#Negative Effects of Technology on Children

[reasonsforhope]

"France is to trial a ban on mobile phones at school for pupils up to the age of 15, seeking to give children a “digital pause” that, if judged successful, could be rolled out nationwide from January [2025].

Just under 200 secondary schools will take place in the experiment that will require youngsters to hand over phones on arrival at reception. It takes the prohibition on the devices further than a 2018 law that banned pupils at primary and secondary schools from using their phones on the premises but allowed them to keep possession of them.

Announcing the trial on Tuesday, the acting education minister, Nicole Belloubet, said the aim was to give youngsters a “digital pause”. If the trial proves successful, the ban would be introduced in all schools from January, Belloubet said.

A commission set up by the president, Emmanuel Macron, expressed concern that the overexposure of children to screens was having a detrimental effect on their health and development.

A 140-page report published in March concluded there was “a very clear consensus on the direct and indirect negative effects of digital devices on sleep, on being sedentary, a lack of physical activity and the risk of being overweight and even obese … as well as on sight”.

It said the ��hyper” use of phones and other digital technology was not only bad for children but also for “society and civilisation”.

The report recommended children’s use of mobile phones be controlled in stages: no mobile phones before the age of at least 11, mobiles without internet access between 11 and 13, phones with internet but no access to social media before 15.

It also suggested children under three years old should not be exposed at all to digital devices, which it said were “not necessary for the healthy development of the child”.

“We must put the digital tool in its place. Up to at least six years old a child has no need for a digital device to develop,” Servane Mouton, a neurologist and neurophysiologist who was on the commission, said. “We have to teach parents once again how to play with their children.”

Banning phones in schools has long been debated across Europe. In countries where bans exist this is most often confined to their use and do not require children to hand them over.

In Germany there are no formal restrictions but most schools have prohibited the use of mobile phones and digital devices in classrooms except for education purposes. A quasi ban has been in place in Dutch secondary school classrooms since the beginning of this year, but as a recommendation and not a legal obligation. From this school year the directive will also apply to primary schools.

Italy was early to phone bans, introducing one in 2007 before easing it in 2017 and reimposing it in 2022. It applies to all age groups.

In February this year, the Westminster government issued non-statutory guidance that said schools in England should prohibit the use of mobile phones throughout the school day, but that it was for individual headteachers and leaders to decide on their phone use policy.

Portugal is experimenting with a compromise by introducing a number of phone-free days at schools each month, while in Spain schools in some autonomous regions have imposed a ban but there is no nationwide prohibition."

-via The Guardian, August 27, 2024

[dostoyevsky-official]

Doomscrolling Is Slowly Eroding Your Mental Health June 2020

For years people have questioned the net benefits of platforms like Twitter and Facebook, and while some studies have found social media, when used responsibly, can have positive effects on mental health, it can also lead to anxiety and depression. Or, at the bare minimum, FOMO. And that’s just the result of looking at too many brunch photos or links to celebrity gossip. Add in a global pandemic and civil unrest—and the possibility that social media networks are incentivized to push trending topics into your feeds—and the problem intensifies. [...] The doom and gloom isn’t all the media’s fault, though. Mesfin Bekalu, a research scientist at the Lee Kum Sheung Center for Health and Happiness at Harvard’s T. H. Chan School of Public Health, notes that while a lot of the news is bad, “as humans we have a ‘natural’ tendency to pay more attention to negative news.” This, along with social media algorithms, makes doomscrolling—and its impacts—almost inevitable. “Since the 1970s, we know of the ‘mean world syndrome’—the belief that the world is a more dangerous place to live in than it actually is—as a result of long-term exposure to violence-related content on television,” Bekalu says. “So, doomscrolling can lead to the same long-term effects on mental health unless we mount interventions that address users’ behaviors and guide the design of social media platforms in ways that improve mental health and well-being.” The effects of doomscrolling also vary depending on who’s doing it. [...] Many activists didn’t participate in doomscrolling simply because, they said, “I can’t see myself being killed over and over again in this tiny square on my phone.”

It’s Time to Log Off Nov 2023

Scrolling through social media can feel like a nightmare these days. You’re reading about the horrors of the Israel-Hamas war, and then you’re reading about the horrors of the war between Ukraine and Russia. You’re learning about the latest devastating climate news. Democracy is under threat in America. It can feel like everything is falling apart. This, of course, can have a significant effect on your mental health. You start to feel overwhelmed. [...] Matthew Price, a professor of psychological science at the University of Vermont, says that stress is cumulative. [...] Price says ingesting a lot of negative news can cause anxiety and depression, at least for some period of time, but it’s especially likely to “exacerbate” anxiety, depression, and PTSD in people who have a history of experiencing those conditions. He says that people often doomscroll because there’s something bad going on and they want to find a way to fix the problem they’re reading about. “When we’re doomscrolling, we’re kind of looking for the resolution to the issue. Read some more posts. Read some more articles. If I get more information, then maybe I’ll understand the problem,” Price says, describing the doomscrolling cycle. [...] “It’s not about ‘this is a bad thing and this is a good thing.’ It’s about how you engage with it and how it fits in with the rest of what’s going on in your life,” Teachman [a professor of psychology at the University of Virginia] says. “How are you living the rest of your life, and what are the impacts on that?” [...] Price says that acting locally on issues you’re concerned about can help you maintain your mental health because otherwise things can feel too far away and too difficult to solve. Maybe you can’t end a war, but perhaps you can help some people in your community or get your community to do something that helps a bigger problem.

i find the defiance that it's not phones (a shorthand for everything they provide access to) eroding our children's attention spans puzzling. bad news isn't new, the press has always veered towards the sensational, people have always overfocused on the negative. but the technology of access and dissemination is brand new. this is a summary of a few research studies on doomscrolling and the emotional, psychological effects it has on adults. surely everyone reading this has experienced some it in some form. you don't think worse things are happening to undeveloped brains?

[earth-64]

Wake Up Call - Nintendo Alarmo

All through Summer 2024 the Nintendo fandom had been in a fervor. The Nintendo Switch’s reign had eclipsed its seven year apex: the time had come for a new flagship piece of hardware to take its place. The stage seemed to be set: the game releases were thinning, the Nintendo Directs sparse, and the major game releases clearly smaller, outsourced, and not the main focus of development. Nintendo had already acknowledged the new machine’s existence with an assurance of it being announced within the fiscal year, followed by a continuous promise below each and every announcement stream that there “will be no mention of the Nintendo Switch successor during [...] these presentations.”

As the dog days passed by, during the fleeting few weeks of Fall that still existed between the ever widening record-high Summers and devastating Winter storms, it seemed undeniable that the stage was being set. Nintendo filed new patents for motion sensor technology. Word got out that they were filming a commercial for a new piece of hardware. They flew out content creators to demo something kept under wraps. And on October 9th, 2024, fans awoke to a flurry of notifications, an early morning unheralded announcement shaking the very foundations of what was thought possible for the gaming giant: 

Alarmo.

Nintendo’s smart alarm clock. A touchscreen device with a sleek interface, loaded with 35 themes inspired by 5 games (and more to come), and a $100 price tag. Their patented motion sensing technology made for a hands-free experience. Set the alarm once and from then on, each and every morning, your eyes would flutter open to a jazzy Mario tune, and your triumphant rise from bed would be rewarded with a victory jingle, a “Lets-A-Go!”, and a shot of nostalgic dopamine. 

