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CT.gov - Connecticut's Official State Website

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The Basics of Living with Black Bears

Black bears are increasingly common in Connecticut. Reports of bear sightings, even in heavily populated residential areas, are on the rise. The Wildlife Division has also seen an increase in the number of reported conflicts with black bears. All residents should take time to become "BearWise" and learn about best practices to both reduce the likelihood of an encounter with a bear and know what to do in the event of an encounter.

Prevention is the only effective, long-term solution for human/bear conflicts!

The primary contributing factor to human-bear conflicts is the presence of easily-accessible food sources near homes and businesses. Black bears that consume human-associated food (e.g., birdseed, trash, pet food) on a regular basis become habituated (comfortable near people) and food-conditioned (associate humans, houses, and neighborhoods with food). As the bear population continues to grow and expand its range in Connecticut, and bears become increasingly food conditioned, conflicts will continue to increase. Food-conditioned bears pose a greater risk to public safety and often cause more property damage to houses, cars, pets, and livestock.

Connecticut residents should take the following simple steps to prevent human-caused conflicts with black bears.

You can also use our Be BearWise Checklist to learn what attracts bears and how you can keep bears way from your home and property.

BEARS NEAR YOUR HOME

Bears are attracted to garbage, pet food, compost piles, fruit trees, and birdfeeders. Make your place a "No-Bear-Food-Zone"!

1. NEVER feed bears, intentionally or accidentally!

2. Remove birdfeeders and bird food from late March through November. Clean up spilled seed from the ground. Store any unused bird seed and suet in a location not accessible to bears, such as a closed garage. Do not store bird seed in screened porches or sheds where bears will be able to rip screens or break through windows to access the seed. Several municipalities (such as Simsbury) have ordinances regarding feeding birds during certain times of the year, so check with your town first before putting up birdfeeders.

3. Store garbage in secure, airtight containers inside a garage or other enclosed storage area. Adding ammonia to trash cans and bags will reduce odors that attract bears. Periodically clean garbage cans with ammonia to reduce residual odor. Do not store recyclables in a porch or screened sunroom as bears can smell these items and will rip screens to get at them. Garbage for pickup should be put outside the morning of collection and not the night before. Ask your garbage removal company if they provide bear-proof garbage cans.

4. Keep barbecue grills clean. Store grills inside a garage or shed.

5. Do not leave pet food outdoors or feed pets outside.

6. Supervise pets at all times when outside.

7. Avoid placing meat scraps or sweet foods, such as fruit and fruit peels, in compost piles.

8. If you see a bear in your yard, do not approach it! Go into your house, garage, or other structure. If the bear persistently approaches, go on the offensive-shout, wave your arms, and throw sticks or rocks.

Watch this video on Managing Food, Garbage, and Other Attractants

BEARS SEEN WHEN HIKING OR CAMPING

Bears in natural settings normally leave an area once they have sensed a human. If you see a bear, enjoy it from a distance. Aggression by bears towards humans is exceptionally rare.

1. Hike in groups and make noise periodically.

2. If you see a bear before it sees you, do not approach the bear. Stay still and then back away quietly.

3. If you encounter a bear while hiking and it is aware of you, make your presence known by yelling or making other loud noises. Wave your arms over your head. Back away slowly and do not run or climb a tree. If the bear keeps approaching you, use bear spray (make sure you know how to use bear spray before heading out on your hike). Black bears rarely attack humans. If you are attacked, do not play dead. Fight back aggressively with anything available.

4. Keep dogs on a short leash when walking and hiking. This is for the safety of your dog, yourself, and the bear. A roaming dog might be perceived as a threat to a bear or its cubs. (Dogs are required to be on a leash when visiting State Parks, State Forests, and Wildlife Management Areas. Check dog and leash regulations for town properties, land trusts, and other public properties before heading to those areas.)

5. Do not cook food near your tent, or store food, trash, clothes worn while cooking, or toiletries inside your tent. Keep those items in a secure vehicle or use rope to suspend them between two trees.

Watch this video on How to React if You Encounter a Black Bear Outdoors

BEARS, LIVESTOCK, BEEHIVES, and CROPS

Bears occasionally attack livestock (chickens, goats, etc.) and damage beehives and crops.

1. Protect livestock with electric fencing and move livestock into barns at night if possible.

2. Reinforce beehives to prevent them from being knocked over and protect them with electric fencing.

3. Deterrents for crops include electric fencing, guard animals, and scare devices.

Watch this video on Preventing Wildlife Conflicts with Electric Fencing

Electric Fence Tips for Bears (informational card)

Electric Fences Keep Bears Out - BearWise Bulletin on how to install an electric fence to protect livestock and beehives.

Keep Bears Out: Livestock, Bees, Crops, Orchards - Tips from BearWise

Black Bear Agricultural Damage - The Connecticut General Assembly enacted Public Act 23-77 during the 2023 legislative session, creating a new authorization for permits to be issued by DEEP to take wildlife that "threatens or causes damage to agricultural crops, livestock or apiaries". This webpage lays out a structured approach that individuals should take to protect their agricultural products from bears in Connecticut.

WHEN BEARS COME TO VISIT

If a bear is seen in your town or neighborhood, leave it alone. In most situations, if left alone and given an avenue for escape, the bear will usually wander back into more secluded areas. Keep dogs under control. Stay away from the bear and advise others to do the same. Do not approach the bear to take a photo or video. Often a bear will climb a tree to avoid people. A crowd of bystanders will only stress the bear and also add the risk that the bear will be chased into traffic or the crowd of people.

When/How You Should Report a Bear Sighting or Encounter

1. You see a bear at a safe distance in your yard or on the trail: Bear sightings reported by the public provide valuable information to assist DEEP in monitoring changes in the black bear population. Anyone who observes a black bear in Connecticut is encouraged to report the sighting on DEEP's online reporting website or send an email to deep.wildlife@ct.gov. Information on the presence or absence of ear tags, including tag color and numbers, is particularly valuable. A common misconception is that a tagged bear is one that was involved in a conflict, and a bear with two ear tags was caught on two different occasions because of conflicts. Every bear receives two ear tags (one in each ear) the first time it is handled by DEEP biologists. Most tagged bears have been caught as part of a project researching the state's bear population. (Learn more about ear tags)

2. A bear has damaged your property or you have specific questions about bears: Contact the DEEP Wildlife Division at 860-424-3011.

3. If a bear is in a densely populated area, contact the DEEP Wildlife Division (860-424-3011, Monday-Friday, 8:30 AM-4:30 PM) or DEEP Dispatch (860-424-3333, 24 hours) to report the sighting and obtain advice. The mere presence of a bear does not necessitate its removal. However, the department may attempt to remove bears from urban locations when there is little likelihood that they will leave on their own and when they are in positions where immobilization is feasible. The department attempts to monitor bear activity in developed areas in coordination with local public safety officials. Coordination and cooperation with officials on the scene and local police officials is a key, critical ingredient in educating the public and assuring a safe, desirable outcome in such a situation.

4. In the rare instance when a bear appears to be aggressive toward people, or other immediate public safety concerns involving a bear: Contact DEEP's Environmental Conservation Police via DEEP's 24-hour emergency dispatch line at 860-424-3333.

Connecticut is a member of BearWise -- Helping people live responsibly with bears!

NEW! Action Plan for Communities in Bear Country - Find out how communities can work together to keep people and property safe and bears wild.

BearWise Kid's Corner

The State of the Bears - A Briefing on Bears in Connecticut

Get all the information on bears in Connecticut including bear population, conflicts, feeding ordinances, comparisons with other states, and the best ways to coexist with black bears.

NEW! Download the 2024 Report Here
Download the 2023 Report Here Back to Living with Black Bears Content last updated in October 2024.

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Learn about the steps you can take to reduce encounters and potential conflicts with Connecticut's growing black bear population.

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We knew this question would spark lively debate among readers. School is a big part of life, not just for kids but for their families and for educators, too. Everyone has an opinion about what's best for students. And they don't always agree.

Do kids need homework? The answer is . . . (drumroll): It depends. Some of our readers insist that the extra work reinforces what they learn in class. And it helps teachers identify where students need more help. Others say homework adds to students' stress and takes time away from exercise or learning something new. Readers also wondered what kind of homework kids should do. And how much kids need. Here's what they said.

