youth
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Hitting the Books: High school students have spent a decade fighting Baltimore's toxic legacy
In Fighting to Breathe: Race, Toxicity, and the Rise of Youth Activism in Baltimore, Dr. Nicole Fabricant of Towson University, chronicles the participatory action research of local students between 2011 and 2021, organizing and mobilizing their communities to fight back against a century of environmental injustice.
Seattle schools sue TikTok, Meta and other platforms over youth 'mental health crisis'
Seattle public schools have sued the tech giants behind TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.
FDA targets teens with e-cigarette prevention ads
Today, the FDA launched its first e-cigarette prevention TV ads. Part of "The Real Cost" campaign, they're meant to educate teens on the dangers of e-cigarette use. The ads will target nearly 10.7 million teens, aged 12 to 17, who have used e-cigarettes or are open to trying them. The short clips feature street magician Julius Dein, who turns a vape pen into a cigarette before onlookers. The trick is supposed to highlight the fact that teens who vape are more likely to start smoking cigarettes.
FDA: Infusing yourself with young blood is pointless, dangerous
The US Food and Drug Administration has stepped in to officially warn consumers against buying young blood in an attempt to improve their health. Yes, enough people thought it would be a good idea to infuse young blood -- an actual plot from The Simpsons' -- that the government had to intervene.
Microsoft's age-guessing tech highlights effects of homelessness
Microsoft's how-old.net isn't the most reliable age detecting software. The company set it up as a demo site and never expected it to go viral (two million shares on Facebook). While thousands of users checked in to see how old an algorithm thinks they are, Toronto's Covenant House used the social tool as a catalyst for a pressing cause. They created a web ad that shows Cale, a 22-year-old homeless man, stamped as a 43-year-old on how-old.net. "The message was simple: living on the streets robs kids of their youth," Josie do Rego, Director of Development and Communications, told Engadget. "We wanted to remind people that the streets are no place for young people."
Scientists reverse aging in mice by giving them young blood
Plots from The Simpsons are rarely prophetic, but it appears as if, just as it did for Mr. Burns, the blood of the young could help to stave off the signs of aging. Competing teams at Harvard, Cambridge and the University of California have found that pumping the blood of juvenile mice into elderly rodents saw the latter suddenly able to run much faster, had more blood vessels in the brain and had much clearer thinking. Harvard researchers subsequently isolated a protein called GDF11, which helped both the operation of hearts and brains. Given the limits of the study, the teams are cautious about what this could mean for human biology, and there's plenty of trials still to be done, but maybe it'd be wise to start being nice to any juvenile relatives you've got -- you never know when you might be asking them for a transfusion.
Drama Mamas: Too young to be taken seriously
Drama Mamas Lisa Poisso and Robin Torres are experienced gamers and real-life mamas -- and just as we don't want our precious babies to be the ones kicking and wailing on the floor of the checkout lane next to the candy, neither do we want you to become known as That Guy on your realm. If Maru were in a class, he'd be the class clown -- just like this week's letter writer. Hello, Drama Mommas. I'm currently sixteen and I've been raiding hardcore since patch 3.3, so about four years now, and I didn't typo there. I've been raiding since I was twelve. Normally I wouldn't include this information, but its important to the subject. Well, about a year and a half ago I joined a brand new top ten on realm raiding guild, and loved it. I've had so much fun and I've been included into the guild 'family' Unfortunately, my spot in that family is of the Little Brother, and its not awesome.
Nielsen: more than half of US teens now own smartphones
Yes, we know Android is holding steady at about 52 percent of US smartphone market share. What's interesting is just who's driving growth as a whole. According to Nielsen, 58 percent of American teens between 13 and 17 now have a smartphone -- that's a big jump from 36 percent a year earlier and a sign that the youngest owners have a significant sway over where the market is going. Not that young adults don't have an impact. Although the 25-to-34 crowd isn't making as big a comparative leap, its smartphone ownership has climbed from 59 percent to a dominating 74 percent in the same space of time. No matter how much youth set the pace, it's clear Android is still having an effect. Among the US smartphone buyers Nielsen tracked in the three months leading up to July, 58.6 percent went Google's direction. Most of that gain came from BlackBerry owners switching allegiances, which doesn't bode well when RIM is counting on existing owners to fuel BlackBerry 10 demand. We'd be careful about citing a one-point shrink in iPhone sales as a shift in the balance of power, however -- while it could be part of a trend, it could also represent the habitual lull in Apple's sales during the weeks before a major iPhone introduction.
The Daily Grind: Do children have a place in MMOs?