But is nostalgic the right word? The motion sensor only works with a very specific set-up: most notably being limited to one person, a small bed, and a room that will remain otherwise empty through the night. No spouses, no pets, no roommates. It was clear this was intended for a child’s room. So no, it wasn’t nostalgic. At least not yet. It was designed to create new nostalgia.

Nintendo Alarmo, along with the similarly aimed Pokemon Sleep, are part of Nintendo’s long-running obsession with intentionally forming habits and responses. From the scheduled broadcasts of the Satellaview to the daily-task centric Animal Crossing series, and especially the predatory practices of their mobile game releases, Nintendo had a penchant for designing parasites that attached themselves to your waking (and non-waking) cycle. 

Today I’ll be sharing excerpts from interviews with people who received Alarmos as children, and uncover the shocking effects of waking each morning to a pavlovian coin-get jingle. But first, speaking of coin-getting, a word from today’s sponsor: LoanFast. Is payday just a—

God what a waste of time. Shit’s always so negative these days. These nostalgia-grab video essays used to be pleasant. Here’s an old-school animated movie you haven’t seen since the DVD bargain bin! Top ten cartoons of the 2010s! The misunderstood genius of the Wii U! But nah, now time has crept past the optimistic millennials. We’re struggling to find the diamonds in the rough patch that was the 2020s, to salvage anything from that fucking trash heap of a decade. God, no wait. Now I sound like them. I grew up with that age of media. I love that age of media. It’s just so easy to let the zeitgeist of doomerism– Okay stop. It’s way too easy to let these things override my brain. I had to mentally backspace the phrase “easily impressionable” right there too. I watch these videos with their big words and their gloomy ways of lookin at life and I feel it all start to seep into me. 

Millennials will convince you that the 00s were the peak of human creation. That the 10s were the last big push of creativity. But that's just not true! My cartoons were way better! Our video games are just objectively cooler and bigger! Adults get stuck on trying to make fun of my generation for the same few bullshit things, if I hear one more Skibidi Rizz I’m gonna– Shouldn’t think like that. I’m 24 now. That’s an adult. I’m an adult. I keep saying that and it doesn’t sound any more true. It happened so fast. It took so much time but it happened so fast. I was just a kid, playing Super Mario Odyssey on an old LCD, and then I was a teenager and a lot happened, so much happened, and now I’m an adult playing Super Mario Odyssey on an old LCD and nothing happens, nothing ever happens. I am an adult and it is Christmas Eve and I am alone.

It was Christmas Eve then too. Back when Christmas felt like Christmas. I was 12 years old when I got the Nintendo Alarmo. December 24th, 2024 when I tore open my first present of the year. It was tradition to get one present the night before, usually something to pass the time until I was more tired than I was excited for the next morning. You wouldn’t think a clock would keep me busy but I spent the whole evening fiddling with the options, looking at every theme, resetting the time to hear the top-of-the-hour jingles for each game. I remember dad helping me put in the wi-fi password, I remember mom’s hurried trip to whatever convenience store was still open on the holiday because the damned thing didn’t come with an AC adapter. She brought back a package of Reese’s and one of those juice drinks with a plastic toy on it. It was… a Spongebob one? Yeah, and I set it on the shelf and it fell off during all the unwrapping the next day and it rolled underneath the shelf and it was down there for months and I’m remembering every single time I was sitting on the floor playing Mario and Luigi Brothership after getting it the next day and every single time I could see the Spongebob juice topper below the tv smiling at me and I never thought to get it I never put any thought into it being there it was just there until a day my mom must have swept and it wasn’t there and I didn’t think about it not being there. Until right now. 

Why didn’t that thing come with an AC adapter, god that’s so stupid.

I think about all that and I don’t think about everything that happened afterwards. I’m 12 years old and it’s Christmas Eve 2024 and I’m getting the Nintendo Alarmo and now I’m 24 years old and it’s Christmas Eve 2036 and I look over at the window sill next to my bed and the Nintendo Alarmo is still there, still ticking. The AC adapter has been replaced a couple times and it’s a bit dinged up but it’s still ticking. So much happened all the while that clock kept ticking. I’m still ticking. I’ve gotten so worked up over this fucking video and I’ve been scrolling my home page this whole time. I try to actually read the titles my eyes are glossing over: “The Untold Story of Minecraft’s 1.50 Disaster”, “What Went Wrong With Forza 2030”, “Does Sony Regret Dropping Out of Consoles?” and I almost click the last one to see which retired executive guy they’re interviewing and personifying the whole company onto this time and I stop myself. It just takes one god damn clickbait title to manufacture curiosity like that and I’ll be watching another two hour video about job layoffs and feeling like shit again. I’m so sick of feeling like shit. It’s getting harder and harder to find content that makes me feel good. 

I decide to just turn the damn thing off. I sit there in the dark for a minute, as a dim light comes from across the room: it's 11:00pm and my Nintendo Alarmo is displaying a top-of-the-hour animation. Mario runs into view, bumps a block 11 times. I hear the little coin-collection jingle 11 times, and then the screen defaults back to its calmer darker state. 

I google for a day calculator on my phone and punch in that Christmas Eve and this one. 

4,383 days. If you take into the fact that after the Animal Crossing theme releases I swapped to that for Halloween and Christmas mornings, that’s 22 Animal Crossing mornings, and 4,360 Super Mario mornings, and 1 Mario Kart morning that I hated. Who the fuck wants to wake up to tires screeching? And the “FIRST PLACE VICTORY!” out-of-bed message was a bit patronizing even for me. But yeah, 4,360 Super Mario wake up calls. 4,360 times I have heard the Super Mario Bros. theme song as the very first sound of the day. Through thick and thin, from one side of the country to the other, through every school morning from 2024 onward and every single day of every job I’ve worked, it's remained constant. A morning without that jingle is just not conceivable to me, it's as natural a part of life as anything else. As sure as I’ll eat food and as sure as I’ll take a crap and as sure as I’ll turn my computer on and as sure as I’ll sleep again the next night is as sure as I will hear that jingle. Speaking of, sleep.

I brush my teeth with Scooby Doo bubblegum toothpaste and a toothbrush that I avoid looking too closely at because its got Spongebob on it and I’m too tired to let myself start back down that path of thinking about the things I took for granted. I can feel on my teeth that the brush is awfully frayed. I’ve been putting off buying a new one for months. I don’t know why. I could just grab one at the store and swap it out and it would make me feel so much better and be so much better for me, but I just don’t do it, I just never think to get it while I’m there and that just happens everyday and I blink and it's been months and my toothbrush is still frayed. 4,360 times. 4,360 times. 

I catch my brain multi-track drifting and decide I can’t sleep without a distraction. I open Youtube on my phone and start scrolling for something to play while I sleep. I crawl into bed and I just barely remember it's Christmas tomorrow. I grab the Nintendo Alarmo and thumb through the settings, swiping through menus. 