COURTESY SENTHILKUMAR MURUGESAN
Pradyun Senthilkumar, 9 Los Angeles, California
Kids need homework. When they learn something new in school, reviewing it at home helps them remember it. At my school, teachers give math and language arts homework. That's because there's a lot we need to learn. In math, we're learning addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. In language arts, we're learning spelling, reading, and writing. And we're also learning how to speak. Our homework gives our teachers valuable information. It tells them how much students are paying attention in class and who needs extra help. Homework is important at every stage of learning.

COURTESY HAIYAN WANG
Olivia Lin, 9 Minnetonka, Minnesota
In my opinion, giving students homework is a bad idea. Kids need time after school for experiences that build a healthy mind and body. Homework is not supposed to stress kids out. It's meant to help them grow. But when homework heaps up, students get stressed. And the quality of homework that a stressed-out mind produces is low. Doing homework poorly is worse than doing no homework. As long as students are working hard in class, it's best not to give them extra work. That's for the sake of their mental and physical health. And their happiness.

COURTESY EMILY GRIZZELL
Isla Dhaliwal-Grizzell, 8 Spokane, Washington
Kids need homework. But the amount should vary by age. Middle and high school students are ready for added responsibility. So they can do much more homework. At my school, elementary students get homework, but not too much. My teacher might assign us spelling words to learn at home, and each week we'll be given a test. But other assignments can require families to work with kids at home, if they need extra help. That's why we do most of our learning in class. Sometimes, elementary students at my school will have an optional homework assignment to do for a special prize.

COURTESY MICHELLE MCKEE
Isaac McKee, 11 Durham, North Carolina
Kids don't need homework. They're learning for six hours a day at school, focusing on subjects from math and science to history and reading. Adding another hour of work for kids to do at home is just having them repeat what they've been doing all day. Plus, homework takes time away from activities like team sports, hobbies, exercise, and playing. These are just as important as schoolwork, because they keep kids active. Kids don't need more time staring at a piece of paper or a computer screen. Homework just covers what they already learned in class. It's pointless.

COURTESY JOLYNN XIAO
Jolynn Xiao, 9 Corpus Christi, Texas
Here's why I think kids should have homework. If you can't solve a math problem, or if you answer a question incorrectly on a homework assignment, your teacher knows exactly what to help you with. Parents also have a chance to help. They can work you through a math problem or clarify a question. I'm not arguing for homework because I want kids to feel a lot of pressure at school. I just think it's a way to let teachers, parents, and even you know where you might need some improvement or extra help. It's that simple. Considering the benefits, why wouldn't we want kids to have homework?

COURTESY NATHANIEL KIM
Nathaniel Kim, 11 South Pasadena, California
Many people believe that homework is essential. They say it can teach kids how to complete tasks on a deadline. I don't deny that homework teaches students positive work habits. But it takes time away from learning material that wasn't covered in class. And there's no guarantee that time spent on homework will be more effective than time spent in the classroom, if students are paying attention and taking notes. Homework should not be done away with completely. But it should be reduced so students have more time for creative activities.

The Next Debate! Should all cars be electric? Email your opinion to tfkeditors@time.com by March 3. Your response might be featured in an upcoming issue.

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We knew this question would spark lively debate among readers. School is a big part of life, not just for kids but for their families and for educators, too. Everyone has an opinion about what's best for students. And they...

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Skip to main content

Happy is an Asian elephant. She lives at the Bronx Zoo, in New York City. But the Nonhuman Rights Project (NhRP) says the zoo doesn't give Happy the space and socialization she needs. The NhRP is taking the Bronx Zoo to court. The case will be heard next year. It has restarted talks about whether zoos should still exist. Some say zoos save species from extinction. Others argue that living in captivity is bad for an animal's health. Here, TIME for Kids readers weigh in.

KELLI NICOLE PHOTOGRAPHY
Grace Hipp, 8 Nashville, Tennessee
Many animal species are saved from extinction thanks to zoos. This past summer, I saw the California condor at the San Diego Zoo and learned about the breeding program there. Several decades ago, these vultures were almost wiped out in the wild. But the zoo has taken some of them in and helped them breed. Now there are many more California condors.

COURTESY WINKI WARRENSON
Yanni Warrenson, 12 San Francisco, California
We shouldn't have zoos. In zoos, animals might not be given proper living conditions. They might also be mistreated. Animals can feel stressed by cage restraint, an unfamiliar environment, and the presence of humans. A 2003 study of 35 species of carnivores found that zoo enclosures were too small for some of the animals to carry out their normal routines.

LIFETOUCH PHOTOGRAPHY
Shane Madrak, 10 Foster City, California
We should still have zoos for a few reasons. Zoos provide animals with food and a habitat that is made to look like their natural habitat. Zoos also breed animals to increase their population. And most zoos have educational programs that help children learn about different animals and conservation efforts.

COURTESY ANNSLEY SLAWSKY
Susie Slawsky, 9 Pelham, New York
Animals are kept away from their homes and put in fenced areas or cages. If it's a crowded day at the zoo, some animals might get overwhelmed. When they're in zoos, they can also lose their natural instincts. If they were released into the wild, they wouldn't know how to survive. An animal's health is more important than our entertainment.
The Next Debate! Should the government set screen-time limits for kids? Email tfkeditors@time.com by January 6, 2021 for the chance to appear in an upcoming issue.

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Happy is an Asian elephant. She lives at the Bronx Zoo, in New York City. But the Nonhuman Rights Project (NhRP) says the zoo doesn't give Happy the space and socialization she needs. The NhRP is taking the Bronx Zoo...

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Council Post: AI In The Classroom: Pros, Cons And The Role Of EdTech Companies

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Let us explore the pros and cons of AI as a tool in the classroom, address the concern that AI could be a threat to teachers’ and instructors’ jobs, and discuss the role of edtech companies in advancing this AI use case.

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What Is Age-Appropriate Use of AI? 4 Developmental Stages to Know About

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Child development experts and teachers offer advice on when K-12 students should start using AI-powered tech and for what purposes.

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AI to have ‘massive impact’ in schools, say experts. Here are the pros and cons

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How will AI affect classrooms? Experts say it’s likely to have a massive effect on schools, but kids need to be taught to use it responsibly.

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Artificial intelligence is part of our everyday lives. It makes our smart devices work, and you may already be using an AI program in school. But advanced chatbots, like ChatGPT, are new. They are called generative AI. Ask a chatbot a question, and it will generate a whole essay. Some educators worry that chatbots could prevent students from learning on their own. Should students use AI to do their school assignments? We asked our TFK Kid Reporters to argue both sides of the case.
Dylan Patel, 13 San Diego, California
Artificial intelligence could revolutionize the way students learn. Many fear that chatbots can be used as a cheating tool. But safeguards are always being improved, and chatbots can be programmed to guide students through questions instead of giving them the answer. Chatbots can work with teachers, too. They can help teachers create data-driven lesson plans, to individualize student learning. Nobody has to fall behind in class! And AI tutors can provide 24/7 support for students. AI is here to stay. Either you move with the times, or the times will move without you!
Harper Carroll, 10 Boston, Massachusetts
Schoolwork should teach kids skills and develop their brains. While technology can be a useful tool, kids need to become competent at basic tasks independently. This is why kids learn how to do computation, even though calculators have existed for a long time. And it's why schools teach penmanship and spelling, when most adults write using computers. Kids' brains need to be exercised to develop, just like their bodies. AI may benefit adults, but it would be detrimental to children if they used AI before they mastered the building blocks of an education.
Alexa Oh, 11 Seattle, Washington
Teaching kids how to use AI can prepare them for our technology-filled future. According to a YouGov poll, most Americans think it's necessary for students to learn AI-related skills for their future careers. Using AI can help build the critical thinking and problem-solving kids will need. And it's better that students learn about AI's limitations now: its biases, its potential to spread misinformation, and the ways it could be misused. I believe that as long as it's done well, teaching AI in schools will change society for the better.
Ninis Twumasi, 12 New York, New York
We shouldn't introduce generative AI into schools, for a few reasons. First, chatbots and other AI programs are getting more and more advanced every day. Teachers might not know how to best integrate them into their classes. Second, think of the cost to schools. Many wouldn't be able to afford the latest technology, and that's not fair to students. And most of all, AI lacks the humanity and emotion that kids get from a teacher. That human connection is important. A chatbot just feeds students information. But teachers know how to help students retain information.
The Next Debate: Should students be rewarded for perfect attendance? Email your opinion to tfkeditors@time.com by October 13, 2023. Your response might be featured in an upcoming issue.
*Submissions have been edited only for length and clarity. They are not intended to reflect the views of TIME for Kids. Ages are accurate as of the time of submission.

