Social websites harm children's brains: Chilling warning to parents from top neuroscientist
Social networking websites are causing alarming changes in the brains of young users, an eminent scientist has warned.
Sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Bebo are said to shorten attention spans, encourage instant gratification and make young people more self-centred.
The claims from neuroscientist Susan Greenfield will make disturbing reading for the millions whose social lives depend on logging on to their favourite websites each day.
Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg. The popular website has made him a very rich man, but at what cost to human relationships?
But they will strike a chord with parents and teachers who complain that many youngsters lack the ability to communicate or concentrate away from their screens.
More than 150million use Facebook to keep in touch with friends, share photographs and videos and post regular updates of their movements and thoughts.
A further six million have signed up to Twitter, the 'micro-blogging' service that lets users circulate text messages about themselves.
But while the sites are popular - and extremely profitable - a growing number of psychologists and neuroscientists believe they may be doing more harm than good.
Baroness Greenfield, an Oxford University neuroscientist and director of the Royal Institution, believes repeated exposure could effectively 'rewire' the brain.
Experts are concerned children's online social interactions can 'rewire' the brain
Computer games and fast-paced TV shows were also a factor, she said.
'We know how small babies need constant reassurance that they exist,' she told the Mail yesterday.
'My fear is that these technologies are infantilising the brain into the state of small children who are attracted by buzzing noises and bright lights, who have a small attention span and who live for the moment.'
Professor Susan Greenfield: Concerned
Her comments echoed those she made during a House of Lords debate earlier this month. Then she argued that exposure to computer games, instant messaging, chat rooms and social networking sites could leave a generation with poor attention spans.
'I often wonder whether real conversation in real time may eventually give way to these sanitised and easier screen dialogues, in much the same way as killing, skinning and butchering an animal to eat has been replaced by the convenience of packages of meat on the supermarket shelf,' she said.
Lady Greenfield told the Lords a teacher of 30 years had told her she had noticed a sharp decline in the ability of her pupils to understand others.
'It is hard to see how living this way on a daily basis will not result in brains, or rather minds, different from those of previous generations,' she said.
She pointed out that autistic people, who usually find it hard to communicate, were particularly comfortable using computers.
'Of course, we do not know whether the current increase in autism is due more to increased awareness and diagnosis of autism, or whether it can - if there is a true increase - be in any way linked to an increased prevalence among people of spending time in screen relationships. Surely it is a point worth considering,' she added.
Psychologists have also argued that digital technology is changing the way we think. They point out that students no longer need to plan essays before starting to write - thanks to word processors they can edit as they go along. Satellite navigation systems have negated the need to decipher maps.
A study by the Broadcaster Audience Research Board found teenagers now spend seven-and-a-half hours a day in front of a screen.
Educational psychologist Jane Healy believes children should be kept away from computer games until they are seven. Most games only trigger the 'flight or fight' region of the brain, rather than the vital areas responsible for reasoning.
Sue Palmer, author of Toxic Childhood, said: 'We are seeing children's brain development damaged because they don't engage in the activity they have engaged in for millennia.
'I'm not against technology and computers. But before they start social networking, they need to learn to make real relationships with people.'
TEXT 2:
http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/1350040-Parents-being-Facebook-friends-with-teachers
This is page 1 of 1 (This thread has 21 messages.)
Parents being Facebook friends with teachers
(21 Posts)
Oggy Thu 24-Nov-11 10:16:54
Am I being unreasonable to think it is a bit inappropriate for a teacher to be Facebook friends with parents of pupils currently in their class?
My daughter's teacher has several Facebook friends that are parents of children in her class. I think it is a bit weird, she's not even a dormant friend as it were but comments regularly on statuses.
I have no specific concerns like favoritism or her saying things she shouldn't to these parent friends, it's just a general feeling of it doesn't seem right really.
Am I being totally uptight about it? I have no intention of doing or saying anything to anyone by the way, it just seemed that so many were friends with th teacher that I started to wonder whether it is me being out of touch with the times or not.
What do people think?
Sorry if this has come up before, haven't seen anything personally, may have missed it.
shesparkles Thu 24-Nov-11 10:18:04
Any teachers I know are strongly advised against it, so no, I don't think you're being uptight
i thought generally schools dont let them do that
I have loads of my kids teachers on bookface, it's not an issue.
shoobydoowop Thu 24-Nov-11 10:21:10
YANBU I dont understand why parents would want to let teachers in to their personal lives anyway
candr Thu 24-Nov-11 10:22:33
I don't do it and schools frown upon it unless you really are friends out of school, besides wouldn't want the ids reading what all my friends put on their status - good to keep a bit of your life out of the classroom.
DH is a teacher. Apart from being vehemently opposed to FB personally, his school has a policy against it.
The policy was drawn up for a specific reason, but it seems sensible to me.