When I wake up tomorrow I’ll think that maybe I was just too tired, maybe I just got other shit on my mind, and that maybe these old LCD touchscreens are just over-sensitive pieces of shit or that maybe just maybe I am. But tomorrow my eyes will open at the time they’re used to opening anyway and I’ll be ready to hear the special Animal Crossing Toy Day Jingle that I was so certain I set it to, and I’ll hear the horrible screeching of tires on pavement and something will snap in me and I’ll hear the “FIRST PLACE VICTORY” and think about the empty platitudes and the 12 years I can barely remember and the four thousand wake-up calls that accompanied me as I kept sleep-walking through them and I’ll wake up and something will shatter and I’ll spend Christmas morning cleaning up the shards. 

[historicity-was-already-taken]

hi! hope you're doing okay—I've got a holocaust-history-in-media question for you. I was talking to my brother the other day, and he mentioned how his 10-year-old son tried out "Anne Frank mode" on the meta VR headset. I was kind of horrified, because that sounds deeply exploitative and disrespectful—but he went on to say it's just a VR version of the Anne Frank house, and that it let my nephew explore history in a new way. He was able to touch things and move them around in a way he wouldn't be able to IRL, not to mention the accessibility of not having to travel.

My nephew's kind of an unusual kid, and he chose this "game" while at a friend's house. All the other kids got bored and left pretty much immediately, but he stayed to learn, and my brother says that at the end his takeaway was, "It's so sad. It's so sad and awful what human beings do to each other."

Part of me is just like "No, absolutely not, that is not for VR companies to profit off of in any way, this feels inherently exploitative." But idk. If it increases accessibility and education in a meaningful way, then perhaps that disquiet is simply reactionary.

Then I remembered I have access to an actual Holocaust historian, someone who even specializes in women's narratives and the media portrayals of same.

So, no worries if you're busy/don't have time to respond to this, but I thought it might be an interesting question for you. Do you think the VR Anne Frank house is a good thing?

Ooooooh this is an interesting one. It's also a question that I think I would have answered differently a few years ago. I mean, I've posted here about my issues with central role Anne Frank has been accorded within Holocaust memory, I've posted about the politics of people playing Pokemon Go at sites of atrocities and disasters...

But. Technology changes SO quickly. I read this fantastic article probably 10+ years ago now about how the millennial generation began to express collective nostalgia SO quickly and so young, because technology and the norms it introduces change so quickly. I'm 34 and while that's hardly ancient, the technological world inhabited by children and adolescents is effectively alien to me because of this massive, rapid, ongoing change.

Moreover, I think the pandemic gave us all an...unwanted but helpful bootcamp in what works wrt education over the phone/computer, and what doesn't. In my personal and professional life, I've met and spoken with STEM companies/individuals who specialize in working with museums, historical societies, etc. And they're not just in it to make a buck--they're there to work with museums etc in increasing access and keeping up with educational trends because they know it's important and smart people value STEAM education.

So, despite my acknowledged concerns issued in the first paragraph, and the kneejerk negative reaction I think you and I share, I think my conclusion is that this is a good thing. Like, as a Holocaust historian, pubic historian, educator, and now a Hebrew School teacher of 7-11 year olds, I think whatever gets kids interested and engaged is Good; whatever draws them and gets them thinking about it is Good; even if the tech and infrastructure involved is something that I previously took (philosophical) issue with.

This doesn't mean I don't still have concerns about the centrality of Anne Frank, but let's be real: I lost that battle a long time ago. I've said my piece, and if Anne Frank is going to be kids' gateway into learning about the Holocaust, I'm glad to see that it's being done responsibly, well, and in keeping with how kids engage with education and tech in 2024.

There are, obviously, many theoretical conversations to be had about the implications of this kind of thing, and I hope a grad student applies like, Walter Benjamin to it for a first year paper, but this is my answer purely in terms of access and education.

[dayjmz19]

Blog Post #2

How can technology negatively impact as AI continues to progress? 

With artificial intelligence growing and many other similar platforms being released I think it will bring lots of uncertainty to older generations and low-income families as some are unable to keep up with the technological updates or simply can't afford advanced technology devices being released today. Especially with many jobs relying on artificial intelligence to store or collect information of others personal information. “Though these systems have the most destructive and deadly effects on low-income communities of color, they impact poor and working-class people across the color line.” (Eubanks,2018). As Eubanks pointed out many people don't become aware they are being targeted by mistakes the system made leading to many employees not listening to your concerts because they simply “ trust the system” not taking into consideration the system might have made a mistake. This can negatively impact minority communities since it could leave them without essential resources due to system errors. 

Are people supportive of cyber feminism? 

Over the years, we have collectively evolved to be more inclusive of women and minorities. Some places are more than others, of course, but there are still many people who have pushed away from cyber-feminism. But many people do not notice. Many jobs today pay women less while their male co-worker gets paid more for the same position, but they don't know since the company does not disclose the information. Many women in tech are more likely to be harassed at their male-dominated jobs and are often ignored when they seek help. Many jobs promote being inclusive to women so that they look good to the public, but they are often ignorant. This also applies to many people's beliefs, especially parents who often restrict their children from having an interest in sports, toys, and characters that are socially viewed for a particular gender.

 Do we practice cyber feminism today?

 I think we do practice cyberfeminism today since we see more employers hire women for important roles in the tech industry. Many women who work in these male dominated roles often advocate for younger girls and spread awareness of their accomplishments to motivate the youth of girls to show them that women can be incharge in the world of technology. I feel like in the past many girls were restricted from technology, especially from devices due to the stigma that it was something for boys. For example a console not being given to girls because it was seen as a male toy, I personally was affected by this constructed idea when I was younger. 

Another example would be the women in the car industry who are overseen due to the idea of women being unable to have knowledge of cars. 

Is the algorithm being used against us? 

I have always loved how accurate the algorithm has been when it comes to understanding my humor and pushing videos that I enjoy on my feed. But I had never thought about how it could be used against me or how it's been used against me in the past. This not only applies to me but also to many other people. We are being watched by companies that can see what we enjoy or what we are most likely to take in, and this could lead to an intake of misinformation. “Online community neighbor apps such as NextDoor and Ring devolve into fear-based racial profiling community mobs” (Nicole Brown,2020). As Nicole Brown explained, many people are being targeted on apps without having actual evidence just due to an assumption. Then others will believe the person posting the post created a group of misinformed people. Companies could also use the algorithm to push ads to sell us products we don't need or even push political ideas we are most likely to fall for.

  Works Cited: Brown, N. (2020). Race and technology [Video]. YouTube.

Eubanks, Virginia. 2018. Automating Inequality-Introduction.

[zxlofttt]

Why MAGA and KOSA are Good: A Defense of Policies

The political landscape in the United States has been dramatically shaped in recent years by movements and pieces of legislation that aim to transform the nation’s economic, technological, and cultural frameworks. Among these are the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement and the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA). While both have received criticism, they also carry elements that can be seen as beneficial for various reasons. Let’s take a closer look at why MAGA and KOSA might be considered positive developments for the nation.

MAGA: A Vision for National Pride and Economic Revival

At its core, the MAGA slogan, popularized by former President Donald Trump, centers on restoring a sense of pride and prosperity to America. For many, MAGA represents a call to return to a simpler, more secure time—one where American workers and industries were at the heart of the economy. Supporters argue that MAGA is about prioritizing American interests, enforcing fair trade practices, and addressing the outsourcing of jobs that has hollowed out key industries, particularly in manufacturing.

