This is a very short (less than 5 minutes) video about how technology is negatively impacting social emotional learning in our children. It is worth the watch!
Watch video here
Tuesday, December 16, 2014
Tuesday, December 2, 2014
Dangerous Teen Trends
Students in middle school and high school have an insatiable craving for social connection. It is quite easy to satisfy this craving given the multiple opportunities for connection through technology. They can use their cell phones, itouch devices, tablets, laptops, and now even smart televisions to connect to friends.
We also know during this age, there can be a great amount of impulsive behavior that results in poor choices, undesirable consequences, and introductions to inappropriate situations much too soon.
The medical world has done extensive research on the adolescent brain and found that the frontal lobes, used to make objective decisions, do not mature until age 25. Since the brain is still developing, peer pressure can be a strong influence on your teen. That means as parents/caregivers we have to be vigilant in supporting their need to connect while still guiding and teaching them the proper boundaries.
In order to support our teens and teach them safe and appropriate behaviors, you need to be aware of some dangerous trends going on in their world today.
The Fire Challenge: This one is particularly
dangerous. Teens are taking the “fire challenge.” They are dousing
themselves in flammable liquids, lighting it and — in theory
—extinguishing it before being seriously injured, while recording the
act and then sharing the video on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. Yes,
our kids are recording themselves being engulfed in flames, flailing and
screaming in pain.
There are thousands of the videos circulating and injuries have included severe burns and hospitalization. Officials around the country, along with the American Burn Association, are asking parents to warn their child about the game.
Many parents just can’t believe their child would actually do something like this, but even “good” kids are taking the challenge. Be sure and talk to your child about these types of videos and persuade them not to share or promote them with friends.
There is also a "lite version" of this game using an eraser. Students are burning themselves by vigorously rubbing the eraser on their body. It leaves a burn mark that can blister and become infected.
Synthetic Pot or Spice: Also called “Scooby snacks,” “K2,” or any of half a dozen other names, teens might consider this an “alternative” to pot, but it’s dangerously more potent. These “synthetic cannabinoids” consist of dozens of chemicals manufactured in China, Eastern Europe and American labs.
The drug looks like potpourri or lawn clippings. The pieces have been sprayed or soaked with a solution of designer chemicals.
Because of the popularity of these drugs, there has been an explosion of ER visits related to Spice or K2 over the past few years. There’s been a reported death in California of a 19 year –old that took one after he took just one hit of Spice. So if you hear your kids talking about it, know that despite the name, the only thing that is being cooked here is your teen’s brain.
Dirty Sprite: Although this may sound like a soda that’s got dirt on it- it’s much more insidious than that. When you hear a reference to “Dirty Sprite,”. Kids are talking about the latest teen party drink. It’s also called “Drank” or “”Lean.” It’s a combination of Sprite, candy (usually Jolly Ranchers) and prescription drugs or codeine cough syrup.
There are YouTube videos of teens creating the concoction, and even sweatshirts with the recipe printed on it.
Experts warn that Dirty Sprite can be addictive and tell parents that it’s best to keep prescription meds locked up, as well as discarding ones that have expired. If you think that it won’t help to talk to your kids about prescription drug abuse, you’re wrong. Children who learn a lot about the risks of drugs are up to 50 percent less likely to use them, according to the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids.
Texting and Walking or Driving: Every year a new batch of teens is behind the wheel, especially once school begins. Never stop reminding your teen of the dangers of texting and driving. They may roll their eyes or give you the typical “I get it mom (dad)” response, but repeated warnings stick in the mind. A recent study from the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Public Health found that among teens, 25 percent reported responding to a text message at least once every time they drive, and 20 percent admitted to holding multi-message conversations.
Since videos are one way that other dangerous trends are spread, you can share more valuable videos by showing your teen stories that show the outcomes of teens’ texting and driving. They act as a third-party negotiator that makes the point clearly.
But perhaps the best type of parental influence is to just be a good role model. Sadly, adults are the biggest offenders of texting and driving. The “Do as I say, not as I do” attitude never brings about the desired results.
It's not just driving, either. Pedestrian injuries among 16 to 19-year olds have been increasing and the death rate among older teens is at least twice that of younger kids, according to SafeKids.com. It's unclear how many of those are because of mobile devices, but it's worth reminding your teen, "eyes up while walking."
