danah boyd

Article: “Bullying” Has Little Resonance with Teenagers

As usual danah boyd gets the conversation moving in the right direction with her article 'Bulling' Has Little Resonance with Teenagers. She discusses the differences between how adults are looking at bullying and how teens are looking at bullying - and she acknowledges that most teens don't even consider "it" bullying.

As one of the "old people" doing the talking at schools about bullying I have come to many of the same conclusions. Working against bullying requires many things, some of which include: adults recognizing how teens interact; seeing the Internet as what it is, a venue for bullying, not the inspiration or blame; helping kids clearly understand power and privilege; giving kids an anti-oppression framework;

I have much hope for giving schools and families the tools they need to raise a generation of better people - kinder, more empathetic, understanding young people who will grow up to raise a society up out of a time filled with violence, hate, and fear. But if this work isn't a priority at your school, that you need to start the discussion. Following danah boyd's work on the topic is a great place to start.

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Taking a pulse in roiling online world - article on @zephoria

Some form of privacy regulation is inevitable, in Boyd’s view. Yet she also cautions that once enacted, laws are difficult to repeal. One example is the 1998 Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, which Congress is considering renewing. The law restricts websites from collecting data from anyone under 13 years old. As an unintended consequence, said Boyd, parents now coach their kids to lie about their age so they can visit the Skype website to video chat with their grandparents.

danah boyd, one of my go-to people when it comes to kids online, is featured in the Boston Globe's technology section. They mention her upcoming book (which I can't wait to read) and some of the issues she'll be covering including busting myths about kids and online realities. We are so in need of that with all of the fears that are swirling around out there.

Some things I am thinking about:
What do parents and schools really need to be concerned about?
What is the best way to educate our kids for safe, healthy lives online?
Is there any trustworthy research out there that we can rely on?

Thanks, @zephoria for keeping young people's best interests at heart.