One of the major components of MAGA’s appeal is its focus on economic nationalism. By focusing on "America First," MAGA advocates for policies that encourage job creation, reduce reliance on foreign labor, and seek fairer international trade agreements. The tax cuts implemented under MAGA, including the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, were intended to stimulate economic growth by lowering corporate taxes and giving businesses more capital to invest in American workers. For supporters, these measures represent a necessary pushback against globalization, which many feel has left parts of the working class behind.

MAGA also speaks to the importance of American sovereignty and autonomy on the global stage. By reducing dependence on international organizations and foreign nations, supporters argue that the United States can reassert its leadership and safeguard its interests in a rapidly changing world. This approach appeals to those who feel that past administrations have been too eager to engage in costly international agreements at the expense of domestic prosperity.

KOSA: Safeguarding the Future of America's Youth

The Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), introduced in the U.S. Senate in 2022, addresses the growing concerns surrounding the safety and mental health of children online. As the internet continues to permeate every aspect of daily life, children are exposed to a wide array of digital dangers, from cyberbullying and inappropriate content to predatory behavior and addiction to social media.

KOSA’s goal is to implement stronger protections for minors using online platforms by holding tech companies accountable for their role in safeguarding children’s well-being. It mandates that social media platforms develop and enforce systems that better protect young users, such as stricter age verification, the ability for parents to monitor activity, and mechanisms for reducing exposure to harmful content. The bill also requires platforms to proactively identify and address features that contribute to addictive behaviors, such as endless scrolling and algorithmic recommendation systems that prioritize sensational content.

For parents, KOSA represents a much-needed step in the right direction toward giving them more control over their children's online experience. With cyberbullying, inappropriate content, and mental health issues on the rise, many parents feel helpless when it comes to ensuring their children’s safety in the digital world. KOSA is an attempt to close that gap by putting in place laws that push social media companies to take greater responsibility for how their platforms impact young people.

From a mental health perspective, the negative effects of social media on children have become a growing concern. Studies have shown a correlation between excessive social media use and increased rates of anxiety, depression, and loneliness among teenagers. KOSA aims to mitigate these risks by imposing stricter standards on online platforms and encouraging healthier digital environments for younger users.

Bridging the Ideals of MAGA and KOSA

Although MAGA and KOSA come from different political and ideological spectrums, there is common ground to be found in their underlying goals: the protection of American values and the well-being of its citizens, especially the vulnerable. MAGA aims to restore the strength and integrity of the American economy and culture, while KOSA focuses on safeguarding future generations by regulating the digital space that increasingly influences young people’s lives.

In a society that is grappling with rapid technological advancement and economic upheaval, both MAGA and KOSA can be seen as responses to perceived threats to traditional American values and the social fabric. MAGA speaks to a desire to protect jobs and preserve cultural identity, while KOSA offers a safeguard against the pitfalls of an ever-connected, digital world that children and families are struggling to navigate.

Conclusion

While the policies and goals associated with MAGA and KOSA are not without their critics, both have important elements that speak to the concerns and aspirations of large segments of the American population. MAGA, with its focus on national pride and economic resurgence, offers a vision of a self-reliant America. Meanwhile, KOSA addresses the urgent need for protecting children in an increasingly digital world, seeking to ensure that technology is used responsibly to promote mental well-being and safety. Together, these movements reflect a broader effort to protect the values and interests that are vital to America’s future.

-ur favv anon

im not reading all that i just scrolled all the way down to click "post now" to show people how pathetic you are

[luxlightly]

Piss on the poor reading comprehension website going at full strength today.

Someone in the notes of my "good parents aren't defined by what tools they use in their parenting, but how they use them. And that includes technology like ipads and computers" is trying to call me out for being abelist against autistics because children watching loud videos in public is a "public health crisis"

I'm autistic, by the way. If you couldn't tell by the everything about me.

A lot of people are trying to take that post to mean "ipads are harmless and can never have negative effects" instead of "literally everything has positive and negative effects. Part of being a good parent is navigating those things and helping your child safely interact with the world around them"

A well supervised child being taught to cut vegetables with their parent is far safer than a child left alone with a plastic shopping bag.

"a knife is sharper than a plastic bag" is not a rebuttal to that.

[lemonhemlock]

Okay so not to bastardpost....but I wanted to touch on a lot of the really un-nuanced discussions about bastardy, legitimacy, and laws of inheritance in the fandom. I keep on seeing takes like this, 'Well, Martin is trying to say that bastardy doesn't matter and it shouldn't matter, and bastardy and legitimacy are social constructs!!' and just....no? LOL. I don't think that's what he's saying at all and if he is then why set this series in a rigid feudal medieval monarchy that basically runs off of houses coming together to join bloodlines and pass land to each other through marriage and legitimate children. Also, the whole 'it's all a social construct it doesn't mean anything!' is such a midwit take - it's giving 'money is just paper it's meaningless, why don't we print more to get rid of debt!' Yes, things like money or legitimacy are 'social constructs' but they doesn't mean it's not real lmaooo and that there is no real life value to those concepts because....there literally are? It's just a very baffling, modern take on a piece of media that doesn't warrant it.

Absolutely, every time period has its set of rules and practices and customs that made sense for that specific arrangement of society and for the technology available at the time. No, they weren't fair, they were unacceptable conditions for a person living in 2024, but sometimes they were just the best available options. Don't have sex outside marriage? Well, yes, because there is no foolproof contraception and no protection against venereal diseases either, so not only could you get pregnant with someone else's child / father a bastard child, but you could also infect your partner with who-knows-what and they could maybe even die or become disfigured because of it. Even a simple UTI can cause a ridiculous amount of pain. Yes, a life without antibiotics and modern medicine categorically limits the extent to which you can enjoy that life! And, yes, people tried to police each other's behaviour to the extent that they could limit such negative consequences. In the absence of effective cures, prevention remained the best option. That shouldn't negate the critiques on the excesses that lead to women's oppression and limitation of rights, but it's doing no one any favours to ignore why people might have a legitimate grievance against the siring of illegitimate children.

All of this, the health aspects and the economic incentives, do come back to basic ass concept of respecting contracts: are you not being an arsehole if the other party is upholding their side of the bargain and you are not? So, of course they're social constructs, but they're there for a reason. I mean, are you truly "sexually liberated" if your sexual behaviour is causing all sorts of complication and pain in your vicinity? Or are you just a selfish dick? It goes both ways, you know.

[onprimeworld]

The Negative Effects of Social Media on Today’s Youth

In today’s digital age, nearly everyone owns a gadget—be it a smartphone, tablet, or computer. Even young children now have access to these devices and, along with them, exposure to social media platforms. While the advancement of technology is inevitable and brings many benefits, it also comes with serious downsides, especially for children and teenagers.

One of the major concerns is the overwhelming amount of content that children can easily access online. They are exposed to images, videos, and information that may not be appropriate for their age. This early exposure can influence their values, behavior, and emotional well-being.

Social media has significantly shaped the character and attitudes of the current generation. Alarmingly, there has been a noticeable rise in suicide cases among young people, with cyberbullying being a contributing factor. Online harassment through chats, text messages, and social media posts often leads to stress, anxiety, and depression.

Another harmful consequence of social media is the widespread circulation of fake news and misinformation. Many users, both young and old, can easily fall victim to false narratives, which may influence their beliefs and decisions.

