Need help navigating the realm of social media for your children? CSD is offering a free parent seminar on Tuesday, April 8, featuring Dr. Leonard Sax, author of “Boys Adrift” and “Girls on the Edge.”
“Instagram Is Eating My Daughter, and My Son Won’t Stop Playing Grand Theft Auto: What You Need to Know About the Emerging Worlds of Social Media” will be held from 7 8:30 p.m. at the CSSC’s PD Center. There, Dr. Sax will present research regarding:
– How much time spent playing video games is too much time?
– Which video games are healthy for children? How do we know?
– At what age is it OK for a child to have a cell phone? How about a smartphone? What’s the evidence?
– At what age is it OK for a child to have a social media page, such as Instagram or ask.fm? How much should I know, as the parent, about what my child is doing online?
The presentation begins with a review of recent research showing that the more time a girl spends on social media, the more likely she is to become depressed. It explores why social media seems to pose greater risks to girls than to boys, and how parents can help kids develop skills for emerging social media. The presentation also includes research on the effects of video games, beginning with the question of why boys appear to be at least eight times more likely than girls to become “addicted” to video games such as “Call of Duty” and “Grand Theft Auto.”
Earlier in the day, Dr. Sax is offering CSD teachers a workshop at Hillcrest High School on how to use gender awareness to break down stereotypes and broaden educational horizons for boys and girls.
