Cara Natterson's Blog, page 18

How We Communicate

In a survey of 13 - 17 year olds, among other things 40% agree with the statement, "I sometimes wish I could go back to a time when there was no such thing as social media." Which is kind of amazing, because Facebook was founded in 2004 and MySpace the year before that. So basically, half of the interviewed kids were born into a world with social media and, at least based upon the way the brain develops and what we know about memory, not one of them can remember life pre-social media.

Today's teens prefer texting over in-person communication, use social media multiple times a day, and admit that digital distractions interfere with homework, personal relationships and sleep, according to a new survey of 13- to 17-year-olds. Why it matters: Concerns over the negative impact of social media use have increased recently with reports of teen depression, suicide and cyberbullying on the rise. READ MORE

Make A Social Media Contract

You’re not born knowing how to navigate social media, just like you’re not born knowing how to drive a car. To do either one safely, you have to first learn how. The rules are there because of what you don’t know yet—not because your parents don’t trust you. The rules are also there because at your age you’re...READ MORE

The Basics

In my house, back-to-school means back-to-food negotiations.

One of my kids bounds out of bed, wide-eyed and ready to go. He’ll eat just about anything for breakfast, and make it himself, too. All before 7:00am.  READ MORE

EpiPen’s Extended Shelf Life

In breaking news, EpiPen gets an extended lifetime. EpiPens have been in short supply for some time, but the situation is becoming dire for some as this particular brand of the lifesaving treatment is nowhere to be found. The FDA granted an emergency extension for the expiration dates of certain lots based upon testing that showed the medicine would remain effective beyond what’s currently stamped on the package. If you have EpiPens in the house or at your child’s school, check the FDA website to see if your lot number is on the list and then make a note on the package (I suggest writing the new expiration date on a sticker). This article below offers some other smart solutions, including calling Mylan, the company that makes EpiPen, and talking to your doctor about alternative epinephrine options.

In breaking news, EpiPen gets and extended lifetime. EpiPens have been in short supply for some time, but the situation is becoming dire for some as this particular brand of the lifesaving treatment is nowhere to be found. The FDA granted an emergency extension for the expiration dates of certain lots based upon testing that showed the medicine would remain effective beyond what’s currently stamped on the package. If you have EpiPens in the house or at your child’s school, check the FDA website to see if your lot number is on the list and... READ MORE

What’s the Real Hook?

This story brings up an interesting point: should the focus of e-cig and Juul regulation revolve around flavoring? Or should the battle with the FDA focus on the real culprit here - nicotine? Almost every time I speak or write about this emerging epidemic among kids, the conversation goes to marketing. Parents are - rightfully - up in arms that e-cig companies pander to their children by selling flavors clearly intended to attract youngsters. But then there's the comment in this piece: “I started smoking when I was 12 years old, and guess what … it wasn’t because Marlboro had a fresh fruity flavor.” A brutal reminder that while we need to address the fact that Juul and others market directly to our kids, we also cannot forget that nicotine in and of itself can hook you.

Teen vaping is at the tipping point before possible epidemic levels, federal officials and public health advocates agree, but they're feuding over how fast and far to go to rein in the booming electronic cigarette industry.Some of the health groups that sued the Food and Drug Administration for delaying regulation of vape products by four years charged last week that the agency let several new devices similar to the youth-favored... READ MORE

Gamifying Empathy

Do video games have an upside? Yes! And I am not even talking about the social silver lining to Fortnite. This study looked at using a video game called Crystals of Kaydor specifically designed to build empathy. It worked. Another reminder that there's a lot of black and white in the world, but there's an awful lot of grey as well. Or at the very least, pros and cons can coexist. I am rooting for Crystals of Kaydor to become a hit.

A space-exploring robot crashes on a distant planet. In order to gather the pieces of its damaged spaceship, it needs to build emotional rapport with the local alien inhabitants. The aliens speak a different language but their facial expressions are remarkably humanlike.This fantastical scenario is the premise of a video game developed for middle schoolers by University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers to study whether video games can boost kids' empathy, and to understand how learning such skills can change neural connections in the brain.... READ MORE

Deep Sigh (The Good Kind)

One day, a few years ago, Mallika Chopra describe to me how she learned to meditate from her father, Deepak. I was expecting her to describe soulful silence, but that only made her laugh. No, she told me, my brother and I used to just sit around and close our eyes and make wishes. He wished for Celtics tickets. At the time I found her hilarious; now I realize this is one of the many reasons why she is such a relatable expert in her field. Mallika is a mom, media entrepreneur, public speaker and author of several books including this month’s Just Breathe which teaches kids how to meditate. Mallika’s background is incredible: she has launched non-profits with big impact...READ MORE

HAS VAPING OPENED UP A NEW GATEWAY?

This story reports on a study of 2688 high school students in 10 public high schools across LA. These kids answered questions about smoking, vaping, and pot use as 9th graders and then again as 11th graders. The bottom line: a 9th grader who had used e-cigs (Juuling wasn't a thing then, but think cousin-of-Juul) or hookah was three times more likely to use marijuana in some form as an 11th grader. There are lots of possible reasons why, ranging from social stratification around risk taking behavior to addiction. Almost regardless of the why, it's important to know these numbers and to share them with your kids. Talk about this stuff. Don't put your head in the sand and think it's not happening at your school or even under your roof. If it is, opening the lines of communication is the best first step.

Teens who used e-cigarettes and hookah were up to four times more likely to use marijuana later, according to a study published Monday in the journal Pediatrics.Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Southern California surveyed 2,668 students at 10 public high schools in Los Angeles beginning in fall 2013, when they were 14 years old and in ninth grade. READ MORE

Disruptive Tech Doesn't Have To Disrupt Safety

A few months ago, I wrote about the then brand-spanking-new Bird scooters that had recently hit the streets of Santa Monica. Actually, I gave the Bird the bird. But I wasn’t aiming to hate on their last-mile revolution. Rather, I was attempting to shine a light on some serious safety issues, hoping to make my own little dent of impact before the flock migrated. Well, migrate it has! Bird scooters are now scattered across the U.S., having landed in 22 cities and counting.  READ MORE

Let it Go!

They do as we do, not as we say. So put down the phone!! It's hard - really hard. But here are some ways to get that device out of your hands while you are carting around precious cargo... or even when you are alone in your car and other people are carting around their precious cargo: 

* Throw your phone on the passenger side floor, the back seat, the deep recesses of your purse, or anywhere else that's out of your reach
* Turn on settings that disable in-coming texts while you drive
* Stop pressing "It's okay, I'm the passenger"-type prompts when you are actually the driver
* Find a good radio station to listen to
* That can be hard, so down load a podcast or an audiobook to listen to (bonus point: download BEFORE you are actually driving)
* Put your kids in charge of your phone while you are driving - if you need to make a call or send a text, they can do it for you
* Make a pact with your kids that you will never glance at a screen while driving, even of they neeeeeed to show you a really funny video or a crazy pic - wait until you have arrived at your destination because checking at a red light is still a version of engaging with screens while driving
* My grandfather used to say that getting a speeding ticket really slows you down - ditto getting into an accident because you are trying to finish that one last text or email

There has been a historic surge in U.S. traffic fatalities over the last four years as more drivers use their phones to respond to texts or scroll through Instagram feeds. Even parents can’t keep keep their hands on the wheel and their eyes on the road, new research shows. Half of all parents use their cellphones while driving with young... READ MORE