Health is also a major concern. Excessive use of gadgets and prolonged screen time have led to physical and mental health issues. More and more children are being brought to hospitals due to the negative effects of overusing digital devices, including sleep problems, eye strain, and reduced physical activity.

A Call to Parents and Guardians

Given that the use of technology and social media can no longer be completely avoided, parental guidance has never been more crucial. Parents must take an active role in monitoring their children's screen time and online activities. Setting clear limits, encouraging offline activities, and maintaining open communication are essential in helping children navigate the digital world safely.

By staying vigilant and involved, parents can ensure that while children benefit from the positive aspects of technology, they are also protected from its potential harms.

[kick-the-clouds]

The world is getting better. It’s a bold statement, but it’s true. Despite what the headlines scream, humanity is making remarkable progress. Poverty rates are falling, life expectancy is rising, and technology is transforming lives for the better. Yet, many people believe the opposite. Why? Because bad news sells.

Media outlets often focus on disasters, conflicts, and crises. It’s not that they lie; it’s just that negativity grabs attention. Our brains are wired to notice threats, a survival mechanism from our ancestors. But this focus on the negative can distort our perception of reality.

Let’s look at the facts. Since 1990, extreme poverty has been cut by more than half. Diseases like polio and malaria are at their lowest levels in history. More children are going to school than ever before. These are not small victories; they are monumental achievements.

So, how do we shift our focus from doom to delight? Start by diversifying your news sources. Follow organizations that highlight positive developments, like the Gates Foundation or Our World in Data. Engage with platforms that celebrate innovation and progress.

Practice gratitude. Each day, take a moment to reflect on the good things happening around you. This simple habit can transform your outlook and help you see the world in a more balanced way.

Finally, share the good news. Talk about the advancements and breakthroughs. Spread stories of hope and resilience. By doing so, you help create a ripple effect of positivity.

The world is not perfect, but it’s improving. Recognize the manipulation of negativity and choose to see the broader picture. Embrace the progress and relish the journey. Humanity is on the rise, and that’s a story worth celebrating.

[gabatelepsychiatry-blog]

Causes of Depression in Teenagers

While depression can impact individuals of any age, teenagers are especially at risk due to their unique physical and environmental challenges. Adolescence is a time of profound physical, emotional, and social transformation. During this stage, teens are particularly sensitive to hormonal changes, stress, peer pressure, and issues surrounding identity.

Teen depression often manifests differently than it does in adults. Instead of expressing sadness outright, a teenager might display symptoms such as:

Irritability

Social withdrawal, avoiding friends, sports, or previously enjoyed activities

Behavioral changes like defiance or neglecting household chores

Struggles with academic performance

Risky sexual behavior or abusive relationships

Recklessness and impulsivity

Spending excessive time on social media or phones

Comfort eating, weight gain, or loss of appetite

Recognizing the causes of teen depression can help caregivers and professionals provide effective support and intervention.

Causes of Teen Depression

Biological Factors Puberty brings significant hormonal changes that can influence emotions and temperament. Teen brains are still developing, particularly in areas that regulate stress and decision-making. Certain medical conditions, such as polycystic ovarian syndrome, can also intensify mood symptoms.

Family History A family history of depression may predispose a teen to experience it. Imbalances in brain neurotransmitters can also affect emotional stability.

Growth Spurt Rapid growth during adolescence may cause emotional disturbances. Factors like hormonal shifts and nutrient distribution to the bones instead of the brain could contribute. Although usually temporary, teens might need extra support during growth spurts.

Peer Pressure Day-to-day pressures, including school stress, homework, exams, and relationships, can overwhelm teenagers. Trying to align home values with peer influences can create internal conflicts.

Bullying Bullying, whether in person or online, can leave teens feeling isolated and miserable. Social media often intensifies these feelings, making negativity hard to escape.

Stressful Home Life Family dynamics significantly impact mental health. Arguments, financial struggles, or lack of emotional support at home can make teens feel unsafe or overwhelmed. Major changes like divorce, illness, or neglect can amplify these emotions.

Parents with Depression Teens with depressed parents are more likely to develop depression themselves. This applies to both biological and adopted children. Living in the same environment can cause moods to synchronize, similar to menstrual cycles.

Social Media and Technology Social media can connect but also stress teens. Comparing their lives to curated online images may harm self-esteem. Pressure to keep up with trends or maintain a perfect profile adds to this stress. Excessive online time reduces in-person interactions essential for emotional well-being, leading to loneliness.

Traumatic Experiences Trauma can profoundly impact mental health. Loss of a loved one, violence, or major life changes like moving can be overwhelming. Teens who have faced abuse are particularly vulnerable, as shame and anxiety often evolve into depression if untreated.

Academic Pressure and Future Uncertainty School can be stressful, with high expectations for performance, college acceptance, and career planning. Worrying about the future can make this stress overwhelming.

Substance Use Some teens turn to drugs or alcohol to cope with stress or emotional pain. Substance abuse disrupts brain chemistry and creates dependency, worsening depression.

Lack of Sleep Teenagers require ample sleep, but busy schedules, screen time, and stress often prevent it. Sleep deprivation has strong links to depression and anxiety.

Identity and Self-Esteem Issues Adolescence is a period of self-discovery, but grappling with identity, gender, sexuality, or fitting in can cause rejection and loneliness. Low self-esteem also contributes, as teens may engage in negative thinking when they feel inadequate.

When to Seek Treatment

Treatment for teen depression is essential when they exhibit signs such as:

School refusal or academic decline

Suicidal thoughts

Risk-taking behavior

Oppositional or violent behavior

Feedback from teachers about behavioral changes

Sleep or appetite disturbances

Loss of interest in activities

Falling out with close friends or concerns from other parents

How to Treat Depression in Teenagers

Depression in Teenagers can be treated by: 

Therapy

Medication

Supplements

Environmental changes

Family support 

For more information about how to treat depression in teenagers 

Visit https://gabapsychiatrist.com/child-psychiatrist/ for more information.

[nicklloydnow]

“On the night of Nov. 5, I didn’t sleep at all, but it wasn’t because of air raid sirens. When it seemed clear that Donald Trump would win the U.S. presidential election, the mood on Ukrainian social media and among friends turned overwhelmingly negative (when it wasn’t outright disbelief: My publisher, who lives in Kharkiv, insisted for more than 30 minutes that something was surely wrong with the data).

The war was effectively over, people said. Mr. Trump would halt all American military aid and Ukraine would be forced to cede large swaths of territory to Vladimir Putin, Russia’s president. I told myself that Ukrainians have a tendency toward pessimism. That Ukraine is the front line against Mr. Putin’s project to make Russia great again, a project that is certainly incompatible with Mr. Trump’s. Surely Mr. Trump would decide that it is in his interest to thwart Mr. Putin and act decisively. But my mood, too, eventually tumbled to dark places.

(…)

In Ukraine, there is safety in simply trusting that the worst will happen. To dare to hope has always been the risk.

“What good things have I seen in my lifetime?” our 87-year-old neighbor Grandma Anya likes to say, with a solid fatalism that’s built on being born soon after the famine of the early 1930s to parents who had lost three children; on watching her savings, like many others’, become worthless right before the breakup of the U.S.S.R.; and on the steely hand from Moscow that has grasped at the heels of Ukrainians as we’ve strained for democracy, Europe and the rule of law.