Today's discussion topic needs a smidge of clarification. I'm not asking you whether or not real-life kids should be playing MMOs, as plenty already do and it's great to be raising a future crop of gold farmers and extreme fashion designers. What I am asking is whether child NPCs have a place in MMOs. When you think about it, most of our virtual worlds are nearly devoid of anyone under the age of 18 (except if you're in certain Asian titles where it seems like nobody, including yourself, has hit puberty yet). Whole cities are bustling with merchants and kings, yet not a single child is to be seen. If there are kids, they tend to be in place for a one-time unique quest or a special event, such as World of Warcraft's Children's Week. But with all of the war, slaughter, and volatile situations, is it a good thing that someone has whisked these kids off to safety? Would MMOs be more questionable with their content if a kid was to come stumbling along while you were skinning a boar or decapitating an Orc leader? Or would these worlds be more believable and immersive if the whole range of ages was represented? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Apple, Oreo and Capri Sun top list of popular youth brands
Harris Interactive put together a survey asking American youth from ages 8-24 what their favorite brands were, and Apple came out on top in the computer, tablet, and phone space. That's not too surprising, given how powerful Apple's marketing is (not to mention how great its products are), but it is true that "the old" Apple tended to go for the slightly older audiences. Since the introduction of the iPod ten years ago, Apple's marketing and products have skewed younger and younger. What's perhaps even more interesting in this report is the other brands that are popular with this age group: Oreos! Capri Sun! Nintendo? These kids are into the same things I liked as a kid! Oreos and Capri Sun especially -- I believed those lunchbag standbys were old school, but apparently they're still popular on the contemporary playground. Next you'll tell us that kids today still dig Trapper Keepers and Ecto Cooler!
Drama Mamas: Should minors hide their age?
Drama Mamas Lisa Poisso and Robin Torres are experienced gamers and real-life mamas -- and just as we don't want our precious babies to be the ones kicking and wailing on the floor of the checkout lane next to the candy, neither do we want you to become known as That Guy on your realm. I don't know if the letter writer is American; I just like the song. We normally edit our letters a little for clarity, but the way this one is written is important to this week's topic. hello I'm a tank in turmoil I'm a main tank for a small social, levelling guild we recently got teamspeak so we could progress through content at a faster pace, my problem is this I'm not the most aged player in my group and Ive not quiet hit the point in my life were my voice doesn't so sound young, i the main tank for my guild any they rely heavily on me, my guild leader is my best in game friend and i don't want to ruin my friendship with him but when he finds out I'm a minor it will ruin our friendship and il be laugh out of my guild. i have had 2 sever transfers because of this problem which has been really annoying and i don't want to leave my guild because i grown attached to them. want should i do? sincerely tank in turmoil
Defcon Kids event invites hackers to bring their genetic back-up units
Apparently, kids aren't at all put off by the air of misadventure and notoriety that surrounds hacking. In fact, they're so eager to partake in lock-picking workshops, clue-deciphering seminars and social engineering round-tables, that Defcon in August will have a side event totally dedicated to proto-hackers aged 8-16. The focus will be strictly on well-intentioned hacking and cyber-security, so there's little risk that your progeny will be set on a life-path that ends in a lengthy jail term. Nevertheless, the organizers warn that the main adult event will be going on all around the kids' areas, leading to a risk of exposure to bad language, possible nudity and an "assortment of philosophies." And if that doesn't deter them, nothing will.
Late mid-week shocker: young adults get their 'news' from the 'net, not from television
In what is undoubtedly a shocking and groundbreaking revelation, the Pew Research Center has conducted a recent study which has caused it to conclude that young adults now get their news predominantly from the internet, rather than from television (and even less from ham radio). According to the study, which the center seems to have been conducting yearly for a while now, 67 percent of adults under 30 said in 2010 that the 'net was their primary source of news, up from 34 percent in 2007. Curiously, respondents could choose up to two 'main' news sources, so 52 percent report that television is a main news source in 2010, down from 68 percent in 2007. While none of this probably comes as any surprise to any of you, our readers, it does tend to explain that strange and ever-growing tendency we've noticed in our friends of talking about things like Groupon, Facebook, and some meme some webpage made up to sell something as if they were talking about actual news.
Harvard scientists reverse aging in mice, laugh maniacally at human possibilities
The reversal of aging has been one of the great dreams of humanity, but it seems like our rodent overlords have beat us to it. The Harvard Medical School has demonstrated "a dramatic reversal" in the aging process when reintroducing the enzyme telomerase into old and feeble mice. What happened was that their naturally worn out organs started to regenerate, instead of degenerating further, bringing them back to a youthful state of health. Sadly, while the results of this study are hugely important, there are a couple of caveats to make: firstly, the mice in question were genetically modified to suffer from a lack of telomerase, which might have inflated the results of the tests relative to regular mice, but more importantly, an increase in telomerase in humans is "a hallmark of most human cancers." So, if you want a shot of Benjamin Button brew, you'll have to be very patient indeed. For now, let's just be happy that Algernon and his buddies have found their fountain of youth. [Thanks, Vygantas]
Researcher zeroes in on kids playing RuneScape
Hey kids! Do you want to try an experiment? No, you won't get paid but you will help further scientific research through the process of "cognitive ethnography." Not interested? Hmmm, well, you do get to play video games... Oh, you are interested! Let me just get you these waivers to sign...Constance Steinkuehler is an MMO researcher studying teens and tweens in the world of RuneScape. Her research aims to find commonalities in thought process between young individuals who play MMOs. Her work will also assess the impacts of game play over a longer period on their daily lives, social relationships, and school work. Given the abundance and accessibility of games aimed at youth these days, it will be interesting to see how they influence us humans in our more impressionable years.