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Artificial intelligence is part of our everyday lives. It makes our smart devices work, and you may already be using an AI program in school. But advanced chatbots, like ChatGPT, are new. They are called generative AI. Ask a chatbot...

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Is Artificial Intelligence Good for Society?

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Many people are embracing artificial intelligence, or AI. Tools such as ChatGPT use AI to produce text quickly. Some people find that helpful for school or work. Other AI tools create images or chat bots. But AI isn’t always accurate…

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CT Lawmakers, Activists Working to Address Bear-Related Incidents

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Introductory Video: When is Your Brain Ready for Social Media

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Introductory Video: When is Your Brain Ready for Social Media

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Background on Marley Dias' Mission

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CBS This Morning interview with Marley Dias on her new mission for racial harmony with her new book called "Marley Dias Gets it Done and So Can You!"

Source: CBS This Morning
Date Aired: Jan 30, 2018

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CBS This Morning interview with Marley Dias on her new mission for racial harmony with her new book called "Marley Dias Gets it Done and So Can You!" Source: CBS This Morning Date Aired: Jan 30, 2018

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The Pros and Cons of Social Media and Youth - Video 

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The Pros and Cons of Social Media and Youth - Video 

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Pros and Cons; Perspective

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The pros and cons of social media and its impact on youth

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More and more children and teens are using social media as now 71 percent of teens use more than one social media app on a day-to-day basis. The constant scrolling and posting means kids can interact with hundreds of friends and strangers per day, and experts say it impacts mental health.

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When Should Kids Be Allowed to Use Social Media? 

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When Should Kids Be Allowed to Use Social Media? 

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Evaluating the argument

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Social media is something that can do both good and bad for society with all things having been considered and taken into account. While adults should be free to use social media if they choose as long as they know about the potential downsides, a growing consensus has emerged that kids should be kept away from it, although there is no consensus as of right now on what the minimum age should be to allow kids to start using social media in the first place all in all.

With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that a study conducted by the Wellesley Centers for Women and Lynch Research Associates has come up with a possible minimum age, and it's 11.

Children younger than 11 that were exposed to social media were found to exhibit problematic digital behaviors, a term that the paper itself uses, once they got a bit older. Kids are often allowed to use social media at a very young age but this is harmful because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up making them inculcate bad habits that would be really difficult for them to avoid later on in life.

The study involved a survey of 750 kids in middle school, and the ones that joined social media before the age of 11 often had friends online that were not healthy for them to be around. Parents often control who their kids meet and see in real life, and this should extend to their online friendships as well otherwise it would be somewhat difficult to prevent these kids from making mistakes that they would not fully understand the implications of due to their young age.

Most social media platforms require their users to be at least thirteen years of age, but the problem with this is that you can put in your date of birth yourself which means that kids can effectively lie about their age and not have to face any consequences. More safety nets need to be put in in order to ensure that kids aren't using social media when they should be experiencing more positive things in life. Until and unless something of this sort happens, one simply can't say that the future generation is safe and it will be hard to see them develop behavioral disorders due to early social media exposure.

Credit: Michael Zwahlen/Getty Images/EyeEm

Read next: Researchers Show Privacy Policies Are Too Complex for Some Age Groups to Understand

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digital information world: when should kids be allowed to use social media? scientists might have an answer

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Social media is something that can do both good and bad for society with all things having been considered and taken into account.

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Kids and social media: Online safety tips every parent should know

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Kids and social media: Online safety tips every parent should know

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Perspective & Point of View

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As connected as kids are today, it can be a full-time job for parents to know everything they're doing online.

Many kids may seem comfortable with technology and the internet, but you might forget that they're still learning and may not be prepared to spot the risks and pitfalls of being constantly connected - especially when it comes to social media.

Here are some helpful tips so you and your children can enjoy social media more safely.

Communicate with your kids about social media safety

Talk to your kids. Have conversations about how to avoid strangers, how to prevent revealing too much about themselves, and general internet safety. Teach them about some of the social media safety tips in this article to help them learn about what could be red flags. And encourage them to come to you for guidance when questionable content or situations arise.

Social media safety tips for kids and parents

1. Educate yourself about social media. Start by finding out what kind of apps and sites your child is interested in. Read app reviews, age limits, and fine print.

2. Get a head start. If you don't have an account on the social media site your child wants to use, get one. Teach yourself the ins and outs of the site. Make sure you know exactly what they can and cannot do, and decide what they should and shouldn't do.

3. Teach your kid about posting on sites. Deleting a post does not mean it's permanently gone. All their online posts, comments, likes, and shares are a part of their digital footprint. Posting inappropriate content could impact their online reputation. It may not seem like a big deal now, but it could potentially hurt them when they get older and enter college or the job market.

4. Let your kids know the importance of privacy. Many social media sites request names, dates of birth, school names, and hometown. Teach your children how much personal information is too much information online. And remember that these types of personally identifying information, if exposed in a data breach, could make them vulnerable to identity theft.

Monitoring your kids' social media accounts

You keep an eye on your child in the real world. It's smart to be aware of their digital life, too. Here are a few tips for monitoring your child's social media accounts.

1. Most apps have an age requirement. Enforce it.

2. Check the privacy setting on apps regularly. Companies often update their privacy policies. Make sure you read the fine print.

3. Consider using a trusted security suite with parental controls on your child's device. Enable all safety features that prevent children from accidently being exposed to inappropriate content online.

4. Make sure you change the settings on their devices to ask your permission before installing an app.

5. Learn their dialect. Kids have a language of their own when it comes to communicating online. Make sure you know what they're talking about.

Helpful information about social networking sites frequented by teens

Here are some popular social media sites and the facts you should know about them.

1. Instagram
Minimum age: 13 years
Users can snap, edit, and share photos and short videos. Privacy settings allow content to be private or public. The platform allows sharing and commenting. As long as the account is private, no one can view or comment on a post. Risks include sharing inappropriate content among friends and sharing location publicly by using the location tags.

2. WhatsApp
Minimum age: 16 years
A widely popular messaging app, WhatsApp allows users to send text messages, audio messages, videos, and photos to one or many people with no message limits or fees. It limits access to only those people in your contact list. But people in a group chat who aren't on your contact list can communicate with you.

3. Snapchat
Minimum age: 13 years
A popular photo-sharing app, Snapchat lets users share pictures and videos for a preset length of time. Content will self-destruct when that time runs out. But keep in mind, people can still take screenshots and save the content. It gives a false sense of permanent deletion. The Discover feature may allow kids to have access to inappropriate content.

4. Twitter
Minimum age: 13 years
A microblogging site that has the option to keep 'tweets' private or public. It can help teens keep up with their friends and favorite celebrities. Even though Twitter has the option to delete a tweet, the posted content could have been copied or stored.

5. Facebook
Minimum age: 13 years
This widely used social media app lets users share pictures, videos, and comments. It also has an instant messaging feature. Facebook helps teens catch up with friends, family and events.

Social media safety first

Here are some online safety tips to help your child minimize their exposure on social media.

Know your network. Advise your child never to approve friend requests or add people that they don't know in real life. Be sure they know never to meet anyone in person that they have only met online.

Beware of imposters. Catfishing is a form of cyberstalking where the user sets up a fake profile and poses as someone else - often as another child - to try to engage contact with your child. Educate yourself about catfishing and cyberstalking, and then teach your child the red flags to look out for. Some of these include a limited number of photographs that look staged, asking for intimate photos or money, moving away from social media sites that are capable of catching catfishing.