In the past few years, however, there have been moments for hope. Like in the spring of 2022, when our army routed Russian forces from the suburbs around Kyiv and then took back nearly all of Kharkiv region, in the north, in the fall. There was a confidence then that Ukraine had earned the support of allies and that together we would repel Russian aggression.

But we’re tired. Some troops on the front lines have gone without leave for many months. Some in the east are falling back more than a mile a day at times. This week it snowed. The cold season is beginning, and with so many power stations already destroyed, the prospects for the winter are bleak.

We read that Russia is burning through men and matériel, but also that it has harnessed its economy to serve the war and produces weapons and ammunition around the clock. That it has used fewer missiles recently not to go easy on us, but because it is stockpiling them to inflict more damage when it gets colder.

Even before Mr. Trump’s election, the West’s support for Ukraine was indecisive, and the clamor among those who think this war is simply costing too much is growing louder. “Some still want to continue sending enormous amounts of money into this lost war,” Viktor Orban, Hungary’s president, told Hungarian national radio last week. “But the number of those who remain silent, and those who cautiously argue that we should adjust to the new situation, is growing.” Mr. Orban is on particularly friendly terms with America’s president-elect.

So what happens now? We wait. We wait for the publication of Mr. Trump’s plan for peace and eagerly consume the reported details of it that appear in American newspapers. We decide whether to believe the news reports that Mr. Trump had a call with Mr. Putin, or the Kremlin, which said the call never took place. We wait for Mr. Trump to tell us our fate in his own time. We decide whether to risk a hope.”

“Ukraine could develop a rudimentary nuclear bomb within months if Donald Trump withdraws US military assistance, according to a briefing paper prepared for the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence.

The country would quickly be able to build a basic device from plutonium with a similar technology to the "Fat Man" bomb dropped on Nagasaki in 1945, the report states. "Creating a simple atomic bomb, as the United States did within the framework of the Manhattan Project, would not be a difficult task 80 years later," the document reads.

With no time to build and run the large facilities required to enrich uranium, wartime Ukraine would have to rely instead on using plutonium extracted from spent fuel rods taken from Ukraine's nuclear reactors.

Ukraine still controls nine operational reactors and has significant nuclear expertise despite having given up the world's third largest nuclear arsenal in 1996. The report says: "The weight of reactor plutonium available to Ukraine can be estimated at seven tons ... A significant nuclear weapons arsenal would require much less material ... the amount of material is sufficient for hundreds of warheads with a tactical yield of several kilotons."

Such a bomb would have about one tenth the power of Fat Man, the document's authors conclude.

"That would be enough to destroy an entire Russian airbase or concentrated military, industrial or logistics installations. The exact nuclear yield would be unpredictable because it would use different isotopes of plutonium," said the report's author, Oleksii Yizhak, head of department at Ukraine's National Institute for Strategic Studies, a government research centre that acts as an advisory body to the presidential office and the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine.

The plutonium would need to be imploded using "a complicated conventional explosion design, which must occur with a high detonation wave velocity simultaneously around the entire surface of the plutonium sphere," the report reads. The technology is challenging but within Ukraine's expertise, according to the briefing.

Last month President Zelensky said he had told Trump that Ukraine would need nuclear weapons to guarantee his country's security if it were prevented from joining Nato, as President Putin has demanded. Zelensky later said he had meant there was no alternative security guarantee, and Ukrainian officials have since denied Kyiv is considering nuclear rearmament.

The paper, which is published by the Centre for Army, Conversion and Disarmament Studies, an influential Ukrainian military think tank, has been shared with the country's deputy defence minister and is to be presented on Wednesday at a conference likely to be attended by Ukraine's ministers for defence and strategic industries.

It is not endorsed by the Kyiv government but sets out the legal basis under which Ukraine could withdraw from the nuclear nonproliferation treaty (NPT), the ratification of which was contingent on security guarantees given by the US, UK and Russia in the 1994 Budapest memorandum. The agreement stated that Ukraine would surrender its nuclear arsenal of 1,734 strategic warheads in exchange for the promise of protection.

"The violation of the memorandum by the nuclear-armed Russian Federation provides formal grounds for withdrawal from the NPT and moral reasons for reconsideration of the nonnuclear choice made in early 1994," the paper states.

Russian troops are gaining momentum as they advance in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, and Trump has pledged to cut US military aid unless Kyiv submits to peace talks with Putin.

Bryan Lanza, a Trump adviser, has already said that Ukraine will have to surrender Crimea. This week Donald Trump Jr taunted Zelensky, posting on X: "You're 38 days from losing your allowance."

Ukrainian forces are heavily dependent on US weaponry, and any reduction in the flow of western arms into the country, let alone a complete curtailment, would have catastrophic consequences on the battlefield. That has prompted Ukrainians to look for a way to take matters into their own hands.

"You need to understand we face an existential challenge. If the Russians take Ukraine, millions of Ukrainians will be killed under occupation," said Valentyn Badrak, director of the centre that produced the paper. "There are millions of us who would rather face death than go to the gulags." Badrak is from Irpin, where occupying Russians tortured and murdered civilians, and he was hunted by troops with orders to kill him.

Western experts believe it would take Ukraine at least five years to develop a nuclear weapon and a suitable carrier, but Badrak insists Ukraine is less than a year from building its own ballistic missiles. "In six months Ukraine will be able to show that it has a long-range ballistic missile capability: we will have missiles with a range of 1,000km," Badrak said.

Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, a former commanding officer of the UK's Joint Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Regiment told Times Radio that Ukraine "certainly" had the technical know-how and practical wherewithal to produce a nuclear weapon.

"Trump will take note because the last thing we want is more nuclear proliferation and any sort of nuclear strike in Europe, be it from Ukrainians or the Russians," he added.

Bretton-Gordon called Zelensky a "master strategist" who was willing to try "absolutely everything".”

[theredstargalaxy]

Finally, after several months of blistering heat, and medical issues caused by said blistering heat, I can finally sit outside again. So, I figured I'd bring back my musings for old times' sake. I tried doing this back on our old page, but I only posted two or three of them. That was right before temperatures started to increase for the summer. Right now, we're in the middle of November. It's a nippy 62° outside. Kai keeps urging me to go inside because I'm cold. But I'm choosing to stay, and get some fresh air. And maybe listen to the birds for a while. A choice that greatly frustrates him. But deep down, I'm sure he understands. It's not every day someone like me gets to be outside. It's actually quite rare depending on the time of year. If it's summertime, then it's too hot. And in winter, it's too cold. I'm sensitive to temperature, you see. So, I don't go outside when it's one of the two extremes. I don't want to make myself sick.

I tested the metaphorical waters yesterday, and found that yesterday's temperature was quite pleasant. I didn't post anything then because I had no idea if I could start this little habit up again after so long. But today, I plan on reinstating it. I might not post them everyday, since I have the mental focus of a gnat, but I plan on posting at least sometimes. I'd often get demotivated in regards to posting these because having to dictate was rather cumbersome. It's beyond difficult to dictate when the technology doesn't recognize certain words for some reason. Perhaps it's how my voice sounds, or perhaps this phone is just incredibly dumb. That's ironic, considering that it's called a smartphone. And before anyone says anything, I can't type well either. My poor motor skills, coupled with a small phone screen, makes for a very difficult time typing out every word, and I'd rather avoid such trouble.

