Category: teenagers

Facebook Research Social Media Companies Tech teenagers

Facebook lied about how many teens it used for research

sudshr47 March 1, 2019

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You know it’s a good day at Facebook when the words “teenagers,” “research,” and “lying” are in the news.

In January, an investigation from TechCrunch found that Facebook was paying people, including teenagers, $20 to monitor their internet and phone use.

At the time, Facebook said that less than 5 percent of its study participants were teens, and that participants under 18 were required to get parental consent. But now, Facebook has revealed that teens comprised 18 percent of its users — not five.

After TechCrunch’s investigation, Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) asked Facebook for more information about the program; Warner was reportedly frustrated with Facebook’s lack of transparency regarding its research programs. Read more…

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Step targets teens and parents with a no-fees mobile bank account and Visa card

sudshr47 January 31, 2019

A new mobile banking startup called Step wants to help bring teenagers and other young adults into the cashless era. Today, cash is used less often, as more consumers shop online and send money to one another through payment apps like Venmo. But teenagers in particular are still heavily burdened with cash — even though […]

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Facebook’s VPN app puts spotlight on kids’ consent

sudshr47 January 30, 2019

Facebook could face fresh scrutiny in Europe following a TechCrunch report on its use of a VPN app to monitor people’s smartphone activity — including teenagers as young as 13. The Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) told us it’s asked Facebook to provide more information on what data is collected via the market research program, codenamed ‘Project […]

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Teens in MAGA hats sparked outrage after crashing the Indigenous Peoples March

sudshr47 January 19, 2019

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A group of young Donald Trump supporters has come under fire after ambushing and taunting a group of Native Americans at the Indigenous Peoples March on Friday.

On Jan. 18, Washington, D.C. hosted both the Indigenous Peoples March and the anti-abortion March For Life. It was apparently a group from the latter gathering that set off the appalling scene, based on evidence in videos captured at the time.

Footage shows dozens of teenage boys — proudly decked out in Make America Great Again apparel — closely surrounding and mocking a Native American protester. The protester, an older man, is singing the “AIM Song,” an intertribal song of honor associated with the American Indian Movement. Read more…

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The FDA is majorly restricting the sale of flavored Juul pods to fight teen vaping

sudshr47 November 9, 2018

It’s like taking candy away from a baby.
The FDA will move to ban Juul’s fun flavors from most convenience stores to fight teen use of the product, reports the New York Times. The agency will also require stricter age verification measures for buying…

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Best gift ideas for teenage girls: Stuff she’ll actually want to show off on Instagram

sudshr47 October 30, 2018

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Warning: If you thought shopping for women in general was hard, just know that it gets harder. Try shopping for a teenage girl.

Juuls, Tide Pods, Converse (but only the white ones), and saying LOL (ironically) — yup, we’re talking about the ever-changing hell that is teenage girl trends. It can be tricky to choose a gift that she’ll like and use for longer than a month, but does that mean you throw in the towel and plop a gift card in an envelope? That’s basically code for “I don’t get you at all.” 

Instead of resorting to looking like an old, there is a way to show the teenage girl on your gift list that you “get them.” We’re talking music tech, phone accessories, room decor, artsy cameras, and more — all things to help her live her best life with her friends, branch out and be social, and help her figure out her passions. (Also known as gifts that won’t be met with an eye roll or her tweeting about you.)  Read more…

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Cell phones Mental Health Social Good teenagers

The skills that every teen should learn before they ever get a cellphone

sudshr47 April 29, 2018

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Being a teenager is like waking up every morning in a house of mirrors. You’re everywhere and nowhere at once, trying to pinpoint which version of yourself is the most authentic. 

For the past decade, teens have navigated this tumultuous period of their lives with a smartphone in their hand. We know the power of connectivity can be liberating, especially in adolescence. We also know how our craving for that connection often leaves us longing for more — incomplete without one more scroll or an extra like. 

What we don’t know yet is how that constant whiplash effect of moving from elation to despair or creative engagement to mindless distraction changes young minds. I’ve been writing about this subject for a year, studying the research that suggests a link between screen time and poorer mental health, talking to experts worried about the inevitable moral panic that comes with every new technology, exploring the positive aspects of being online, and even urging young people to reclaim their lives from the thrum of social media.  Read more…

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Apps And Software Tech teenagers

Can a media company succeed without Facebook? This startup says yes.

sudshr47 February 2, 2018

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Most app developers targeting teens and their ever-shrinking attention spans fall short of mainstream success — but not Mammoth Media.

The Santa Monica, Calif.-based startup claims it has reached about 30 percent of U.S. teenagers in less than four years, solely through the two apps its created: Wishbone and Yarn.

Wishbone, a teen polling app, and Yarn, an interactive fictional storytelling app, are part of what the company calls “micro-entertainment,” or bite-sized experiences that can fill the space of a few minutes or even a few seconds.

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Phone-addicted teens aren’t as happy as those who play sports and hang out IRL, new study suggests

sudshr47 January 23, 2018

 To no parent’s surprise, too much smartphone use makes teens unhappy. So says a new study from San Diego State University, which pulled data from over one million 8th-, 10th-, and 12th-graders in the U.S. showing teens who spent more time on social media, gaming, texting and video-chatting on their phones were not as happy as those who played sports, went outside and interacted with… Read More

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Two large Apple shareholders say it needs to research the impact of smartphones on kids

sudshr47 January 8, 2018

 Two of Apple’s institutional shareholders, hedge fund Jana Partners and California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS), are calling on the company to study the impact of smartphone use on child development. In an open letter, the two investors said that after reviewing research, they believe that Apple needs to give parents more resources and software tools to make sure… Read More

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