News | Topic: Digital Kids

Teens Are Seeking Out Plastic Surgery To Look Like Snapchat Filters, Doctors Warn

A new phenomenon called Snapchat dysmorphia has popped up. Read the article here.

How Do Photo Retouching Apps Affect Impressionable Teens On Social Media?

Facetune and Facetune 2, which can instantly zap away perceived imperfections on any photo, have together been downloaded a whopping 50 million times since the first one was launched in 2013. Read the article here.

Love and Texts: Seduction in the Digital Age

Financial Times shares an insightful post about texting, online communication and the way it is used in dating relationships. Read the full article here.

Police Warn Parents Of Social Media’s Role In Human Trafficking

Human trafficking doesn’t just happen in big cities, it happens everywhere and a big part, according to Michigan State Police, is because of social media. Read the article here.

Yes Means Yes: New Apps Formalize Sexual Consent

In the era of #MeToo and #TimesUp, young people have more concerns over sexual consent than ever. New apps aim to quell some of those concerns by recording consent from each party before they engage in intimate activity. Read the article here.

American Airlines Agent Saves Teens From Suspected Human Trafficking Plot

Authorities are crediting a quick thinking airline employee for preventing two teenagers from becoming victims of human trafficking. Read the article here.

Teens More Likely To Be Hacking Computers Than Smoking Or Having Sex

Modern 14-year-olds are eschewing these traditional forms of acting out – in favor of hacking computers from their bedrooms. Read the article here.

More Education Is Needed To Help Teens And Young Adults Stand Up To A New Epidemic: Digital Dating Abuse

Mary Kay’s annual ‘Truth About Abuse’ Survey reveals more than 80 percent of young people need more information to talk to friends about abuse. Read the article here.

Teen Girls Suffer From Digital Dating Abuse

Researchers at the University of Michigan and University of California-Santa Barbara have found teens experience digital dating abuse at similar rates, but girls reported that they were more upset by these behaviors and reported more negative emotional responses.

Read the article here.

Facebook Deals With Massive Revenge Porn, Sextortion Allegations

Every month Facebook considers nearly 54,000 cases of suspected revenge porn or sexual extortion on its platform says a new story from the Guardian.com. Read the article here.

Teens Using Sexting Codes, Parents Warned

While some parents are familiar with their children’s texting slang, some teens are now using secret sexting codes that have left many moms and dads horrified. Read the full article here.

Nudity and Social Media Harm Girls

Celebrities routinely appear in compromising and salacious photos, and the tabloid press rewards them with adoring attention. Read the article here.

Top Tips for Parents on Managing Sexting

Top tips for parents that catch their children sexting, and how to involve the school and the social media provider. Read the article here.

Parenting the Internet Generation

Internet accountability software company Covenant Eyes is offering a free e-book to help parents be vigilant in the digital age. Download the free e-book here.

Teenager Accused of Using App to Livestream Her Friend Being Raped

An Ohio teenager has been accused of livestreaming the alleged rape of her 17-year-old friend using the social media app Periscope. Read the article here.

Q+A: The Secret Lives of Teens Online

Christianity Today interviews author Nancy Jo Sales are her new book American Girls: Social Media and the Secret Lives of Teenagers. Read the interview here.

Snapchat Account Provides Free Counseling For Teens in Abusive Relationships

Snapchat, the photo-message app that has quickly become mainstream not only for teens but big brands as well, now features an account created to help teens in abusive relationships. Because Snapchat offers a social platform with a lot of privacy, it’s an avenue for teens to receive counseling without their significant others being able to look at their social profiles.

Read the article here. 

About 1 In 5 Adolescent Victims Of Sexual Harassment On Social Media Report Abuse To Provider

Among adolescents who encountered sexual harassment on social networking sites (mostly on Facebook), 21.8% reported the incident to the provider, but in nearly half of those cases the provider took no action, according to the results of a study reported in Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking.

Read the full article here.

Parents Unaware of Popular Teen Secret-Posting App

The After School App allows teens to post secrets about their classmates, but like similar apps has dissolved into a platform for bullying.

Read the article here.

Half of Images on Pedo Sites Stolen From Social Media

A new study from Australia reports that up to half of the images of children shared on pedophile websites originally came from social media. Read the article here.