Meta’s Threads hits 100m Users – What is it?

Signing up with Threads

Meta, the parent company of Facebook, officially launched Threads, its competitor to Twitter.

Threads has amassed over 100 million sign-ups in less than a week. It’s the fastest launch ever for a social media platform. Everyone from famous brands, celebrities, journalists, and other notable accounts has joined the platform. It’s like a new shiny store has opened and everything is rushing in to see what the hype is about. Will this replace Twitter? Become another social media monster on its own? The timing couldn’t be better as Elon Musk has many twitter users feeling uneasy the social giant seems to move as Elon feels.

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Book: Growing Up Social by Gary Chapman

Growing up social by Gary Chapman & Arlene Pellicane - Children

Growing Up Social: Raising Relational Kids in a Screen Driven World.

How is social media influencing the dynamics within your family?
Do digital devices foster closeness or create distance?

While we may all know the right answer, we acknowledge the immense challenge of resisting the pervasive digital era we live in. In a world that is constantly rushing, it becomes incredibly convenient to momentarily occupy a child with a screen, enabling us to attend to household chores, cooking, and the demands of daily life.

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Instagram’s New Tool to Protect Teenagers

Instagram

Instagram announced several new features to protect teenagers.

One of the more intriguing changes will be the inability of adults to direct message (DM) teenagers (users under 18 years old) who don’t follow them. If an adult tries to DM a teenager who does not follow them, they will be shown a “You can’t message this account unless they follow you” prompt. Teenagers will be shown safety notices when messaging adults they do not follow.

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Tik Tok Announces new Family Safety Mode for Parents

Tik Tok Logo Family Parent Restriction

TikTok announced a family-safe feature that allows parents to limit their children’s screen time. This would allow parents to set a time limit for video views. Previously parents could only use this time limit on themselves, but now they can do it for their entire family.

The Family Safe Mode also allows the restriction of inappropriate content as well as restrictions on who they can send direct messages to.

This is now available in UK but plans are to roll this out to other countries soon.

Parents rejoice. Children’s cry. But parenting is parenting.

Enough? Not enough? What kind of screen control would be the most ideal?

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Teen Cyberbullying on the Internet [Infographic]

The Parents Guide to Bullying

The truth about bullying, how it effects your child, and what you can do to help.

Some sobering statistics from the infographic:

  • 85% of bullying occurs inside of school
  • 82% with learning disabilities have been bullied at school
  • 70% of student say bullying is a problem at their school
  • 44% middle schoolers experience bullying problems
  • 43% of kids have been bullied online
  • 1 in 10 students drop out of school due to repetitive bullying.
  • yet… 80% of bullying acts aren’t reported to parents
  • 43% of kids were bullied while online
  • 35% of kids have been threatened online
  • yet… 58% who experience cyberbullying have not told their parents or an adult

Results in:

  • 14% of high school students have considered suicide
  • … 7% have attempted it

 

Know the warning signs:

It’s important that we all understand that it’s very possible that bullying could be occurring without our notice. Below are some “warning signs” that are recommended from the infographic. However note that these signs are just potential signs and it’s also important to not assume things or overanalyze behavior that is often just common to teens. One advice is to just be involved in their lives, know what’s going on, what is stressing them, what makes them happy so that communicate stays open.

  • disconnects from people and isolates self
  • physical problems such as headaches and stomachaches
  • difficulty concentrating
  • difficult falling/staying asleep or experience frequent nightmares
  • seems listless, unenthusiastic and disinterested in many aspects of life
  • hyper vigilant, extremely nervous, depressed or emotionally explosive

Teen Bullying and Cyberbulling Guide

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Check Out the Social Media Marketing World [Conference]

Hey all,

Just wanted to put in a plug for this social media marketing world conference. For those who are interested in understanding the world of social media, this is a great conference to attend. 100+ workshops and sessions led by leading marketers from top brands including the likes of IBM, Cisco, San Diego Chargers, Experian, Tyson Foods, SAP, Priceline, Dell and so on.

SOME GOOD REASONS TO CHECK IT OUT:

1) Find practical workshops to help you setup and measure social strategies for your company/blog/website.

2) Don’t waste money testing things that you can learn from experience learned the hard way by those who went ahead of you.

3) Meet leading social strategist and marketers – pick their brain, go get those nuggets of wisdoms that will save you a ton of time and effort.

4) Dude, it’s San Diego. In April. Take a few days to go relax on the beach!

5) Full recording of EVERY SESSION available to you after the conference. This I think is the money items as you can review or go through sessions you missed. Share it with colleagues, get people on your company on board.