Avoid questionnaires. "Free" giveaways and contests, or online quizzes, can be tempting. They can also be phishing scams that will try to trick your children into giving away personal information or to allow hackers to try to inject malware onto their computers.

Educate yourself about phishing scams. If your child really wants to enter a contest, review it first and make sure it's legitimate.

Guard your location. Here's a popular practice: personalizing social media status updates with a live location taken from a mobile device's GPS. Kids may have fun tagging posts or photos with a location, but parents may not want their child's precise whereabouts broadcast to the world.

Here's what you can do. Go into the settings menu on your child's device and disable location services. This can be done just for specific apps while still allowing maps and other useful tools to access location data.

Watch out for apps within sites. Your kid may want to use games and other third-party apps within social networking sites. But such apps can share or post information by default without you knowing about it. Good ones will state clearly that they'll never post on your behalf. For lesser-known apps, consider whether you want your child to allow the apps to access social media accounts at all.

Set ground rules for your kids on social media

It's no secret that teens and preteens are very active on social media, which can make it a challenge for parents to keep an eye on their social media activity. Setting up a few rules may help relieve some of the stress that comes with parenting and social media.

Here are a few tips for parents on kids' internet safety

1. Keep the computer in a common area of your home - like your living room or kitchen. Have designated areas to use tablets and cell phones. This can help you monitor what sites your child is visiting. Plus, they may be less tempted to visit sites or perform activities they're not allowed to if you're nearby.

2. Only allow your child to access the internet for a limited, set time each day. Homework might be an exception. Social media sites can be a time suck, and you don't want your child spending all of their free time online.

3. If your child wants to join a social media site, request that you have access to their account credentials. This can help you check for undesirable activities, such as adding suspicious friends, receiving questionable messages, or posting unkind content.

4. If your child is an older teen, they may think giving you full access to their account is too invasive. Consider a compromise. Require them to add you as a friend so you can monitor their activities via your own account.

5. Stick with age-appropriate sites. Most social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram have an age minimum of 13 years. Some of these sites have additional security settings for minors, as well. Facebook, for example, automatically imposes stricter privacy settings for kids than for adults, so be sure your child is using the correct birth year upon signup. Twitter gives a user the option for an account to be private. In that case, the user approves all follow requests.

6. And don't forget, always review the privacy settings on your child's profile.

Set parental controls with Norton Security Premium

Here's a simple way to add an extra layer of online safety: consider signing up for Norton Security Premium. It shows you when your child registers for a social media account from their PC, and the name and age they use on their profile.

A robust security suite can give you insights into your child's Android mobile device activities, too, letting you choose which apps they can use - and even allowing you to turn off access to Facebook or YouTube via Norton Family Premier parental controls. This way your child has the freedom to safely use the internet.

As a parent, you'll be able to efficiently supervise your child's Android device and know when to intervene.

Most kids will use the internet eventually. That's why it's smart to know the risks and benefits of social media. Your knowledge and supervision can help provide an extra layer of protection when they go online.

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Kids and social media: Online safety tips every parent should know

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As connected as kids are today, it can be a full-time job for parents to know everything they're doing online. Many kids may seem comfortable with technology and the internet, but you might forget that they're still learning and may not be prepared to spot the risks and pitfalls of being constantly connected - especially when it comes to social media.

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8 Reasons Why Parents Should Allow Their Kids to Use Social Media Sites 

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8 Reasons Why Parents Should Allow Their Kids to Use Social Media Sites 

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Perspective; Point of View; Evaluating the Argument

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They say there are only two absolute things in life: death and taxes. However, in this fast-paced generation, you might want to add one more: kids and the Internet are inseperable.

It doesn't matter if a child's not old enough to read, literacy''s not an issue when it comes to using the Internet. Research group Joan Ganz Cooney Center, an organization affiliated with Sesame Street, found that a quarter of young children under age six are surfing the Internet regularly, with many parents passing on their old smart phones for their kids to play with. And aside from serving as trendy toys, modern gadgets are also, for some, serving as a babysitting device - when kids are immersed in an online game, parents can proceed with other tasks.

There also seems to be a new rite of passage as young children discover social media as a new tool to socialize - i.e. baby's first social media profile picture, baby's first status update and baby's first "Like." This is because more and more kids are opening accounts on social networking sites - research by Opinium revealed that 59% of kids below the age of 10 have joined social media, with some 52% signing up on Facebook (despite the Facebook entry threshold being 13). And those numbers are much higher among teens - according to a Pew Research, 95% ages 12-17 are online with 81% using some kind of social media.

Kids on social media networks can be a scary scenario for parents, however with proper guidance, the effects of modern gadgets on child development can also be largely beneficial.

Here are some of the ways that social media platforms can be of benefit to kids.

1. Feeling confident

Social media can help young children feel more comfortable about communicating and being around others. When they click "Like" or comment on a post, they gain confidence and become less shy. A Common Sense Media study showed that 29% of teens using social media felt that it it helped them feel less shy, while 20% indicated that it can help them feel more confident. When a child appears to be introverted and awkward around other people, social media interactions can assist in the process of building that confidence and developing a better understanding of how to communicate.

2. Feeling friendly

Social media can also help in boosting social interaction among kids - it's a more comfortable environment where children can initiate new relationships without feeling awkward and anxious.

Social platforms can help kids make friends and enable them to build more familiarity with other children. When they greet a friend or Like a photo, they start a virtual interaction, giving them a chance to practice their social skills with the relative distance and safety that social media offers.

3. Feeling connected

Technology was made to connect people and strengthen relationships. Social media can help improve family relationships and be a shared interest among family members.

Interacting via social networking sites can provide a sort of a safety net, helping children to be more honest when they're posting updates or tweets. Through social media, parents can get a better idea of what their children are feeling, thinking, and doing.

For some, it can form a kind of point of entry into their child's life - viewing photos of friends and other contacts or going through a timeline can be a moment of discovery for both the parent and the child, and can help open those lines of communication and understanding.

4. Feeling smart

The Internet is a web of information, and social media is no exemption.

A report by Globe and Mail indicated that social media is actually making kids smarter. Aside from improved social skills, social media can also help improve cognitive abilities, like problem solving skills, comprehension, critical thinking, and memory. For example, they learn to critically discern which information is useful and which is not.

In a related study, the e-Learning Foundation showed that children with Internet access at home get higher grades.

5. Feeling informed

In addition to helping school children with their research and assignments, the internet can also provide them with insights useful in their daily lives.

When you log on to social media, you can find news events, helpful tips, the latest in music, movies, and sports, etc. Social media can help kids understand what's happening and what they need to know.

6. Feeling helpful

Researchers from Iowa University found that pro-social video games, or games that require interaction via social platforms, can encourage better behavior and tolerance for others. The study revealed that kids tend to be more helpful after playing pro-social games.

This is another reason why parents should allow their kids to use social media: children can become more compassionate and empathetic, and even feel like they have to protect their friends and share stuff with them. Pro-social video games can also reduce aggressive cognitions.

7. Feeling relaxed

Social media can help mitigate stress by providing an outlet through which children can express their disappointments, frustrations, and fears.

It can also provide additional social support from a wide range of people. At the same time, social media can also be a means of distraction that can help children get over stressful experiences.

8. Feeling welcome

Being part of a social network can make a child feel that he is part of something bigger than himself. The feeling of belonging to a network can help in building a child's self-belief and confidence, while also enhancing a child's sense of responsibility and connection to his "team". In a social network, kids can generate shared experiences with their friends and feel appreciated and loved.

Social media is here to stay and yes, it can help. Allowing your kids to use social media comes with a list of pros and cons, but when parents commit themselves to providing guidance and watching over the child's online activities, social media can help in a child's development.The impact of technology and social media doesn't depend on technology itself, but how parents educate and inform their children about them, and set realistic parameters around their use.

Main image via Lucella Ribiero/Flickr

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8 Reasons Why Parents Should Allow Their Kids to Use Social Media Sites

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They say there are only two absolute things in life: death and taxes. However, in this fast-paced generation, you might want to add one more: kids and the Internet are inseperable. It doesn't matter if a child's not old enough to read, literacy''s not an issue when it comes to using the Internet.

