Boarding Schools for Girls

A study that appears in the June issue of the journal Pediatrics has discovered that girls who have been abused or who use a "provocative online identity" may be at increased risk for being victimized by individuals they meet over the Internet.

According to a May 26 article on the CNN website, a research team under the direction of Jennie G. Noll of Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center in Ohio reached this conclusion after studying the online activities of 173 girls between the ages of 14 and 17:

The study looked at 104 abused and 69 non-abused. .... Abused adolescents -- who had suffered neglect, physical abuse or sexual abuse -- were recruited from child protective agencies, the authors said.

Of the girls studied, 54 percent were white and 46 percent were minorities, of which 82 percent were black and 18 percent were mixed-race, the authors say.The authors held a laboratory session in which they asked the girls to create avatars on a program designed to mimic a popular social networking site, which the authors did not name in the study.

Girls could choose bust and hip size, clothing type, visible navel piercings and skin, eye and hair colors. Girls were given a range of choices that allowed for a more provocative or conservative avatar.

The authors say 40 percent of the girls reported experiencing sexual advances online, and 26 percent reported meeting someone offline after getting to know the person on the Internet. Abused girls were much more likely to have experienced both, the authors found.

Noll and her research colleagues urged parents to remain vigilant regarding their children's online activities. "Caregiver presence was associated with significantly fewer reports by adolescents of online solicitations," they wrote. "As such, the importance of parental monitoring of adolescent Internet use cannot be understated."

Several other experts have noted that, while the online world offers may social and educational benefits to adolescents and teens, it also poses a range of risks, including potential exploitation, cyberbullying, and Internet addiction.

Labels: girls, online, internet

Posted By: Aspen/CRC 0 Comments

Very few teens interact with strangers they meet online, and instead use the Internet to keep in touch with face-to-face friends, according to a new study from the University of California.

Researchers interviewed 251 high school students about how they use social networks, instant messaging, and other means to access friends online. Only five percent said they had friends they knew only from online exchanges. Most teens use the Internet to interact with their existing friends.

Dr. Stephanie Reich, author of the study, said that her research indicates that sexual predators would have a harder time approaching teenagers than their parents may believe. Most young people do not seek out friendships with strangers on the Internet.

Teen online safety remains a pressing concern among parents and pediatric mental health experts, who worry about issues ranging from cyberbullying to video game addiction.

Labels: teenagers, online, internet

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If your child posts online references to sex on social networks such as Facebook, chances are that she is about to become sexually active, according to a study from the University of Wisconsin in Madison.

Dr. Megan Moreno and her colleagues studied the Facebook pages of 85 college freshman, surveying them about their sexual experiences and intentions. The research team found a strong association between posting sexual references online and becoming sexually active in real life.

"Facebook profiles may represent an innovative venue to identify adolescents considering sexual activity who may benefit from targeted prevention or education messages," according to this study presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies' annual meeting in Vancouver, Canada.
 

Labels: sex, computers, internet

Posted By: Boarding Schools for Girls 1 Comment

Words like “cyberbullying” and “sexting” have become descriptors for some of the negative ways that teenagers use the Internet and their cell phones. Based on mainstream media’s coverage of these topics, it would seem that “everybody’s doing it.” But are they?

“A recent Pew Internet report on teen and tween Internet usage paints a much less ominous picture with 62 percent of kids saying they go online to get news about current events and politics while another 31 percent logon for health, dieting or physical fitness information.” [Source: Business Wire]

Many young people also have an online component for their classes. Of course, cyberbullying and sexting are real problems for some teens. But the problems aren’t as prevalent as we think.

 

Labels: computers, online, internet

Posted By: Stefanie Hamilton 1 Comment

The children who bully others online and their victims are both more likely to have physical and mental problems, according to a new study from Finland.

• Dr. Andre Sourander and his colleagues studied 2,215 teenagers ages 13 to 16 years old.
• About 5% were victims of online bullying, and 7.4% admitted to being cyberbullies.
• They tended to pick children their age to bully, and they tended to be boys.
• Sixteen percent of the girls had been bullied by boys, compared to 5% of boys bullied by girls. They also were more less likely than average to be living with both biological parents.

The bullies in the study had frequent headaches and felt unsafe at school. They had emotional difficulties, and problems getting along with other children and concentrating. They were more likely to have conduct problems, abuse alcohol and smoke, and to be hyperactive. What was interesting was that the victims had the same physical and mental health issues.

One problem with the rise of cyberbullying -- a prevalent form of harassment that is acute among girls as well as boys -- is that victims who used to feel safe at home now have a harder time escaping the reach of their tormentors.

The study appears in the Archives of General Psychiatry.
 

Labels: cyber-bullying, bullies, internet

Posted By: Jane St. Clair 1 Comment

Cyberbullying is becoming a serious issue among teenagers -- girls as well as boys. More than one case of cyberbullying has ended with the bullied teen taking his or her own life. The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Center wants to help kids get help when they are being bullied.

In the U.K., Facebook is launching easy access to a mini-application for teens who believe they are being subjected to cyber-bullying. The button connects the user to the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Center (CEOP), a semi-governmental organization in the U.K. [Source: News Factor]

Once they’re on the CEOP web site, they can answer a few questions aimed at helping them determine if their situation is serious enough to require intervention. Industry analysts believe it’s just a matter of time before a similar feature is made available on the U.S. version of Facebook.

 

Labels: cyber-bullying, online, internet

Posted By: Stefanie Hamilton 1 Comment

The number of teenage girls employed as "escorts" for men is on the rise in the United States, according to a study from the Women's Funding Network.

• The Schapiro Group conducted the study in New York, Michigan and Minnesota, and found increases in the number of girls sexually exploited by commercial elements as 11% in New York, 20% in Michigan, and 27% in Minnesota.
• In New York, 3,213 young girls were used this way in February 2010 (up from 2,880 the year before).
• Almost half of the girls were were under 18 years old.

Girls are advertised on the Internet through escort services, and on escort websites and even on Craigslist.

Labels: online, internet, exploitation

Posted By: Jane St. Clair 2 Comments

The social networking site Facebook boasts more 500 million active users. The users vary widely in age, but teenagers have staked their claim. For parents, the Facebook dilemma centers around whether or not they should “friend” their kids.

“The friending issue is a delicate balancing act between children thriving for more independence and their parents’ desire to see what is going on to make sure their children are safe. In nearly half of all cases, children said they would prefer to be friends with their parents privately on the web without their parents having the ability to post comments.” [Source: Reuters]

A recent Nielsen survey asked 1,024 parents and 500 teens about parental friending. Surprisingly, 70 percent of teens said they’re friends with their parents on Facebook. Though friending is a good way to keep track of your child’s online activity, it isn’t the only way. Keep a family computer in a common area of the house, rather than letting your child have one in her room. And ask her to occasionally let you see her Facebook page and friends list.
 

Labels: parenting, communication, internet, social networking

Posted By: Stefanie Hamilton 1 Comment