Ticket prices go up as time goes by so read more about it quick and sign up quicker if interested:
>> CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO

SOME GOOD SPEAKERS:

Guy Kawasaki (author, The Art of Social Media)
Mari Smith (co-author, Facebook Marketing: An Hour a Day)
Michael Hyatt (author, Platform)
Chris Brogan (co-author, The Impact Equation)
Jay Baer (author, Youtility)
Amy Porterfield (co-author, Facebook Marketing All-In-One for Dummies)
Mark Schaefer (author, Social Media Explained)
Joe Pulizzi (author, Epic Content Marketing)
Ann Handley (author, Everybody Writes)
Michael Stelzner (author, Launch)
Brian Solis (author, What’s the Future of Business?)
and more!

See Full Speaker List Here >> LINK HERE

SOME GOOD TESTIMONIALS!

Testimonials from some high caliber stars in marketing. This video is crazy long though.

SOME GOOD HIGHLIGHTS SHOTS

And here another crazy long video showing scenes from the last summit. Pretty cool, but as I am also a videographer, I think this video is way too long! ha! You guys need a consultant?!

>> READ MORE ABOUT THE SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING WORLD HERE <<

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How Facebook can Hurt Teen’s Chances for College

Facebook LogoDid you know that last year, Facebook changed the minimum age requirement for joining Facebook to 13 years old?

Yet a survey in 2012 showed that 38% of children on Facebook were actually under 13. In fact over 5 million users were under 10 years old!

So what’s the big deal? Teens are at a time in their neural development where they are more likely to take risks and not consider the full reach of the consequences. According to the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, the still-growing teenage brain causes teens to engage in risky behavior and act impulsively. It is no different in their user of social media. Ok so, they post a few bad pictures up on the web or they say inappropriate or explicit “teen” things on the web, what has that got to do with college?

Are Colleges looking at Social Media?

The application process for college has always been extremely competitive. Good grades and high SAT scores matter a lot, but so does extracurricular activities, a great essay, world experiences and so on. But with so many similar applicants and rising competitiveness, it is becoming more commonplace for admission officers to visit social media sites in order to gain additional information on their applicants. With the growth of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram among many social media outlets, teenagers are laying out their lives all over the net making it easier for admission officers (and in the future, job interviewers) to get a deeper look into a person’s character. In a recent 2013 survey of admissions officers by Kaplan Test Prep, they found 31 percent of the admission officers visited an applicant’s Facebook or social networking page. This is a whopping 3x more than in 2008.

Social Media Documents Everything

Unlike their parents, when teens make poor decision in life, often it is marked on the internet forever. It doesn’t simply disappear like it did for past generations. One bad picture or comment can haunt them for a long time. Teens need to be careful and recognize that what they do now can have repercussions for many years to come. Simply posting and deleting a image from Facebook or other online medium does not mean it is gone forever. It still can get picked up on the web, get caught in cache, stored in social media company servers, or copied by other readers.

Of course social media isn’t evil in itself. if your social media presence shows you are an upstanding individual with many awards and good extracurricular involvement, it can be for your benefit.

Related Post: Internet Accountability for Children

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Sobering Cyberbulling Statistics [Infographic]

Sobering Cyber Bullying Statistics

1 in 6 teens are cyberbullied.

Teens who are cyberbullied are 3,5x more likely to attempt suicide than those who aren’t bulled.

Cyberbullying is defined as the “willful and repeated harm inflicted through the use of computers, cell
phones, and other electronic devices.” Currently 80% of teens are on cell phones and on social media sites giving them the almost unhindered ability to communicate with one another for good or bad. The most sobering of them all is the higher likelihood of suicide from those cyberbullied than those who are not, or even bullied off-line. Check out this cyberbulling infographic below.

cyberbullying online infographic

More Cyberbullying Thoughts

Cyberbullying is a real problem that often goes unnoticed by parents. We all remember our childhood and the cruelty the young are capable of. Just imagine the same thing played out online where users can be anonymous and the stage is not just 1 or 2 kids but the entire school. In previous studies some have shown that 1 in 4 kids have been targets of cyberbullying and 2 of 3 teens have witnessed cruel behavior online. Yet only 10% of parents are aware that their own teens are on the receiving end of these cyberbullying behaviors. This cannot happen.