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What Pros and Cons does Social Media Have for Your Children? 

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What Pros and Cons does Social Media Have for Your Children? 

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Pros and Cons; Perspective; Evaluating the Argument

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In this modern and technological world and generation we live in, it is easy for children and young teens to access different social media platforms. A lot of teenagers and children are into gadgets and electronics. As early as 5 years old, they learn to navigate a simple smartphone or tablet in a span of minutes. Gadgets and electronics expose your children to different social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, which they can use to communicate with their friends and relatives, but how safe are these social media platforms for your children?

A lot of concerns and debates are arising from parents and experts alike about this exposure of children to social media. However, this cannot be fully avoided knowing that social media and technology are always innovating and upgrading day by day. One thing that parents can do about this is to monitor their kids from time to time. If they're still under 10 years old, you can monitor their usage of gadgets by making it child-friendly and navigating their settings into a more private one. This will help you control your child's exposure to the internet.

Parents are now more concerned about the negative effects of their children's exposure to social media because of the stories and news they see in social media platforms as well. Most sites are not child-friendly because people have the freedom to post whatever they like, which can be dangerous to your child as well. Although it is not entirely a bad thing that your child is exposed to social media even at a young age, they should still be taught how to use it in a responsible way. With this, we have come listed down some pros and cons of social media on children.

Since we live in a generation that is all about technology, it is important for children to be aware that social media exists. You can teach them that information and news can be taken from social media. Children who are taught early about social media most likely can digest its effects well and in a healthier way compared to children who are taught late about it. They will become more responsible social media users as they grow up as well.

Getting into social media platforms can also enhance their social skills by interacting with their friends and meeting new people. This will help them build a network of friends and connections that they can use in school, extracurricular clubs, and someday in the future their profession. Social networking is an ongoing and useful tool that molds children to adapt to the real world they live in.

However, even with the pros of social media listed above, it can also turn into a black hole that has online and cyber thieves that do identity theft, stalking, bullying, and artificial peer sets that can bring danger to your child. There is a reason why social media platforms require children who are below 18 years old to provide their parent's consent when they make an account. Parents sometimes falsify their children's information to allow their children to use it at an early age, while also supervising them.

Parents are also aware that bullying is rampant in different social media platforms. Although this is seemingly virtual, it may trigger physical violence as well. A lot of online culprits and hackers make accounts that they use to victimize other people, especially unsuspecting children. This is why it is important for parents to keenly monitor their child's social media usage.

Social media has its good side and its bad side. What parents need to remember, is to instill responsibility in their children's minds as they handle these different social media platforms.

© 2022 ParentHerald.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.

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What Pros and Cons Does Social Media Have for Your Children?

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In this modern and technological world and generation we live in, it is easy for children and young teens to access different social media platforms. A lot of teenagers and children are into gadgets and electronics. As early as 5 years old, they learn to navigate a simple smartphone or tablet in a span of minutes.

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Pros and Cons; Part to Whole; Author's Craft

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Create a new document and edit with others at the same time -- from your computer, phone or tablet. Get stuff done with or without an internet connection. Use Docs to edit Word files. Free from Google.

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Teaching Kids to be Smart about Social Media 

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Teaching Kids to be Smart about Social Media 

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Pros and Cons; Part to Whole

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Teaching Kids to Be Smart About Social Media

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Before kids or teens hit "enter," make sure they know the rules when it comes to oversharing, teasing, posting personal info, and other online don'ts.

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The Pros and Cons of Children on Social Media 

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The Pros and Cons of Children on Social Media 

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Pros and Cons

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contributed by Jennifer Smith

In our social media-charged society, it's easy to assume that children should not be on sites like Facebook and Twitter.

Concerns range from safety to attention span to diminished 'real life' social skills to posture, blue light, and other dangers of screen time.

Our newsfeed is full of horrifying stories of when social media goes wrong. We also have eyes of our own and can see the ways tech-addiction can change children, so it's a natural inclination to want to protect them. Ironically, social media channels are often the reason for news stories gaining the traction they do, yet we want to shield our children from this kind of vitality and momentum-and the related dangers that exist online.

We turn to social media to understand social issues that tell us that social media is bad for us and even worse for children. This is how we fall into the trap of thinking of social media as 'bad' instead of examining its usage and effects and making adjustments accordingly.

Social media has obviously also become a major part of marketing for companies. A good social media marketing company will spend time responsibly studying online user behavior to find the right demographics.

See also Ways To Promote Positive Screen Time At School

This can be a fantastic advantage for your child to learn about healthy and eco-friendly new products and services that educate them and improve their lives, but also provided marketers a direct path to your child through data, content marketing, social media ads, popular YouTubers peddling products without making it clear that's what they're doing, and more.
The Cons Of Children On Social Media: Let's Get the Bad Out of the Way
Cons: Identity theft, stalking, bullying, self-image, artificial 'peer sets', a tendency towards the superficial

The harsh reality is that our children are exposed to a lot when they use social media.

This often the reason why social networks require children to be 13 years of age in order to create an account. Some parents choose to falsify birth dates to allow their child to use it sooner, which can work with close supervision provided that close supervision doesn't lapse.

Some children falsify birth dates on their own without their parents being aware. Of course, the assumption is that at 13, children are at the beginning stages of being able to process what they are exposed to. As parents, we need to base that on our individual child and their habits and maturity, and experience, not the date on their birth certificate.

Are children exposed to increased danger online? In some ways, yes. Bullying has become easier with peers and adults able to create anonymous accounts and target their victims. There is a dark side of the internet that scares parents, and rightly so. After setting appropriate boundaries with your child and close monitoring and persistent check-ins and reinforcing, you can help protect them from falling prey to either of these situations.
The Pros Of Children On Social Media: Yes, There is Good News
Pros: working knowledge of digital patterns; exposure to 'fake news' (this is good if they learn to discern the difference); possibility of healthier connections/role models if in a toxic situation at home; accessible 'networking' as they get older

For our children-so-called 'digital natives'-social media has existed for as long as they can remember. Children who are taught early on how to digest and use social media in a healthy way are children who can be more likely to use it responsibly in the future.

Successful users of social media will self-educate and be able to discern between fact and bias and plain 'fake news' much easier than the previous generations. They are more passionate about social issues and are more likely to engage in politics. They will know how to spot an internet scam much quicker and with greater ease than those of us who haven't been online as long.

These children will also be an integral part of changing the face of marketing on the social media platform. While many people cite that these children will suffer and be unable to publicly socialize, many are finding peers who are similar to them to connect with because they've been required to do so their entire digital lives.

These online friendships can even turn into face-to-face relationships through school, extracurricular clubs, and one day, their profession. This can be especially useful for the introverted child who is able to carefully craft their online identity and means of interfacing with peers. With careful supervision and guidance, online friendships can do a lot for the ever-changing child who is struggling to find their way in the world.

The American Academy of Pediatrics has gathered research regarding the pros and cons of social media usage in pre-teens and adolescents, and the risks and rewards are fairly evenly balanced. Check out their resources on discussing social media and its dangers with your teens for additional guidance on creating a conversation about internet safety.

When it comes to social media for children, there have to be boundaries in place. Children need that online and off because they carry those boundaries and their underlying assumptions into adulthood, giving them a better chance of using social media in healthier ways.

See also 6 Pros & Cons Of Social Media In The Classroom

Giving children small responsibilities that grow over time-allowing them to safely experiment and fail without trauma-is crucial for their mental health, their ability to make and maintain healthy relationships in life, and their ability to see themselves based on and through how they perceive others and how others perceive them.

Social networking isn't 'good' or 'bad,' but a vital teaching tool-an ongoing and useful and informative caricature of the real world they live in.
The Pros & Cons Of Children On Social Media

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The Pros & Cons Of Children On Social Media

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What are the pros and cons of children on social media? Well, a lot depends on what they're doing on social media. And on who you ask.

