-as-i-say-not-as-i-text-98497159.html

Canadian Study: 7 Hours Per Day of Screen Time for Teens

A new Canadian study shows some teens spend 7 hours a day in front of computer and television screens. These findings are similar to the research released earlier this year about U.S. teens.

For parents who fret about the amount of time their kids devote to electronic media, consider this: In Ontario, hundreds of thousands of teens spend nearly seven hours a day staring at a computer or TV screen.

The number surprises even researchers familiar with this growing trend and is likely to take a serious toll not only on adolescents' physical health, but on their emotional and mental well-being as well.

“That’s a lot of time spent in front of a screen being sedentary,” said Robert Mann, a senior scientist at Toronto’s Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, whose study revealed the new screen-time data. “That’s almost a third of the day.”

Public health officials such as the Canadian Paediatric Society recommend no screen time for children under two years of age and a maximum of two hours for children older than two.

The new statistic – 9.7 per cent of kids in Grade 7 to 12, or about 327,000 students, spend at least seven hours a day in front of a TV or computer – was released Monday as part of CAMH’s annual Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey. (The drug data was released in November.) Dr. Mann, the study’s co-principal investigator, says he was surprised by the results of the screen-time question, the first time it was included in the survey.

The study also did not connect screen time and long-term effects on mental health and cognitive function. But Dr. Mann noted that many of the students who logged long hours in front of a screen expressed feelings of unhappiness and experienced loss of sleep.

Source: The Globe and Mail
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/study-teens-spending-seven-hours-a-day-in-front-of-tvs-computers/article1637749/

Report: College Back-to-School Spending Up 13%

This year, college students will shell out approximately $306 billion in back-to-school spending, per a new report by Alloy Media + Marketing.

Come this fall, 16 million college students—a 6 percent increase—will hit the classrooms. Their combined 2010 spending power is up 13 percent, compared to last year. The spike is attributed to “an increase in per capita spending per student,” said Tammy Nelson, marketing and research vp at Alloy.

It's not just spending on mandatory, back-to-school purchases (books, room, board and tuition) that are going up. Alloy’s survey found that males and females ages 18 to 34 are also spending 10 percent more on discretionary items like gaming, technology and beauty products. Overall, college students are spending three percent more per month on discretionary purchases compared to last year, or $361 per person.  Alloy expects discretionary spending to hit $69 billion this year, a stark contrast to when retailers focused on price and value during last year’s back-to-school season.

At a time when the general population is still cutting back, much of the spending increase among college students is due to the fact that they hold a generally optimistic view of the nation’s economic recovery.

Source: Brandweek
http://www.brandweek.com/bw/content_display/news-and-features/direct/e3ifb9f290da772a7b45d6fb416e579e877

Study: Video Games May Affect Attention Span

Parents who believe that playing video games is less harmful to their kids' attention spans than watching TV may want to reconsider -- and unplug the Xbox. Video games can sap a child's attention just as much as the tube, a new study suggests.

Elementary school children who play video games more than two hours a day are 67 percent more likely than their peers who play less to have greater-than-average attention problems, according to the study, which appears in the journal Pediatrics.

Playing video games and watching TV appear to have roughly the same link to attention problems, even though video games are considered a less passive activity, the researchers say.

"Video games aren't less likely than television to be related to attention problems," says the lead author of the study, Edward Swing, a doctoral candidate in the department of psychology at Iowa State University, in Ames. "They were at least as strong as television at predicting attention problems."

The study also suggests that young kids aren't the only ones whose attention spans may be affected by video games.

In addition to surveying the elementary school kids, the researchers asked 210 college students about their TV and video-game use and how they felt it affected their attention. The students who logged more than two hours of TV and video games a day were about twice as likely to have attention problems, the researchers found.

Source: CNN
http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/07/05/games.attention/?hpt=C2

Later School Start Times May Foster Better Students

A new study mirrors previous research results in finding that starting school later in the morning allows high school students to get more sleep and increases alertness in class...

High school students at a private school in Rhode Island who started school a half-hour later in the morning were in better moods, more alert, less depressed and more likely to actually attend class than before the time change, a new study shows.

In fact, the experiment was so successful that the school has now permanently shifted its start time from 8 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.

"At the end of the experimental period, there was not a single faculty member, student or administrator who wanted to go back to the old start time," said Dr. Judith Owens, lead author of a paper appearing in the July issue of the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.

The study bolsters the evidence that teens have special sleep needs.

"Sleep medicine specialists have long known that delaying high school start times helps teenagers sleep better," said Dr. Heidi V. Connolly, chief of the division of pediatric sleep medicine at the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York. "Teenagers are biologically programmed to prefer a later bedtime and a later wake-up time so it is not surprising that they struggle with early school start times."

After the time change, students went to bed an average of 18 minutes later at night and slept an average of 45 minutes longer. The proportion of students getting at least eight hours of sleep a night jumped from 16.4 percent to 54.7 percent, while those getting less than seven hours a night decreased by almost 80 percent.

Source: BusinessWeek
http://www.businessweek.com/lifestyle/content/healthday/640822.html

Two-Thirds of Kids and Teens Now Mobile

According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, 66% of US children and teens ages 8 to 18 had a mobile phone as of 2009.

Source: eMarketer
http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?R=1007780