Exposure to educational television has been shown to have positive effects on the social, intellectual, and educational development of children. Is it possible to find truly educational content on broadcast television? Articles below deal with 1) television broadcasters' obligation to provide educational programming for children, 2) efforts to shield children from indecenct programming, 3) advertising aimed at children and 4) children and violence.
Children and Media
Yes, remote learning can work for preschoolers
The other day some preschoolers were pretending to be one of their favorite Sesame Street characters, a baby goat named Ma’zooza who likes round things. They played with tomatoes—counting up to five, hiding one, and putting it back. A totally ordinary moment exploring shapes, numbers, and imagination.
How Gen Z gets its news
For Gen Z, catching up on the news is often a side effect of time spent on social media apps like Instagram and, in particular, TikTok—and media outlets are adapting to serve that behavior. "Gen Z is being fed the news whether they want it or not," Stephanie Kaplan Lewis, CEO of the college-aged media portfolio Her Campus Media, tells Axios, noting that Gen Z news consumers are less likely than Millennials to visit trusted news sources directly.
Federal Trade Commission’s Alvaro Bedoya says laws to keep teens off social media won’t work
As government officials increasingly scrutinize how digital platforms may harm kids, a growing number of states are proposing sweeping restrictions to limit their access to social media. But a top federal enforcer active on kids’ safety issues said that he opposes such limits, arguing they are unlikely to work and may run afoul of the Constitution. “Meet a teenager, they will find a way to get around that,” said Federal Trade Commissioner Alvaro Bedoya.
Latino parents support policies addressing social media’s impact on children’s mental health
Heavy use of social media among adolescents and pre-teens can lead to several poor health outcomes, ranging from unhealthy sleeping patterns and low self-esteem to greater exposure to cyberbullying. Although these are concerns for all parents, the Latino community is particularly vulnerable to mental health challenges as a result of social media use. This led the Omidy
Department of Education's Plan to Close the Three EdTech Divides
In January 2024, the US Department of Education’s Office of Educational Technology released the 2024 National Educational Technology Plan (NETP): A Call to Action for Closing the Digital Access, Design, and Use Divides. The NETP examines how technologies can raise the bar for all elementary and secondary students.
Child safety hearing puts key internet law back in Congress’s crosshairs
Senators of both parties are focusing their criticism on a law that Congress passed in 1996—a law that paved the way for social media as we know it. That law, said Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), “needs to change.” The statute in question is Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which gives online service providers broad immunity from lawsuits over their users’ posts, with the goal of promoting free expression online. Over the years, it has survived court challenges, legislative pushes, and an executive order by President Donald Trump. Now, it is in Congress’s sights once again.
Child Safety Hearing: Senators Say Tech Platforms Hurt Children
CEO's from Meta, Snap, X, TikTok, and Discord testified in a contentious and emotional Senate hearing on child online safety. Lawmakers invoked the stories of online child abuse victims—many of whom sat directly behind the tech leaders—to issue a stunning rebuke to Meta's Mark Zuckerberg and other executives.
US population growth stalls but wireless subscription growth booms
During the fourth quarter 2023, the top three wireless operators in the US reported a total of 1.78 million new postpaid phone subscribers. How can each carrier report growth in postpaid phone subscribers each quarter in a country whose population is not growing very much? Recon Analytics Analyst Roger Entner said that question is top-of-mind among the operators, who pay Recon substantial sums of money for survey data to try and figure out the answers.
FTC is taking another look at COPPA and kids’ online privacy – and we want your insights
The Federal Trade Commission proposes to amend the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule, consistent with the requirements of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act. The proposed modifications are intended to respond to changes in technology and online practices, and where appropriate, to clarify and streamline the Rule. The proposed modifications, which are based on the FTC’s review of public comments and its enforcement experience, are intended to clarify the scope of the Rule and/or strengthen its protection of personal information collected from children.
Teens, Social Media and Technology 2023
Despite negative headlines and growing concerns about social media’s impact on youth, teens continue to use these platforms at high rates—with some describing their social media use as “almost constant." Here’s a look at the key findings related to online platforms:
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YouTube continues to dominate. Roughly nine-in-ten teens say they use YouTube, making it the most widely used platform measured in our survey.