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Why Video Games Are Good For Kids? | Ways to Change the World

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Should kids play non-competitive sports? | Your Morning

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How playing sports benefits your body ... and your brain - Leah Lagos and Jaspal Ricky Singh

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Last month, at a local coffee shop, I ran into a father I know from my daughter's school. While we exchanged small talk, he mentioned that he'd hired a local Olympic-level soccer player to work with his daughter. She was now receiving one-on-one coaching, as well as extended training sessions. Under this tutelage, she'd learn how to eat right, compete at the highest level, and prepare for what would surely be a glorious athletic future.

Did I mention our daughters just turned 7?

Such is the world of youth sports today. And this is by no means an extreme example. We're all familiar with parents sending children off to camps and gurus or driving them across state lines for tournaments. We bear witness to overzealous parents at youth basketball games, screaming at referees and children. We hear about middle-schoolers being courted by college programs, creating outsize expectations no 11-year-old could hope to meet. At night and on the weekends, we marinate in an American sports culture that glorifies winning and individual statistics above all, from fantasy games to the scientifically measurable depression that occurs when "our" teams lose.

And then we wonder why our children don't seem to enjoy sports as much as they once did. How many times have you heard the refrain "Back in my day, kids just went outside and played sports for fun "? It may be a tired trope, but it's also very much true.

According to Michigan State University's Institute for the Study of Youth Sports, a child's No. 1 reason for playing sports is to "have fun." Yet by the time they are 13 years old, 70 percent have dropped out of team sports.

The primary reason? You guessed it. According to a comprehensive study conducted a few years ago by the Women's Sports Foundation (WSF), an organization founded by tennis legend Billie Jean King to advance the lives of girls and women through sport, the most common answer for both boys and girls is "because I was not having fun."

This is a serious problem. When a child stops playing organized sports, he or she loses more than the chance to play a game: A child's athletic participation is associated with higher levels of family satisfaction and improved physical and emotional health, academic achievement, and quality of life, according to the WSF study.

And this is to say nothing of the other benefits of organized sports, which provide a safe environment to learn about grit, humility, sportsmanship, leadership, and fairness while developing self-control, a lifelong love of movement, and an openness to being coachable.

That's a lot to miss out on.

Which brings us to the crucial questions: What went wrong with youth sports? And how can we fix it?

What's Broken?

It's difficult to track how many kids are involved in sports in the United States, but estimates from the WSF study and the Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) range from 21.5 million to 28.7 million between the ages of 6 and 17.

As noted, nearly three-quarters of those children leave organized sports by age 13, long before they leave school.

A key turning point occurs just as kids enter their teens. According to SFIA, there is a further 26 percent drop in the number of kids who play at least one sport, even recreationally, between the ages of 14 and 15.

By better understanding the forces that have taken the "play" out of "play ball," we can help remedy the problem. Let's look at the culprits.

Overly Involved Parents

Only 2 percent of high school athletes receive college scholarships. That doesn't stop an estimated 30 to 50 percent of parents from believing their child has a chance to play at the college level. Therein lies part of the problem.

John O'Sullivan, a coach and former professional soccer player, refers to this as part of the "adultification" of youth sports. He is the founder of the Changing the Game Project, an organization devoted to educating parents and coaches on making sports a rewarding experience for children.

"It's the introduction of adult values into kids' games," says O'Sullivan, author of Changing the Game. "When I grew up, it was children competing against children. Now, more often than not, it's adults competing against other adults through their children."

This causes myriad problems. Dan Saferstein, PhD, a sports psychologist and author of Win or Lose: A Guide to Sports Parenting, works with young athletes, including U.S. hockey national youth teams.

"If you get a high-achieving, talented kid with a pushy, high-achieving parent, it can work out," says Saferstein. "The kid can somehow rise to the expectations of the parent, and the kid may even share some of that drive himself.

"What can be tragic, though, is when you get a more driven, consumed parent with a kid who somehow, in the parent's eyes, just doesn't measure up." The result, says Saferstein, extends further than sports: " The kid feels like a failure."

Parents often misperceive their child's natural talent. "There's a myth in youth sports that if you work hard enough, you can achieve anything," he says. "It's not true."

But that can be hard for a parent to realize. So, instead, the parent throws money at the situation while pressuring his or her kid, ignoring the fact that the child might have a natural ceiling.

Cutthroat Coaches

In the WSF study, 22 percent of boys said they stopped playing sports because "I did not like or get along with the coach." For girls it was 18 percent. (Other reasons included "I had a health problem or injury," "I wanted to focus more on studying and grades," "I did not like or get along with others on the team.")

The issues are obvious: coaches who take youth sports too seriously, who mimic the fire-breathing coaches they see on TV, and who prioritize winning over development. Part of the reason for this, says O'Sullivan, is that even as sports have boomed and many coaches have improved their knowledge of the game, coaches seem to have digressed in their understanding of kids.

"In the past, a lot of coaches were teachers who were also in charge of a team or running PE," says O'Sullivan. "So they had a degree and a background in childhood development. Now, college soccer players, what do they do after playing? They say, 'Hey, I should go coach soccer.' The result: a lot of coaches who know a lot about the game - and little about children."

What kids need to move forward in any activity is autonomy, enjoyment, and confidence, says O'Sullivan. The job of coaches is to make sure those exist: Does the game belong to the kids?

Our Culture

The outsize influence of professional sports in America today also plays a role in the adultification of kids' sports.

"The current dominant culture flows down from pro sports, and that's about entertaining fans, and the only way to do that is to win," says Jim Thompson, author and the CEO of the Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA), a nationwide organization dedicated to transforming the culture of youth sports.

"That win-at-all-costs mentality then colors everything, all the way down to T-ball," he says.

The PCA offers a competing vision: youth sports as a development zone. Trying to win is still important, and the scoreboard is a crucial ingredient, but it isn't everything.

Says Thompson: "Research from sports psychology indicates that when you focus on mastery, rather than the scoreboard, everything being equal, you do better on the scoreboard."

Specialization and Burnout

Increasingly, kids are specializing early in one sport, operating on the false assumption that this is the only way to be successful.

On the contrary, O'Sullivan notes, the science shows that with the exception of a few sports like gymnastics and figure skating, most athletes benefit from playing multiple sports. They're less likely to suffer from overuse injuries, less likely to burn out, and more likely to develop better all-around athleticism.

Convincing parents of this can be difficult, however, as conventional wisdom holds that mastery requires monklike devotion.

Take the 10,000-Hour Rule concept, popularized by author Malcolm Gladwell, which says the key to success in any field is practicing for a minimum of 10,000 hours. There's nothing wrong with the underlying message - you need to practice to get better. But the idea that anyone, and particularly children, need to devote themselves so completely can be harmful.

And the 10,000-Hour Rule is not universally true, notes exercise physiologist Ross Tucker, PhD. The original 10,000-hours study was done on violinists in 1993. But another study on chess players discovered that "some people become experts with less [time], and others fail despite doing more than 10,000 hours," says Tucker. "The average time taken to become a master is 11,000 hours [in chess], but some did it on 3,000 hours of practice, [and] some haven't succeeded despite 25,000."

Which is to say, every kid is different and unique, and should be treated as such.

Access and Opportunity

One of the most common errors in youth sports is coaches confusing maturity with talent. Just because a kid is bigger than teammates doesn't necessarily mean he or she is more talented.

The result of this relative-age effect: Even though kids who have late birthdays may be up to a year younger than teammates, they are judged on the same scale. This leads to less-mature kids receiving less coaching and playing time and, ultimately, being cut out of the player pool early. The same often holds for late bloomers.

Gender, too, remains an issue, even with the impact of Title IX.

A 2012 study by the Sport, Health, and Activity Research and Policy Center for Women and Girls found that 31 states had high schools with enough roster spaces for at least half of the enrolled boys. Only 18 states could say the same for girls.

Demographics also play a major role. According to the WSF study:

Children of affluent families enter organized sports earlier than those in lower-income families by almost two years.

Caucasian kids (mean age 6.6) enter sports earlier than Hispanic (8.2) or African-American children (7.7).

Boys are more likely to play on three or more sports teams, as are children of affluent families.

What Can Be Done

The good news is that the situation is far from hopeless. Many proposed solutions exist, all of which ultimately address one central point: the fun factor. "For young kids, the absolute most important thing is that they have a good time," says Thompson. "If they don't, they're going to drop out as soon as their parents will let them."

