WEDNESDAY 19 NOVEMBER 2014 • [email protected] • www.thepeninsulaqatar.com • 4455 7741 inside If the race car bug MARKETPLACE bites you, here’s • MediaOne TV to organise mega how to deal with entertainment show the sting P | 4 P | 11 COMMUNITY • ‘Music Lovers Group’ hosts Hindustani maestros P | 6 SOCIAL MEDIA HEALTH • Night shift IS PARENTS’ GREATEST work linked to obesity ONLINE FEAR P | 7 Only 26 percent of those ENTERTAINMENT surveyed felt the benefits • One Direction of allowing their children makes it to use sites such as to ‘Four’ Facebook outweighed the potential risks, according to new research P | 8-9 TECHNOLOGY • Spotify, Uber team up for in-car streaming music P | 12 LEARN ARABIC • Learn commonly used Arabic words and their meanings P | 13 2 PLUS | WEDNESDAY 19 NOVEMBER 2014 COVER STORY Social media: A boon or a bane BY CHRIS JOHNSTON Some 43 percent of parents thought than three quarters (78 percent) have the negative aspects of their child hav- logged on to their child’s account to Among the 53 ARENTS are more con- ing a social media account outweighed check their posts. cerned about their chil- the benefits, while 31 percent thought Jen Hanley, legal and policy director percent of parents dren’s use of social media the risks and benefits were about equal. of FOSI, said parents were concerned who said their services than any other Only 26 percent thought the benefits that their children might “overshare” online activity, accord- were worth the potential risks. online by posting personal information child had a social ing to a new survey by a Of those parents who said their child that could then not be withdrawn. It PUS-based digital safety group. did not have a social media account, also reflected their difficulty in keep- networking account, The research conducted for the non- the proportion who felt the risks out- ing up with the latest app, she added: profit Family Online Safety Institute weighed the benefits hit 63 percent. “Many parents say that now they are more than three (FOSI) found that social media was For those whose children were on sites on Facebook, their kids are not.” the only online activity and technol- such as Facebook, the comparable fig- It was the first time that FOSI has quarters (78 percent) ogy for which more parents believed ure was just 26 percent. Among the 53 specifically examined parental atti- have logged on to the harms outweighed the benefits or percent of parents who said their child tudes to their children’s use of tech- were equally balanced. had a social networking account, more nology and online activities. their child’s account The report stated: “While many parents monitor their children’s online to check their posts. activity and are confident in their abil- ity to do so, the degree to which par- ents actively oversee their children’s harmful content online, or companies online activities and their confidence tracking their child’s online activity for in their ability to do so decreases the marketing purposes. older their child is.” The prospect of their child commu- Referring to children’s use of tech- nicating with a stranger online was nology such as smartphones, it said: very or somewhat concerning for 69 “While a slight majority thinks the percent. More than 70 percent of par- potential benefits outweigh the poten- ents have checked their children’s texts tial harms, many are ambivalent – For those whose children have a regardless of the age of their child.” smartphone or mobile device, 71 per- Just over three quarters (76 percent) cent of parents said they had checked were either very concerned or some- sent and received text messages, and 45 what concerned about the prospect percent had set limits on the number of their child seeing inappropriate or of messages that could be sent. PLUS | WEDNESDAY 19 NOVEMBER 2014 3 According to the report, just over half (53 percent) of parents say they have used parental controls to prevent their child from accessing to certain types of online content and nearly as many (47 percent) have suspended in- app purchases. Hanley said that FOSI was encour- aging more people to use tools such as parental controls to give them more peace of mind about their children’s online activities. Hart Research Associates car- ried out the study for FOSI. Three focus groups were conducted: one with parents who had children age six to nine; another of parents of 10 to 13-year-olds; and a further group for parents of teenagers between 14 and 17. An online survey of 584 US parents of children aged 6 to 17 who use the net was also conducted. The Guardian Fame-hungry teens risk exploitation 7 steps to good digital parenting and bullying BY STEPHEN BALKAM indicator of good digital parenting is set the rules, enforce them. Let your EENAGERS are going keeping an open line of communica- kids know that they will lose online to extreme lengths to SE THESE seven simple, tion going with your kids. Talk early privileges if they break the rules and be grab attention on various but still challenging steps and often. It is not like the birds and clear and consistent about what those Tsocial media platforms by to become a good digital the bees discussion. It is more like sanctions will be. uploading provocative selfies and parent. It is definitely a an ongoing dialogue that will move 5. Friend and follow, but don’t stalk videos, says a new study, suggesting journey, like parenting and shift as your child works her way When your teen opens her Facebook that this hunger for fame has put Uitself. And there is no such thing as through several key developmental account at 13, ensure you’re her first them at the risk of online exploita- perfection. Just good enough. stages. Stay calm. Be open and direct. friend. Follow your kids on Twitter tion and bullying. I’m often told how hard it is to par- But keep talking. and YouTube. Don’t overdo it and “When sharing becomes ent in this digital age. So many deci- 2. Educate yourself leave daily comments, but don’t under over-sharing and that becomes sions about devices, software, apps and This is probably the first technology do it either. It’s good to stay close as fame-craving and that becomes games have to be made and at increas- in human history where the kids are your teen makes his first forays into obsessive, then obviously we need ingly younger ages. Amazon and oth- leading the adults. It is very humbling the world of social media. But don’t to start asking why,” Debbie ers have created tablets for pre-school to have a 7-year-old explain how to be tempted to spy on your kids, either. Gordon, director of the Toronto- kids. Parents are buying smart phones upload a video. Or your teen rolling Talking instead of stalking is what based Centennial College’ Kids for kindergartners. And there’s a potty his eyes once again as you try to master builds trust. Give your teen some space Research Centre, was quoted as training app complete with stand for Pandora. But there is a wealth of tips, to experiment, to take (healthy) risks saying in the Hamilton Spectator. your iPad. videos, explanations and guides out and to build resiliency. The obsession has also led All of this before they’ve reached there. If in doubt, simply type in your 6. Explore, share and celebrate teenagers to forget lessons about elementary and middle school years. question or concern in your favourite With the rules and tools in place, online privacy, the researchers Then it’s Minecraft, Moshi Monsters search engine and there will be more don’t forget to just go online with noted. To reach this conclusion, and Club Penguin. Texting takes off, than enough information to go on. your kids. Play games, watch videos, Gordon and her team analysed particularly among the girls and new 3. Use parental controls share photos and generally hang out users in the age bracket of 13-18 issues arise around photo and video It goes without saying that there with your children online. Learn from who were active on various social sharing. is content on the Internet you don’t them and have fun. Share your favour- media platforms. And just when you’ve mastered all want your kids stumbling upon. All of ite sites and download their apps. See They found that some of the that, the teen years come along with the major operating systems, search the world through their eyes. And let fame-hungry teenagers were post- the onslaught of social media sites from engines, cellphone providers and gam- them know your values and beliefs as ing provocative photos or videos Facebook to Instagram to Twitter, ing platforms provide either free or you guide them on their way. on those platforms to grab instant never mind anonymous apps like Ask. inexpensive parental controls to help 7. Be a good digital role model attention. fm, Secret and YikYak. Problematic you manage your kids online experi- Be the change you want to see in Researchers also found celebri- issues arise that range from sexting ence. And, as your kids get older, move your kids. Resist the temptation to ties such as Kim Kardashian, who and cyberbullying to identity theft and from controls to monitoring tools, par- pull out your phone to check your have huge following and also post simply spending too much time online.