An Analysis of What Kids Should Know About Cyberspace Ages and Stages
For most teens, this is a period of rapid biological, psychological and social development. Although their lives remain centred around the home, young adolescents are also reaching out socially and experientially. During this phase, teens:
- may temporarily be disorganized and display erratic behaviour
- become reclusive at home, often "living" in their bedroom
- are less willing to accommodate the expectations of parents and other relatives
- may experience mood swings or periods of low self-esteem or insecurity
- seek the approval of their peers
- are acutely aware of trends in popular youth culture
- develop an interest in sex
- are focused on personal appearance
- shift from parental to peer loyalty and obedience
- have developed reasoning and abstraction skills
- are idealistic
- awaken intellectually as they seek to understand the world
- are open to new ideas, but may lack the life experience to judge their validity
13- and 14-Year-Olds and Media
Although young teens have developed their cognitive and empathetic abilities, these skills are not always applied in a mature manner to media consumption. Thirteen- and 14-year-olds:
- may copy stunts and activities portrayed in the media, especially those that appear fun, “cool” or desirable
- believe that they “know it all” when it comes to technology
- seek out teen- or adult-oriented entertainment
- push the envelope in seeking media content that challenges the values of their parents
- still accept media content, entertainment and games uncritically
- are vulnerable to lifestyle messages in the media may be frightened by realistic media depictions of physical violence (such as sexual assaults)
- identify closely with themes of independence, romance and sexuality depicted in music, film and television
For young people in this age group, watching and listening to music programming, such as MTV or MuchMusic, blends their love of music and of television. Horror movies are a popular genre, and teens of this age may begin to seek out sexually explicit material.
Internet Snapshot
A 2001 survey by Media Awareness Network provides a snapshot of how young people in this age group use the Internet.
- Communicating with others through e-mail and instant messaging are favourite activities for this age group – especially girls.
- Both sexes enthusiastically participate in file-sharing and downloading music.
- Sports-related Web sites are common online destinations for boys.
- Boys in this age group are more likely to push boundaries online, listing gross humour, gore, or explicit adult sites as favourites.
- The majority of thirteen- and fourteen-year-olds have visited chat rooms.
- Over half of these teens have visited private areas of chat rooms for one-to-one conversations.
- The Net is the number one choice when it comes to doing homework, with four in ten thirteen- and fourteen-year-olds believing most Internet information to be true and trustworthy.
(Source: Young Canadians In A Wired World Survey, Media Awareness Network, 2001)
Educational Resources Online
Online resources for this age group include:
- games and quizzes that develop critical-thinking skills
- games and activities that develop academic skills, such as math and spelling
- educational freeware and software
- free material posted by experts
- dialogue between teens on age appropriate issues
- good-quality information about sexuality and health
- opportunities to interact with experts through e-mail
- guided virtual tours (for example, of the Parliament Buildings)
- simulations (such as virtually dissecting a frog at froguts.com)
- children’s and teens’ sections on many institutional sites (such as CBC, PBS, NASA)
- e-mail exchange programs
- tools such as dictionaries, encyclopedias and thesauruses
- virtual art galleries, museums and science centres
- Web sites that track online hoaxes, viruses and misinformation
- a wide range of search engines and search engine tutorials
Online Issues
Parental supervision of 13- and 14-year-olds online tends to be light – or absent. Online issues that should be addressed with this age group include:
- existence of Web sites that promote hatred
- ethical and appropriate online behaviour
- perception of online anonymity
- possibility of copyright infringement (such as plagiarism and file-sharing)
- use of the Internet to harass and bully peers exposure to spam and marketing through e-mail contact
- heavy use of interactive games by teens
- exposure to games for kids embedded in adult sites (such as alcohol sites)
- possibility of bias and misinformation
- aggressive promotion of adult Web sites (for example, how they provide links on sites frequented by young teens)
- existence of sexual predators in chat environments
Educational Response: Teaching Critical-Thinking Skills
As many teenagers experience the virtual world primarily on their own, the following should be reviewed and expanded:
- methods for authenticating and assessing quality of online information —especially information about sexuality and health
- intrusive marketing and invasive privacy practices
- copyright legislation and issues
- responsibility and citizenship on the Internet
- the role of technology in society
- safety skills in interactive communications activities such as chat and instant messaging
- predators and their methods
- strategies for planning and implementing effective online research
This is the time to introduce:
- safety guidelines for real-life meetings with online acquaintances
- marketers’ use of data-matching and data-mining to create customer profiles
- online privacy laws and practices
- comparison of advertising and broadcasting standards with new media practices
- voluntary Internet codes
- online hate and cultures of violence
- teen culture on the Internet
Resources from the Media Awareness Network Web site for getting started
Additional information used with permission from: Lefebvre, A., and Hillis, B. (1999). Taking Your Kids Online. McGraw-Hill Ryerson Ltd.: Toronto.
Bibby, R. (2001). Canada's Teens: Today, Yesterday, and Tomorrow. Stoddard Publishing Co.: Toronto.
Josephson W. (1995) Television Violence: A Review of the Effects on Children of Different Ages. Report prepared for the Department of Canadian Heritage.