Cyberbullying Statistics

  • 1 in 6 (16.2%) of teens are cyber bullied [22.1% girls / 10.8% boys]
  • 18.6% of white [25.9% girls / 11.8% boys]
  • 8.9% of blacks [11% girls / 6.9% boys]
  • 13.6% of hispanics [18% girls / 9.5% boys]
  • 15.5% of 9th graders [22.6% girls / 8.9% boys]
  • 18% of 10th graders [24.2% girls / 12.6% boys]
  • 16% of 11th graders [19.8% girls / 12.4% boys]
  • 15% of 12th graders [21.5% girls / 8.8% boys]

Off-line bullying rates

  • 1 in 5 are bullied offline [22% girls / 18% boys]

Top 15 Highest Cyberbullying Rates by State

  1. New Hampshire [21.6%]
  2. Maine [19.7%]
  3. South Dakota [19.6%]
  4. Montana [19.2%]
  5. Indiana [18.7%]
  6. Wyoming [18.7%]
  7. Louisiana [18%]
  8. Michigan [18%]
  9. Kentucky [17.4%],
  10. North Dakota [17.4%]
  11.  Idaho [17%]
  12. Arkansas [16.7%]
  13. Utah [16.6%]
  14. Wisconsin [16.6%],
  15. Iowa [16.8%],

Current Cyberbullying Laws

  • 49/50 states have bullying laws (Montana does not)
  • 47/50 include electronic harassment.
  • 44/50 include school sanctions.
  • 18/50 specifically include “cyberbullying”
  • 12/50 include criminal sanctions.

cyberbullying childCyberbulling and Suicide Correlations

  • Teenagers who are cyberbullied are 3 times more likely to commit suicide.
  • Teenagers who are traditionally bullied are 2 times more likely to commit suicide.

Suicide attempts that require treatment:

  • 1.5% for youths not bullied
  • 2.3% for youths physically bullied
  • 5.4% for youths cyberbullied
  • 6% for youths physically and cyberbullied
  • Only 1/10 victims ask their parents for help.
  • Leaving 9/10 to deal with the abuse alone.

Tips for Parents against Cyberbulling

Tips for Educators against Cyberbulling

  • Teach that cyberbullying is wrong.
  • Listen and respond to all reports of bullying.
  • Have students work on projects against cyberbullying.
  • Have a system for complaints to be documented.
  • Host speakers on the topic of bullying.
  • Ensure that school is a safe place; free from cyberbullying.

Chime In: What Cyberbulling Statistic is the most Sobering to you?

  • Have you or your children ever been targets of cyberbulling?
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Facebook Now Allows Teens to Post Publicly

Facebook Like Dislike Image

Facebook allows Teenagers to Post Publically

Facebook is now allowing teenagers of age 13 to 17 to post publicly and get followers on their profiles. Previously, teens were not allowed to post publicly. They were only able to share content with friends, friends of friends and custom groups. Now teenagers are allowed to post anything they’d like for the whole world to see.

Facebook LogoGood Idea or Bad Idea?
Like or Dislike?

On a Facebook blog post: “Teens are among the savviest people using of social media, and whether it comes to civic engagement, activism, or their thoughts on a new movie, they want to be heard… While only a small fraction of teens using Facebook might choose to post publicly, this update now gives them the choice to share more broadly, just like on other social media services.”

The change happened on Wed (10/16). It does not affect historical posts.

Can 13-17 Year Olds Discern the Dangers?

We know the dangers of Facebook especially for children. How one bad photo can haunt you for the rest of your life. One piece of information you probably shouldn’t have shared leading to destroyed reputations or even burglary of homes. Inappropriate links shared by other friends. Will 13-17 year olds have the discernment to discriminately know what is publicly appropriate to post on Facebook and what can cause trouble down the line? Do they know how best to protect their privacy?

Good Idea or Bad Idea?
Like or Dislike?

Chime in below!

Related Post:

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Are Teenagers bored of Facebook? [Infographic]

Are Teenagers bored of Facebook?

Did you know…

  • Facebook usage among teens in the US has declined 7% in the last 6 months?
  • Facebook users are getting older?
  • Tumblr has become the biggest player in teen usage?
  • Mothers are taking over Facebook!?

Amidst the article after article describing the growth of social media or the ill-effects of Facebook on children, there are some statistics that suggest we are seeing a shift away from a Facebook dominated world. As more mothers come onto Facebook and it becomes more popular among the young, the ever “trendy” teens may be seeking other venues to share their lives. Instagram, SnapChat, and Tumbler are being adopted quickly especially as more and more teens are being granted smartphones and thus constantly connected to the internet.

Enjoy this, bright and slightly nauseating infographic from Right Mix Marketing.

  • What social media app do you use the most?
  •  Have you unfriend your parents before?

Teens Facebook Social Media Use

[poll id=”17″]

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What Happens Online in 60 Seconds [Infographic]

Online in 60 Seconds Infographic

In our hyperconnected world and ever growing presence of social media, the question is asked – what exactly happens online in any given minute? How about…

  • 2 million searches on Google
  • 72 hours of video uploaded on youtube
  • 1.8 million likes on facebook
  • 11,000 searches on linkedin
  • 20 million photo views on flickr
  • 278,000 tweets on twitter
  • 204 Million emails sent
  • $83,000 worth of Sales on Amazon

see what else below!

  • Which online activity statistic do  you contribute to the most?

Online Internet 60 Seconds Infographic
Infographic by Qmee

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