technology
Five Steps to Help Students Avoid the Comparison Trap
20shares Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Over the last five years, I’ve heard dozens of authors and speakers talk about the “comparison trap.” I believe it’s because people are not only prone to compare themselves to each other, but social media has exacerbated the problem. The student focus groups we hosted two years ago illustrated this…
Continue ReadingThe Positives & Negatives of Video Games
18shares Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Rich and Susan have four sons ages 9, 11, 14, and 16. They are good parents who provide a loving home to their four boys, but when I spoke to them recently, they echoed a concern so many parents are voicing today: “We don’t know what to do with our…
Continue ReadingFive Sources of Stress in Teens
30shares Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Chad lives with his grandparents whose income is so low they live well below the poverty line in his school district. Because the school is understaffed and has only one counselor, Chad is consistently living in distress, possessing no coping skills. Sara is bullied and sexually harassed as a middle…
Continue ReadingThree Ideas to Handle Conflict on Social Media
9shares Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Something happened on television a decade ago that changed the face of public interaction. Do you remember what it was? It was ten years ago when incivility was officially ushered in by a huge personality who had little restraint. The person was Kanye West. It was the 2009 MTV Music…
Continue ReadingThe Latest Research on the Mental Effects of Social Media Usage
29shares Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn I have a deal to make with you. If you’ll read the research below on what screen time is doing to teenagers in America, and you feel it might be helpful for your young people to know about this research—print this article, grab a latte together and talk it over…
Continue ReadingSix Ways to Separate Your Kids from Their Phones
18shares Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Do you remember what life was like before we had smartphones? How about life before cell phones? I do. And while I love my iPhone today, sometimes I miss the days when we weren’t tethered to our portable devices. The New York Times recently ran an article that caught my…
Continue ReadingFive Tips to Increase Attention Spans in Young Adults
16shares Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn When I recently asked a teacher if her students read very much, she asked if I could explain what I meant. Hmmm. I felt like it was a fairly straightforward question. So, I proceeded to repeat my words. She later explained the reason she asked her question is that most…
Continue ReadingDoes What We Watch Really Affect Us?
13shares Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn I got flack from a college student when I released the first Habitudes book that included an image called, “Personal Laptop.” This principle teaches that our minds operate much like a personal laptop computer: they go with us everywhere we go and record the content we put in them. Our…
Continue ReadingHow to Develop Positive Self-Esteem in Teens
6shares Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Self-esteem for kids has been a hot topic for fifty years. In the late 1960s, books were written for educators and parents about the need to affirm young people; for teens to “find themselves,” believe in themselves and express themselves. It was an epiphany for Builder generation parents who often…
Continue ReadingThe Negative Impact of Social Media on a Teen’s Self-Esteem
38shares Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn While social media platforms have had a positive effect on some kids’ and teens’ self-esteem, (including those who become YouTube famous), it has had a negative effect on the majority of them. Sooner or later, each young person observes posts that: Make them feel worse about themselves. (Cyber-bullying) Cause them…
Continue Reading