I suppose I should update you all on my life as a whole. Kept short, life has been rather unkind. I've had medical issues that I've had to address, which means going to doctor's offices--which means triggering my phobia. It isn't easy, but once it's done, you feel better. And that's exactly what happened. After months of trying to figure things out, we finally came to a conclusion: I needed to stop consuming caffeine. Namely, coffee. Even after years of consuming it, it's just now starting to have a negative effect on me. The negative effect being that it triggers my anxiety. Mind you, I have been drinking it since I was 13 years old. 13! Kai tells me that's well below the proper age to be drinking that. I believe him. Public School forces kids to wake up far earlier than they should. Most kids just didn't cope with it. I, however, decided to drink coffee. And years later, it became a detriment to my health. Is this specifically an American thing? Or are other school systems across the world like that? Waking children up at 4:30 or 5:00 in the morning... That should be outlawed.

Aside from the whole caffeine debacle, the things have been going pretty well. I had to get my antidepressant dosage upped recently. As it turns out, Wellbutrin is also used to treat ADHD, which is something I have. And the dosage I used to take only lasted around 6 to 8 hours, and when it wore off, it would cause a mental fog so deep that I couldn't think. I couldn't even hear the guys, which is beyond upsetting to me. So, I got a bigger dosage that lasted longer, and now things are back to the status quo. What a relief.

I suppose I'll end this here. I don't want to bore you with any more details, and my focus is waning a little bit. So, I'll see you around! Thank you for reading!

[mariacallous]

In 2007, Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone, a revolutionary device that captured global attention and changed the landscape of both technology and education. This pocket-sized computer offered students unprecedented access to information through its Safari browser, making multimedia learning more accessible—especially for those with disabilities. It also provided a more affordable alternative to laptops, helping democratize access to learning opportunities for those who could afford an iPhone, and soon, Android alternatives.

While some educators and parents initially voiced trepidation about potential distractions, the excitement surrounding this portable, multifunctional device drowned out most concern to the contrary. Over time, however, enthusiasm began to wane as troubling issues surfaced. Students, along with their teachers and parents, increasingly found themselves glued to their digital distraction devices, leading to a host of negative outcomes, including declining student well-being, rising rates of depression, anxiety, and even suicidal thoughts. Teachers struggled to capture the attention of students who were often distracted by their smartphones. In much of the globe, currently, the overwhelming discourse is not about how helpful phones are, but rather how harmful.

This cautionary tale is all too familiar today. The story of mobile phones reflects a broader theme in technological advancement: every innovation—from television to social media—carries both benefits and drawbacks. As Melvin Kranzberg, a technology historian, observed, “technology is neither good nor bad; nor is it neutral.” While we can predict some of these effects, others take years to manifest. Thomas Edison, the inventor of the light bulb, famously predicted that electricity would liberate women from house work, but did not anticipate that the electrification of homes would add additional duties to housekeeping like vacuuming.

Given technology’s dual nature, its unanticipated consequences, and the difficulty of predicting the trajectory of its impact—even by its developers—we must exercise caution in the claims we make about technology and anticipate and address potential negative impacts as new tools continue to be widely adopted.

A new Brookings global task force on AI and education

Rather than waiting five to ten years to discover the negative impacts of artificial intelligence (AI), we at the Center for Universal Education (CUE) have embarked on a two-year initiative to conduct a “premortem” on generative AI in the context of global education. This proactive approach aims to identify potential first- and second-order negative impacts; explore actions to mitigate these negative impacts; and identify strategies so that AI can help educators address the most pressing educational problems while also supporting teachers and students. The task force will explore answers to two central questions:

What are the potential risks that generative AI poses to children’s education, learning, and development from early childhood through secondary school?

Knowing these risks, what can we do differently today to harness the opportunities that AI offers for children’s learning and development?

AI is not new. For years, Intelligent Tutoring Systems have harnessed AI elements to provide students with personalized feedback and guidance. The release of a free version of Chat GPT in November 2022 transformed both our understanding of AI and conversations about this new tool. As with many technologies, rapid technological developments in generative AI have far outpaced debates, policies, and regulatory frameworks governing its role in education. According to UNESCO, as of three years ago, only seven countries had AI frameworks or programs for teachers and only 22 had AI competency frameworks for students. School systems around the world are grappling with understanding what generative AI capabilities mean for their daily practice of teaching and learning alongside what it means for the very grammar of schooling itself. Some organizations are helping chart the way with evolving resources to guide schools, such as Teach AI’s toolkit which outlines seven principles for using AI in education, including maintaining human decisionmaking when using AI.

Of central concern to the education community is ensuring teachers, and educators at all levels, are not only participating in but driving the dialogue on AI use in education. “The fire is at the teachers’ feet, the environment in which they are teaching is changing and they are having the rug pulled out from under them without support,” says Armand Doucet, senior advisor for artificial intelligence in education in the government of New Brunswick, Canada. “The support they need goes way beyond training on using particular tools,” he argues.

Indeed one of the major questions with which the Task Force will grapple is the potential costs of ceding our intellectual labor to AI. The proliferation of more powerful and sophisticated AI in education tools raises fundamental questions about the role of teachers and students. Take teachers as a case in point: AI tools increasingly automate teacher work such as lesson planning, instructional differentiation, and student grading and feedback, potentially saving teachers hours of work and improving their ability to support students. But at what point do these efficiency gains erode the deep, personalized knowledge of students and the human insights that are at the professional core of being a teacher? This question is equally relevant for children’s own learning and development. Thus, educators are faced with numerous questions: What tasks should generative AI replace─but what tasks must remain human driven? Education systems must carefully consider which skills to preserve in this rapidly evolving landscape, balancing the benefits of AI automation with those of human-centered instruction.

A vision of positive human-AI collaboration   

By fostering open dialogue, reflection, and critical analysis, we can hopefully anticipate challenges, identify opportunities, and develop ethical frameworks to guide AI’s integration into education. It is our hope that this inclusive approach will help us harness AI’s benefits while mitigating risks, ensuring technology enhances rather than denigrates teaching and learning. Though we can’t predict every impact of this still rapidly evolving technology, through collective reflection we can become more aware, informed, and prepared to address potential ill effects proactively, steering AI’s integration toward a more positive and equitable educational future where human-AI collaboration thrives. Ultimately, we hope these insights will help us reconnect with the true purpose of education and reexamine our fundamental beliefs about what education should be to foster engaged, agentic learners who have the skills needed to co-create a more just, peaceful, and sustainable world.

We would love to hear your thoughts! We invite you or your organizations to share your insights with us on as we embark on this journey to conduct a premortem on AI in education by emailing leapfrogging@brookings.edu.

[gisellecardoza]

#5 Blog Post (10/3)

In what ways do games reflect the inequalities in the real world? 

Many games require a purchase of a console and/or for the game itself therefore not letting certain players join the game. Even games that are considered free still have certain packs that a player can purchase, giving them advantages in the game that others do not have. While games might not accurately represent the real world, it definitely reflects on how lower-income households, minorities, and women are treated. For example, when women play games that are dominated by male players they are usually dealing with harassment. It is also an unwelcoming environment because many players will use racial slurs and be misogynistic (Fickle, 2019). 