For Parents

Message to moms and dads: It's all about perspective.

Saferstein explains it this way: "If you treat your kid's soccer the way you treat your kid's math, you'll probably be OK," he says. "Most parents don't show up at their kid's class and start screaming at them, 'Carry the zero!'"

Instead, they do what all good parents do. "You offer help calmly, don't get in their face, and don't talk to them in the car about how they screwed up." In other words, you let go a little.

Then, as kids get older, if they have success, it's important to try to separate yourself from the process as a parent. "Parents have to refrain from getting drunk on their own kid's talent," says Saferstein.

"The most powerful thing I've ever seen is telling your kid, 'I love watching you play.'"

Thompson encourages parents to adopt a dialed-back approach: Focus on life lessons while letting coaches and athletes focus on competing ("Let coaches coach" is something you hear often). He has written several books on the subject, and all are worth checking out.

When asked to pick the one thing he'd tell any parent, he settles on a simple concept: "The most important thing is to validate your child's courage for going out to compete. We don't think about that much, how scary it can be for a 7- or 8-year-old to go out on a soccer field."

In Changing the Game, O'Sullivan outlines what he calls the 7 Cs of a High-Performing State of Mind. He argues it is up to parents to help provide these Cs:

1. Common Sense: Have some perspective.

2. Conditions: Provide a positive environment.

3. Communication: Keep it open.

4. Control: Cede some to your children.

5. Competence: Let your children see the results of hard work.

6. Caring: You can never go wrong with unconditional love.

All of this becomes even more important if you are one of the estimated 75 to 80 percent of coaches who end up coaching their own children.

That's a lot to remember, of course. Asked for his single most important piece of advice, O'Sullivan offers up a mantra he learned from Bruce Brown, a longtime youth-sports educator. "The most powerful thing I've ever seen is telling your kid, 'I love watching you play,'" says O'Sullivan.

"What that says is, 'I love you unconditionally whether your team wins or loses.' I've had parents and athletes call me up and say, 'I thought that was so dumb but it changed my life. Thank you, thank you.'"

For Coaches

The No. 1 change any coach can make, on any level, is to focus more on the positive. A recent study, published in Social Neuroscience, of undergrads at Case Western Reserve University, found that young people who are coached using a positive approach - envisioning future success, in particular - were more likely to be compassionate and open to ideas for improvement. They were also more likely to make lasting behavioral changes than those coached by people who focused on their weaknesses.

How to do this? The key, say both Thompson and O'Sullivan, is to combine fun with learning. "When we do 'deliberate practice,' we forget that kids also like 'deliberate play,'" says O'Sullivan. "As coaches, we need to have a balance."

So, for example, mix up the rigid drills with exercises where kids can freelance - such as those exercises that mimic schoolyard games like tag.

Of course, as kids get older, they need to develop a drive for excellence. And coaches want to win. That's natural. Don't shy away from it, advises Thompson; just don't lose focus on player development at the expense of winning.

"There are two goals," he says. "Yeah, you're trying to win - and at the same time, you're looking out for them as athletes and people."

Here are some strategies he suggests:

Use a ratio of five positive reinforcements to each criticism or correction.

Use a buddy system so that each player is tasked with filling up another's emotional tank - that is, pumping each other up.

Make constructive criticism kid friendly by couching it in positives and always giving the feedback in private.

When kids do make a mistake, help them move past it by having them adopt a "mistake ritual," a quick action that helps them move beyond the mess-up. (One popular ritual is to "flush" the mistake by having the athlete make a physical motion like flushing the toilet.)

"The most important play is always the next play," says Thompson. This philosophy applies all the way up to the pro level. Last season, Los Angeles Clippers coach Doc Rivers helped out young, mercurial center DeAndre Jordan by counseling him that he couldn't afford to be "emotionally hijacked." So whenever Jordan got down on himself, or the refs, Rivers whispered, "Get past mad. Get past mad."

Especially with young athletes, who tend to be perfectionists, this is excellent advice.

Finally, O'Sullivan advises, when in doubt as a coach, think back to what you really liked as a player. And if you can't remember, ask the kids what they really like. This will provide an easy litmus test. As O'Sullivan says: "You'll know you've made it fun when the kids say they want to come back."

For Administrators

Parents and coaches play a crucial role, but it's the leaders of youth sports who can create systemic change. After all, a coach can affect 10 or 12 kids; an administrator can create a culture based on development rather than competition. This then carries over to coaches.

With coaches who believe winning is the most important thing, one solution is to change the incentives. If Little League coaches are rewarded for winning - say, with a chance to coach the All-Star game because their team has the best record - change the criteria. Instead, reward the coach who best meets a set of criteria based on development. (Admittedly, this can be hard to quantify.)

On an even larger scale, more leagues can embrace the ideals of organizations like the Positive Coaching Alliance.

They can also learn from the Long-Term Athletic Development (LTAD) model. It was developed in Canada in 2005 to address recurring issues in youth athletics, including inexperienced coaches doing the majority of the teaching, an overemphasis on competition that led to bad habits, and conflicting leagues and clubs taking the fun out of sports.
The LTAD model is complicated, but the gist of it is this: Focus on developing "physical literacy" in young athletes through fun-based training, and delay true competition until near puberty age.

So far, LTAD has been successful in Canada and Great Britain, and a number of U.S. organizations are adopting its principles. (For more information, go to www.canadiansportforlife.ca.)

In the end, says Saferstein, the people who hold on to their love of sport the longest are the ones who really come out on top.

"I go to the noon game at my local YMCA and there are 60-year-olds still playing basketball," he says. "If you can hold on to your love of the game for that long, whether it's basketball or soccer or tennis, you win."

More important, he says, is that letting your kids see this - see the joy you take in playing the game just to play it, or in watching them play just to watch them play - will inspire them in a way that no pep talk or lecture or coach ever can.

Which is to say: If you still see sports as fun, chances are good your kids will, too.

Playing for Myself
What is it like to be a competitive youth athlete today?
Lorna McElrath is a 16-year-old junior at The College Preparatory School, a private high school in Oakland, Calif. In 2013, as a freshman at nearby Bishop O'Dowd High School, she was the starting goalkeeper on a soccer team that won the Northern Coast Section Division II championship. She currently plays for three teams outside of school, including with the California Olympic Development Program.
Her story is representative of the sacrifices and pressures involved with being a youth athlete today. The following are her words, taken from a lengthy interview and edited for clarity.
My first sport was gymnastics. I started in kindergarten and continued until the second grade, when I decided to quit because of the commitment. They wanted me to move up to 12 hours a week and I was only 7 years old! So I took a year off organized sports.

When I was in third grade, my friends were on a rec soccer team and they needed an extra player for a game. I fell in love with soccer the first time I touched a ball. A year later, I was playing in a rec game and a competitive coach was scouting for players. On our rec team, we all hated playing goalie so we rotated each game. I happened to be the one in goal that day. The coach saw me and asked me to try out as a goalkeeper. I've been sort of stuck in that position ever since.

That was fourth grade, and I began playing four to five hours a week and every weekend. In sixth or seventh grade, I left my local team in the Bay Area to play with one in Santa Clara. A lot of soccer, especially on the girls' side, is about getting recruited. One of my friends got her first recruiting letter in the eighth grade. The Santa Clara team had a lot better exposure, even at a young age. So my parents drove me an hour down and an hour back three times a week.

After eighth grade, I moved back to the Bay Area team and began playing a year ahead. Now I play on two pretty high-level teams. The other is in Mountain View and it competes in a nationwide league of college showcases. We just got back from a tournament in Las Vegas. We went to Kansas for the national championships last year.

My parents place a strong emphasis on the fact that playing soccer is not about getting recruited.

I don't mind the time commitment because I enjoy playing soccer. There are times when you get burned out. What I don't like is how restricting it ends up being. When I started playing soccer in fourth grade, that was it. Now I can't do volleyball or swimming or anything else. I've chosen what I'm going to do. It's so competitive and it starts at such a young age now that if I found a different passion, I'd be forever behind. I could never be at the top of a sport.