Let's promote open dialogue between our kids and teach them ways to say no to their peers. It sounds so simple to "say no", but we really need to role play and teach them ways to say no. When working with teens, I usually tell them to say things like: "I can't, because my coach will bench me", "I can't because I'm on the random drug testing list and I want to drive and play my sport", or "I can't because my parents drug test me at home randomly and read my texts". Let someone else be the bad guy for them and teach them ways to communicate that to give them an out.
Source: http://www.today.com/parents/fire-challenge-spice-4-things-parents-should-get-clue-about-2D80183586
There are thousands of the videos circulating and injuries have included severe burns and hospitalization. Officials around the country, along with the American Burn Association, are asking parents to warn their child about the game.
Many parents just can’t believe their child would actually do something like this, but even “good” kids are taking the challenge. Be sure and talk to your child about these types of videos and persuade them not to share or promote them with friends.
There is also a "lite version" of this game using an eraser. Students are burning themselves by vigorously rubbing the eraser on their body. It leaves a burn mark that can blister and become infected.
Synthetic Pot or Spice: Also called “Scooby snacks,” “K2,” or any of half a dozen other names, teens might consider this an “alternative” to pot, but it’s dangerously more potent. These “synthetic cannabinoids” consist of dozens of chemicals manufactured in China, Eastern Europe and American labs.
The drug looks like potpourri or lawn clippings. The pieces have been sprayed or soaked with a solution of designer chemicals.
Because of the popularity of these drugs, there has been an explosion of ER visits related to Spice or K2 over the past few years. There’s been a reported death in California of a 19 year –old that took one after he took just one hit of Spice. So if you hear your kids talking about it, know that despite the name, the only thing that is being cooked here is your teen’s brain.
Dirty Sprite: Although this may sound like a soda that’s got dirt on it- it’s much more insidious than that. When you hear a reference to “Dirty Sprite,”. Kids are talking about the latest teen party drink. It’s also called “Drank” or “”Lean.” It’s a combination of Sprite, candy (usually Jolly Ranchers) and prescription drugs or codeine cough syrup.
There are YouTube videos of teens creating the concoction, and even sweatshirts with the recipe printed on it.
Experts warn that Dirty Sprite can be addictive and tell parents that it’s best to keep prescription meds locked up, as well as discarding ones that have expired. If you think that it won’t help to talk to your kids about prescription drug abuse, you’re wrong. Children who learn a lot about the risks of drugs are up to 50 percent less likely to use them, according to the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids.
Texting and Walking or Driving: Every year a new batch of teens is behind the wheel, especially once school begins. Never stop reminding your teen of the dangers of texting and driving. They may roll their eyes or give you the typical “I get it mom (dad)” response, but repeated warnings stick in the mind. A recent study from the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Public Health found that among teens, 25 percent reported responding to a text message at least once every time they drive, and 20 percent admitted to holding multi-message conversations.
Since videos are one way that other dangerous trends are spread, you can share more valuable videos by showing your teen stories that show the outcomes of teens’ texting and driving. They act as a third-party negotiator that makes the point clearly.
But perhaps the best type of parental influence is to just be a good role model. Sadly, adults are the biggest offenders of texting and driving. The “Do as I say, not as I do” attitude never brings about the desired results.
It's not just driving, either. Pedestrian injuries among 16 to 19-year olds have been increasing and the death rate among older teens is at least twice that of younger kids, according to SafeKids.com. It's unclear how many of those are because of mobile devices, but it's worth reminding your teen, "eyes up while walking."
Let's promote open dialogue between our kids and teach them ways to say no to their peers. It sounds so simple to "say no", but we really need to role play and teach them ways to say no. When working with teens, I usually tell them to say things like: "I can't, because my coach will bench me", "I can't because I'm on the random drug testing list and I want to drive and play my sport", or "I can't because my parents drug test me at home randomly and read my texts". Let someone else be the bad guy for them and teach them ways to communicate that to give them an out.
Source: http://www.today.com/parents/fire-challenge-spice-4-things-parents-should-get-clue-about-2D80183586
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