Dabbing: Is it Dangerous?

You may have heard the term "dab" or "dabbing", but you might think it is just a new dance craze. That might be somewhat correct, but there is another association with this term you need to know.
Smoking marijuana extracts is also known as "dabbing".  Extracts are the oils from the marijuana plant.  These oils are much stronger than dried marijuana and have significantly higher concentrations of THC.  THC is the chemical found in pot that gives you the feeling of being high.  In dried marijuana, THC levels are on average from 12-13%.  In marijuana extracts, the THC levels can be up to 80%!
When users are dabbing, the level of THC can cause significant loss in judgement and coordination. This often results in accidents and sometimes death.  Making extracts is also a very dangerous practice and explosions often occur as a result.
Scientists are calling for more public education about the risks of dabbing.  While smoking marijuana in any form is dangerous, dabbing can cause a higher tolerance to THC which can lead to more complicated symptoms of withdrawal.
For more information on why marijuana use is dangerous, read this article.

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Signs and Symptoms of Teen Drug Use

Teen drug use is something that can be prevented.  This infographic is a great way to stay informed and educated on signs and symptoms of drug use.  In addition, the following changes in your teen's behavior may indicate a need to seek some help:

• A change in friends. Teens who begin to spend time with others who use drugs may be bowing to peer pressure to use drugs, too.
• A sudden need for privacy. Taking drugs, and stashing away the signs of drug use, takes time and privacy. A once open teen who now needs hours alone may be spending those hours using drugs.
• Increased need for money, or stealing. Drugs can be expensive.
• Messy, careless personal appearance. Teens on a roller coaster of drug use may not take the time to groom themselves.
• Secretive phone calls or text messages that seem to be in code. Teens often talk to one another about drugs in this way.
• Lack of interest in hobbies the teen once enjoyed.
• Drop in grades, or failure to show up at school at all.

Via: Newport Academy

High School Sexting Scandal

CNN reports over 100 high school students in Colorado are being investigated for potential felony charges in a sexting scandal.  Local police have confiscated cell phones containing the photos.  The superintendent, George Welsh,  reported pictures being passed via "hidden apps" on the phones. 

"When you go into it and you ... hold a certain button long enough, a prompt for password comes up. Once you enter that password, then any messages that have been sent from photo vault to photo vault start coming up," Welsh said. The app is "a little bit like Snapchat," he added. "You can choose for the photo not to be able to remain on the device." 

Some of the pictures may have been taken on campus. The students face potential Class 3 felony charges and possible sex offender registration requirements.

The impulsive action of the teens to take and pass nude pictures could potentially impact college choice, career opportunities, and lifelong relationship issues associated with pornography use.
Studies show sexting happens more often than parents want to admit.

Read the full article here.

2015: Dangerous Apps Roundup

A recent study reported 43% of teens feel cyberbullying is a bigger problem than drugs (Vodafone, 2015).  Parents have to stay current and vigilant, but it is difficult to manage and monitor when there are new apps introduced daily.
The group, Educate Empower Kids, compiled a great report of the most dangerous apps of 2015.

Burn Note: All messages self destruct after being read.  Parents would not be able to see evidence of bullying or sexting. You cannot send pictures or videos through this app.

Hiding apps:  These apps are just false icons for what lies beneath.  These are meant to hide photos and other files that you do not want discovered on your phone.  The best tip I can give parents is to restrict your child from being able to download apps.  This can easily be done in the settings on the phone.

MORE DANGEROUS APPS HERE

The Naked Truth

Beware what you share!  This is another reminder that once we click the send button, our pictures and texts are online forever. According to Microsoft, 91% of teens re-post or share the images and content they receive. As parents, we want our children to be successful and get into the college of their choice, get the job they want, and find the spouse of their dreams.  What they do now in their digital life has direct implications on their future.  See the full size poster here.

Developmental Checkup: Does your student have what it takes to succeed?

Search Institute has identified the following building blocks of healthy development—known as Developmental Assets—that help young children grow up healthy, caring, and responsible. This is meant to be an educational tool used as a gauge for certain "soft skills" we might not target consistently.

Employers often report that these "soft skills" are more useful than academic merit and experience. The developmental list also has a feature called "Take Action" that shows steps to improve in each area.  

View this list for ages 12-18.

#Being13: Inside the Secret World of Teens

Are tweens addicted to their phones? How does social media intensify the emotional roller coaster ride of Junior High? And most importantly, how is plugging in changing growing up? These are just some of the questions that inspired CNN’sgroundbreaking investigation and scientific pilot study, “#Being13: Inside the Secret World of Teens.” You can watch it here (if your provider allows access to CNNgo).

To discover the controversial world that middle school kids live in today, Anderson Cooper 360° focused its lens on the place where teens spend so much time together – social media. Hundreds of 8th graders across the country agreed, with the consent of their parents and schools, to allow child development experts to follow their posts on Instagram, twitter and Facebook over six months. 150,000 posts later, all of the good, bad and ugly that kids experience online was revealed in technicolor. Parents and teens also completed in-depth surveys about social media’s impact on families. In partnership with child psychologist Dr. Marion Underwood and sociologist Dr. Robert Faris, CNN’s “#Being13” is the first large scale study to analyze what kids say to each other on social media and why it matters so deeply to them.

Headlines from CNN’s “Being13: Inside The Secret World of Teens” include:

·  Middle schoolers view social media as a real time score board for a 24/7 popularity contest.

· Students admit checking their social media accounts more than 100 times a day. Middle schoolers “check” social media more than they post. The more they look at social media, the more distressed they can become. 

· Social media interactions often matter more than real life conversations. The line between the real world and the cyber world no longer exists to middle schoolers. 

· #Being13 identifies new, painful ways teens bully and strategically exclude each other on social media. More than a third of middle schoolers admit they purposely exclude others online. 

· 94% of parents underestimated the amount of fighting on social media. This show will decode the language teens don’t want their parents to understand.

· 15 percent of middle schoolers admit they have received inappropriate photos, many of which are used for revenge porn.

· #Being13 explores the connection between selfies and self-esteem. It introduces viewers to teens who take 200 selfies before selecting which one to post. 

“#Being13: Inside The Secret World Of Teens” also gives families a practical roadmap for navigating the new challenges of parenting plugged-in Tweens. It shows parents what to worry about and what to let go, and how to use social media as a way to deepen their relationships with their children.