California Bill Let’s Cyberbullied Kids Switch School Districts

November 30, 2011

Cyberbullying has the potential to hurt a victim in every aspect of life, including school performance. If a kid is being bullied, attempts to improve school performance without addressing the bullying are unsuccessful. One California bill aims to correct that.

Anti-bullying bill AB 1156 expands the definition of bullying to recognize its profound effects on victims. Bullying has a detrimental effect on mental and physical health, and bullied kids are unable to participate in school activities and resources like their peers.

The bill also allows bullied students to switch school districts, as determined by the school superintendent or principal. The goal of allowing bullied kids to start attending a new district is to remove them from an unhealthy setting – and hopefully allow them to improve their school performance.

It’s worth noting, though, that AB 1156 is written to address all types of bullying – not just cyberbullying. Cyberbullying doesn’t rely on physical proximity, and bullies can hurt their victims just as effectively from a great distance away. Unfortunately the bill doesn’t appear to be very effective at combating cyberbullying, which can continue no matter what school district a child ultimately attends.

Contributor: Jenny Evans is a mother of three and a freelance writer specializing in parenting, childhood, and family issues.

Impact of Online Gaming on Teen Sleep

November 18, 2011

Like most things teens might do to fill their time, online gaming has its pros and cons. Gaming improves hand-eye coordination, encourages problem solving, and can foster teamwork and social skills (in multi-player games.) On the other hand, too much of a good thing can be, well, bad. Several studies have followed the effects of gaming in teens, including the latest released by the American Psychiatric Association revealing a correlation between too little sleep and Internet gaming.

The study was actually an analysis of a 2009 study on media use by the Youth Risk Behavioral Survey (an arm of the Center for Disease Control,) where 16,000 teens self-reported on their lifestyle habits and sleeping patterns. Teens who reported playing online games were more likely to sleep less than 7 hours a night.
For their age group, 8 to 9 hours of sleep a night is recommended for teens. Statistically speaking, teens who don’t sleep enough suffer from decreased energy and ability to concentrate, plus increased moodiness, impulsivity, and suicidal thoughts.
Interestingly enough, the APA’s analysis also highlighted that other types of media exposure don’t have the same effect. Watching television was not linked to sleep deficits. Also interesting, physical activity was actually shown to improve sleep time in teens. Those who reported more exercise got more sleep, while those who reported less exercise also slept less.

While the study certainly doesn’t suggest that Internet gaming is bad (or even that gaming directly causes sleep deficits,) the results do show that gaming in moderation – especially when combined with a lifestyle that includes plenty of physical activity – is best for teens.

Jenny Evans is a mother of three and a freelance writer specializing in parenting, childhood, and family issues.