Traceymac2 Thu 24-Nov-11 10:38:44
I am not a face book fan anyway but yes I think it's innappropriate. Surely there have to be professional boundaries between a teacher and the parents. They are not friends and if difficult issues arise with kids and parents this could complicate things when dealing with issues. As a nurse this would be inappropriate and I think it is the same for many professions.
I am FB friends with some of the learning support staff and admin staff at ds's school, because I am friends with them in "real life" too, but not with any of the teachers, although I would consider a couple of them to be friends. I think the school does have a policy discouraging it, and I'm not so desperate for FB friends that I would want them to flout it!
complexnumber Thu 24-Nov-11 10:55:48
I think I am missing something here, how on earth can one set of adults tell another adult 'you can't be friends with that person'?
Lucyinthepie Thu 24-Nov-11 11:06:57
It's about professional conduct. Ask the school for a copy of their acceptable use policy. I have been involved in several disciplinaries where teachers have unthinkingly posted something on their personal Facebook that has been seen by parents or pupils and caused offence, teachers need to think extremely carefully about this. They will have signed something saying that they must not carry out any actions that might bring the school into disrepute. Moaning about their treatment at work on Facebook could be deemed to be in that category for example. It's not worth the risk of being found to be guilty of misconduct or gross misconduct.
TimothyClaypoleLover Thu 24-Nov-11 11:27:07
Agree with
Lucyinthepie, its about professional conduct. A friend of mine who is a teacher posted photos of a drunken night out (mid week) and some of their friends made lewd comments on their wall. Cue complaint to the school from one of the parents who was also friends with teacher about possibility of being hungover in charge of children. Obviously you should not be hungover in charge of children but as a teacher you have to be very careful what you are prepared to divulge about your personal lives. I guess the olden day equivalent before internet would be a teacher bragging at the school gates about a drunken night out. That would not be seen as acceptable behaviour from the school's point of view or the parents.
I know a lot of teachers and most of their schools have a blanket ban on teachers being friends on FB with parents of the school children.
Oggy Thu 24-Nov-11 12:20:22
complexnumber: I don't think anyone is saying they can't be actual friends, people are just talking about Facebook friends. You can be actual friends without being Facebook friends.
And FWIW I wasn't suggesting a ban on it personally, just saying I found it a bit inappropriate personally and it didn't feel right.
For my part it does make me think even more carefully about what I post on there because even though I am not personally "friends" with that teacher I know that if other of my friends that is "friends" with her comment on one of my posts or pictures that will then become visible to that teacher so the whole thing does effect others that aren't even directly "friends" with that teacher themselves (if that even made sense).
But then why, if you're actual 'real life' friends, is it any less professional or odd to then be Facebook friends with someone?
TimothyClaypoleLover Thu 24-Nov-11 12:36:15
I think that is the point
Flisspaps, you should only be friends with people on FB who you are actually friends with in real life. Too many people try and outdo each other with how many FB friends they have when they are not actually friends with half of them.
I was responding to Oggy's comment:
You can be actual friends without being Facebook friends. That read to me as if she thought it was fine for the teacher to be RL friends with these parents - but not RL friends AND FB friends (to me it didn't read in that particular post that she was referring to JUST being FB friends).
That just seemed a bit odd to me.
TroublesomeEx Thu 24-Nov-11 12:43:43
What happens though if the teacher has a child at the school (as is the case at our school) where the teacher knows the parents in a private and professional capacity?
It also depends on how people use FB. I would never moan about work/friends/or get political on FB. My friends and I tend to share what we and our families are doing (interesting stuff though
) and catch up.
FourThousandHoles Thu 24-Nov-11 12:48:21
I think it's inappropriate
I am fb friends with the school secretary but only because her ds is the same age as dd1 and they were at nursery together back in the day, and we used to chat at parties etc
I'm also fb friends with some of the staff at dd2's nursery, but we added one another after dd1 left the same nursery (before dd2 was even considered) so that they could keep up with dd1's progress. I am rl friends with some of them now anyway as they have children similar ages to mine, so fine. They are very careful about what they post though.
Oggy Thu 24-Nov-11 12:50:16
Flisspaps: I guess because of the social networking element of it, the fact that what is said between you (unless inboxed) and between other mutual friends can then find its way to other people in a way that a private conversation between two friends over a cup of coffee doesn't.
Like I admitted in my OP, I don't have something concrete that I specifically object to but I guess what I said above is probably a factor.
I've got teacher friends who wouldn't touch Facebook with a bargepole. Their schools are equally underwhelmed with it and while they cannot ban staff from using Facebook it is actively discouraged.
YANBU, OP since I really do think Facebook can cause enormous problems with the personal and professional get mixed up in it.
beingarebel Thu 24-Nov-11 13:17:52
I think it wrong tbh and I think the school would have some guidance on this. Even private companies now have guidance on this. Mixing personal and work life has always been full of peril and FB just makes it easier for it to go tits up.