How can gaming and social media have a negative effect on children? 

Gaming and social media can have a major negative effect on children especially since many of them start playing games when they can hold a phone or a controller to the console they play on. There aren't many regulations for certain things like racism, sexism, and homophobic comments made on social media and on the games. Since children are seeing this in the game they are then able to think that it is okay for those things to happen when in fact it is not. What a person learns as a child is what they will be doing as an adult. 

In what ways can technological advancements of wargames have a positive impact?

Many of the wargames were ultimately developed by certain parts of the military. The Marine Corps reprogrammed a computer game to serve as a training simulator. Games like this can allow for those who are in active duty to play these games which would allow them to explore, and exploit the territories as if they were there themselves (Ow, 2003). It will allow those to have some type of simulation of war. 

Why is the concept of ‘colorblindness” a counterproductive ideology? 

In the article Race in Cyberspace, when white people are asked questions about racism and racial politics their answers include “race shouldn't matter” or “I don't see color.”  What they are not realizing is that they are refusing to see that it is actually discrimination. Colorblindness is an attempt to address social problems and relies on the idea that race differences don't matter, and actively ignoring the realities of society. 

Kolko, B. E., Nakamura, L., & Rodman, G. B. (2000). Race in cyberspace. Routledge.

Fickle, T. (2019). The race card: From gaming technologies to model minorities. New York University Press.

Ow, Jeffrey A. “The Revenge of the Yellowfaced Cyborg Terminator: The Rape of Digital Geishas and the Colonization of Cyber-Coolies in 3D Realms’ Shadow Warrior.” Asian America.Net: Ethnicity, Nationalism, and Cyberspace.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Mark Lacour and Zebulon Bell at Misinformation Review:

[This study used data from pre- and post-COVID surveys to examine vaccine attitudes in the United States. We found evidence consistent with an ideological “spillover” effect: Liberals’ attitudes became more positive towards non-COVID vaccines (flu, MMR, HPV, chickenpox) and conservatives’ attitudes became more negative. These spillover effects are perplexing because the COVID-19 vaccines were developed more rapidly than the others and (some of them) were the first to use mRNA technology on a mass scale to achieve immunization. Hence, there were reasons to isolate one’s attitudes towards the COVID-19 vaccines rather than generalize them. This exacerbates current vaccine communication challenges.]

[...]

Negative spillover effects are unfortunate because people theoretically had reasons to isolate their attitudes towards the COVID-19 vaccines from other vaccines rather than generalize them. For one, the COVID-19 vaccines were developed more quickly than the others, which is one of the sources of COVID-19 NVAs in the general population (Kreps et al., 2021). Some COVID-19 vaccines were also the first to use mRNA to create immunity on a large scale (Anand & Stahel, 2021). The mRNA components in these vaccines are entirely safe and are quickly destroyed within a few days of injection. However, some members of the public mistakenly believe that mRNA-based vaccines can alter their DNA and many organizations (e.g., Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [2023]) have had to debunk this misconception.

Negative spillover effects are particularly regrettable because each vaccine already presented its own unique set of difficulties in terms of boosting vaccination rates. For example, some people harbor false beliefs that the MMR vaccines cause autism (Leask et al., 2012). By contrast, the HPV vaccine can prompt uncomfortable conversations about sexually transmitted diseases for children ages 11 to 12 years old (Daley et al., 2010). The chickenpox vaccine might seem unnecessary to many parents because they grew up during a period when children were intentionally infected with chickenpox, sometimes at “chickenpox parties” (Parad, 2012). Parents might, therefore, under-appreciate warnings from experts about the risks of chickenpox.

Post-pandemic vaccine advocacy

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been two shifts in vaccine hesitancy that we think are particularly worth highlighting: a change in scale and a change in demography. First, there was a dramatic increase in vaccine refusal in the United States during and after the COVID-19 pandemic (Bolsen & Palm, 2022; Hart et al., 2020; Monroe & Savillo, 2021; Wood & Brumfiel, 2021). In fact, before the pandemic, inequalities in healthcare access likely overshadowed NVAs as a source of under-vaccination (Leask et al., 2012; Monais, 2019; Fuchs & Dicara, 2019).

The second major shift concerns demography. Before the pandemic, no single NVA group in the United States constituted a clear demographic majority. In many respects, NVA groups aligned demographically with liberals (Tomeny et al., 2017; Lubrano, 2019). Others had religious or philosophical motivations behind their NVAs, largely unrelated to politics (“A jab in time,” 2016). Before the pandemic, conservatives were just as likely to receive a flu vaccine as liberals (Enten, 2021). After the pandemic, conservatives appear to make up a majority of NVA groups in the United States (Wood & Brumfiel, 2021). This shift is likely due to political polarization surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. Then-President Trump downplayed the severity of the virus (Oprysko, 2020) and conservative media outlets were overwhelmingly negative towards the COVID-19 vaccines, questioning their safety and necessity (Monroe & Savillo, 2021). Politically red states ended up having the lowest COVID-19 vaccination rates and the highest COVID-19 death tolls (Wood & Brumfiel, 2021). If there has indeed been a negative spillover effect among U.S. conservatives, this suggests that the previous obstacles related to specific vaccines are now amplified by partisanship and political identity.

Leveraging misinformation research

The primary findings of this study are consistent with a spillover effect, where people generalized their attitudes (good or bad) towards the COVID-19 vaccines to unrelated vaccines. There are a number of potential cognitive explanations for this. For instance, it might have occurred because of an inductive inference (Davis et al., 2017; Tapp et al., 2018; Davis et al., 2020). Some people may have thought, “If most vaccines are safe and effective, then the COVID-19 vaccine will be too.” By contrast, others might have inferred something along the lines of, “Since the COVID-19 vaccines are unsafe and ineffective, other vaccines must be too.”

A similar explanation is that people remember the “gist” of COVID-19 information (or misinformation) after forgetting the specific (verbatim) information (fuzzy-trace theory;1Reyna et al., 2021). In other words, people with NVAs might have heard several specific statements about vaccines, but the details of these statements might have faded over time. All that is left over is the “gist” of this information: “Vaccines are bad” (or “good,” depending on one’s media diet). For someone with NVAs, then, no specific statement justifies their attitudes. Rather, the “gist” of many statements has left a generally negative impression. Thus, debunking specific claims in order to vindicate vaccines might fail to compensate for the influence left over from a larger number of negative, if poorly remembered, statements that seem to discredit said vaccines.

Negative spillover effects could also be explained by right-leaning media outlets repeating false or misleading information about the COVID-19 vaccines (Monroe & Savillo, 2021). The “illusory truth effect” occurs when false statements appear more plausible merely because they have been repeated. This is often attributed to subjective feelings of familiarity and ease of processing (cognitive fluency) caused by the repetitions (Brashier & Marsh, 2020). Thus, it is important to counter misinformation without repeating the original falsehoods.

According to a recent report in the Harvard Kennedy School’s Misinformation Review, politically-polarized attitudes towards the COVID-19 vaccine have increasingly spilled over to other vaccines, with liberals becoming increasingly pro-vaccine and conservatives becoming increasingly anti-vaccine.