Make new friends on Wii and DS at the Littlest Pet Shop
We know, we know. You just can't contain your excitement, can you? EA has just announced its latest title: The Littlest Pet Shop Friends and already we can hear the shrills of pre-adolescent joy. Pair up this megaton news with this morning's stunning iCarly reveal and today becomes a big day for Joystiq's 13-and-under reader demographic.EA promises the new LPS game will be bigger, better and more badass (okay not the last one) than previous titles, featuring a host of multiplayer mini-games, explorable game worlds and collectible pets. It hits Wii and Nintendo DS later this year in Fall.
8.5 percent of U.S. youth addicted to video games, study finds
Douglas Gentile, a research psychologist from Iowa State University (and director of research for the National Institute of Media and the Family), recently conducted a study that found 8.5 percent of Americans between the ages of 8 and 18 (that's roughly 3 million people) are addicted to video games. During his research, Gentile polled 1,178 youths to see whether they possessed symptoms of pathological gaming -- symptoms which include spending increasing time behind a controller, irritability when playtime is reduced, "escaping problems through play," skipping homework in favor of gaming, and stealing money with which to purchase additional games.Using these criteria, we've been addicted to the following at some point in our lives: Pokémon cards, Pogs, Skittles, Spelling Bees, laser tag, gardening, dating, Lego bricks, Frisbee golf and blogging. Yet somehow, despite our multitude of unshakable, soul-crushing dependencies, we turned out just fine. You can check out the Entertainment Software Association's response to the study after the jump. [Via Edge] [Image]
Mobile technology even makes 20-somethings shudder... sometimes
We'll go ahead and warn you that a lot has changed since 2007, but if anything, the surge in Twitter users and the overwhelming growth in social networking would likely strengthen these findings. The Pew Internet and American Life Project has just revealed some rather interesting stats from its study of age groups and their connection to mobile technology, particularly when looking at the "Ambivalent Networkers" group. Said clump is comprised mostly of males in their late 20s, which are stereotypically connected to their handsets at all times with a smile to go with it. According to the research, however, the majority of this group agreed that "taking a break is definitely a good idea," which was around ten percentage points above the average in the other four groups. We know you're about to tweet this to your 27 year old brother-in-law, but think twice before you knowingly hurt his soul like that.[Via ArsTechnica]
WoW as training ground for scientific method
We've heard about WoW in the news due to addiction and spousal trouble. When scientists chat about the game, they tend to be interested in the dynamics of virtual worlds. Constance Steinkuehler from the University of Wisconsin is approaching WoW and science in a different light. Constance noticed a specific dynamic when she watched Lineage players approach raiding with a familiar method. They'd form a hypothesis about a boss, test it, gather evidence, and then reform their hypothesis based on that evidence. For those of you following along at home, that's basically the "Scientific Method." Steinkuehler tested for the use of Scientific Method in WoW by going to the official forums, and studying 2,000 threads. According to the results, 86% of the threads were focused on analyzing the ruleset of the game. The implication is that those posts use some scientific method to understand WoW's rules. (I wonder if "Nerf Rogues!" was included as meaningful content.) The purpose of this study seems to be to reverse our youth's growing scientific illiteracy by using video games to exemplify scientific pursuits. Since science is often about the method of obtaining facts, and not just facts themselves, teachers might be able to use games to help students "L2Science." Sounds solid to me, but I'm still not sold on the forums being a fertile ground of meaningful content.
Tips for the youths applying to guilds this summer
This time of the year brings with it an influx of guild applications from the younger crowd. These applications are often done with zeal and lust for a summer's worth of gaming that is unappreciated by adult players. After all, school's out and what better way to enjoy the good weather than to spend it sitting in front of a computer screen?My guild in particular has seen an increase of the 15 to 18 year old crowd applying to raid with us. Unfortunately many of these applications are not on par with what we're looking for in raider's gear and experience (we're done with the Black Temple and Mount Hyjal, and are working on the Sunwell). Everyone is also 18+ in our guild, and we'd like to keep it that way.However, we have seen a couple of applications come our way that have stood out from the rest. While these people are young, they have shown excellent communications skills, along with solid understanding of their class and raid awareness. While we have covered applying to a guild before, I think it would be appropriate to talk for a moment about some tips for the younger crowd trying to get into a guild this summer.