At school, I write for the school newspaper and I'm co-president of a club, but I don't do anything else that isn't flexible with my time. I don't get much sleep. I think I miss out on some parties, and some events, and going shopping, but I gain so much from having a team. As a group of girls, we spend so much time together - probably too much time together. They've been with me, crying my eyes out when we lose. They're just people that I can trust.

My parents have been extremely supportive. I've been so lucky. They have always been supportive of whatever team I play on, but also place a strong emphasis on the fact that playing soccer is not about getting recruited. So while I do email college coaches and I do go to tournaments, they've always said that it's about your growth and enjoyment as a person and if at any point you want to stop, you can stop. I've known teammates whose parents' sole interest is college.

There are dark sides, of course. Parents yell. I've seen parents almost get in a fight on the sidelines. My dad gets very, very passionate during games. When I was younger, if I played a bad game, my dad and I wouldn't really talk for a couple days. I used to get nervous before games. Butterflies in my stomach. I wouldn't eat. Back then I was playing not as much for myself but to impress my dad. I was scared of what his reaction would be if I played a bad game. So I played timid. I didn't play confident. It was a few years ago that I thought, "I have to snap out of this. I can't play for my dad anymore, I have to play for me." I started playing for my teammates, myself, my coaches.

The past couple of years it's been college this, college that. We've had 40 or 50 college coaches lined up on the sideline, taking notes. It's very intimidating. To a certain extent, I guess, I'm now playing for them. But you can't think about that. You just have to play for yourself.

I can't count the number of times I've decided to quit. Just said, "I'm done" after a bad game or getting benched. But there's always something that brings me back. I play so much soccer that it's become part of who I am. I can't imagine not playing soccer. I mean, I come home and what would I do? I've considered quitting and having a social life, doing fun things. But in the end soccer has always won out because I can't imagine not doing it and there are so many moments that are incredible. Like going to the national championships. And taking a trip to Hawaii with my team.

The competition is a big part of it. Even when I was 13, I wouldn't have been happy just kicking a ball around with no competition. That's what sports are: a competition. I don't think you can ever take that out of the game. It's what you need to be successful.

I want to play in college, hopefully, but I don't want to play soccer beyond that. There isn't really a woman's professional league that's well-developed, and there are just so many more important things to do in life than kick a ball around a field. It's just not that interesting to me. But I really want to play in college, because soccer is one of the best ways to get into a top-notch university. It's just so competitive.

If I didn't play soccer, I don't know where I'd be in life right now, but I don't think I'd be as successful as I am. The greatest benefits from playing sports are being able to stay calm under pressure and learning how to lead. Both of those have carried over to the rest of my life. Also, I have more confidence in general and when interacting with people. And this sounds cheesy, but sports help in overcoming adversity.

Soccer can be challenging. It's not fun a lot of the time. But that's how most of life is, right? You get out of it what you put into it.

This article has been updated. It originally appeared in the September 2014 issue of Experience Life magazine.

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Are Kids' Sports Becoming Too Competitive?

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Last month, at a local coffee shop, I ran into a father I know from my daughter's school. While we exchanged small talk, he mentioned that he'd hired a local Olympic-level soccer player to work with his daughter. She was now receiving one-on-one coaching, as well as extended training sessions.

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The Youth-Sports Conundrum: How Intense Is Too Intense?

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Sports-Based Programs Are Helping At-Risk Youth

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Sports-Based Programs Are Helping At-Risk Youth

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Do the Benefits of Youth Sports Outweigh the Risks?

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Do the Benefits of Youth Sports Outweigh the Risks?

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National Youth Sports Health & Safety Institute Suits Up to Ensure Safe Environments for All Youth Athletes

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National Youth Sports Health & Safety Institute Suits Up to Ensure Safe Environments for All Youth Athletes

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A Soccer Pro at 13? Olivia Moultrie Will Give It a Try

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A Soccer Pro at 13? Olivia Moultrie Will Give It a Try

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Youth Sports Build Character and Can Help People Get Jobs

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Youth Sports Build Character and Can Help People Get Jobs

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The Costly Obsession: Youth Sports--Is It Worth It?

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The Costly Obsession: Youth Sports--Is It Worth It?

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Are Young Athletes Putting Themselves at Risk?

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Are Young Athletes Putting Themselves at Risk?

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Is It Ethical to Keep Wild Animals in Captivity? No, Animals Belong...

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Is It Ethical to Keep Wild Animals in Captivity? No, Animals Belong...

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How Zoos Can Help Save Species from Extinction

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How Zoos Can Help Save Species from Extinction

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Too Much Homework? Not in This Class. None at All. None All Year

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Too Much Homework? Not in This Class. None at All. None All Year

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Studies Show Homework Isn't Much of a Burden

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Studies Show Homework Isn't Much of a Burden

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Homework: Does It Have Any Benefit At All?

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Homework: Does It Have Any Benefit At All?

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You love your video games, but how much is too much? Find out in this article for kids.

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For a mother and kids at the Philadelphia Zoo, in Pennsylvania, it was a close encounter of the ferocious kind. Directly in front of them was a Siberian tiger. But the family did not panic. They laughed. The tiger was in a meshed-in walkway.

That tiger trail is part of Zoo360. The exhibit has changed the way humans and animals experience the zoo. But Zoo360's bigger impact may come from its effort to change animals' lives in captivity.

PHILADELPHIA ZOO

Many experts think zoos need a major overhaul if they're going to last. The Philadelphia Zoo may be the best model for that change.

Studies show that many animal species are smarter and feel more than we have understood. Animals may suffer when they are removed from the wild. If creatures suffer when they're confined, should they be held in captivity?

"Even the best zoos today are based on captivity and coercion × coercion GETTY IMAGES the use of force or threats (noun) The bullies used coercion to get Sam to hand over his lunch money. ," says Jon Coe. He is the zoo designer who invented the Zoo360 concept. "To me, that's the fundamental flaw."

PHILADELPHIA ZOO

Rethinking Zoos

In 1975, when David Hancocks took over as director of the Woodland Park Zoo, in Seattle, Washington, it looked like any other major-city zoo. But within a year, Hancocks hired Coe to rethink how zoo animals are kept. Coe developed a plan that incorporated natural vegetation, room to roam, and abundant light.

The new polar-bear exhibit at the St. Louis Zoo, in Missouri, is a good example of an exhibit that has the animals' best interests at heart. The $16 million, 40,000-square-foot enclosure dedicates an area to each of the polar bear's native environments: sea, coast, and tundra × tundra MICHAEL DEYOUNG-GETTY IMAGES a vast, treeless, arctic region ( noun) The tourists hiked across the Alaskan tundra. .

Many zoos, however, do not have the money and space needed to provide a proper home for an animal. Take elephants, for example. A recent study shows how elephants thrive when they have social connections and can gather their own food. In 2011, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) started requiring zoos with elephants to keep at least three of the animals and an elephant scientist on staff. Not every zoo can afford that.

FRANCK BOHBOT FOR TIME

Creature Connection

Hancocks has done a lot to shape the zoos we see today. Now he spends more time thinking about their future-and flaws. An exhibit might look better than a cage, but an animal might get little benefit from it. "A concrete tree is as useless as a light pole," he says. "From the animals' point of view, they're really no better off."

Most zoo officials don't agree. Many have dedicated their lives to working with animals. Ask a dozen zoo directors why these places should exist today, and education, conservation, and science all come up.

But helping people understand animals is the most common answer. "That moment at a zoo, when a person sees a gorilla look them back in the eye, helps them grasp their role in a greater natural world," says Mike Clifford. He works at a design firm that helps zoos create exhibits.

FROM TOP: ERIC GEVAERT-GETTY IMAGES; ART WOLFE-GETTY IMAGES; TOM MCHUGH-GETTY IMAGES

People are going to zoos in greater numbers than ever. According to the AZA, in 2015, more than 170 million people visited zoos in the U.S. Still, those big numbers will do little to lessen the growing arguments against keeping animals captive.

"Where are we going?" asks David Towne, who once oversaw the Woodland Park Zoo. "I guess I'm worried."

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Experts say zoos need to better meet the needs of animals. For a mother and kids at the Philadelphia Zoo, in Pennsylvania, it was a close encounter of the ferocious kind. Directly in front of them was a Siberian tiger....

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Skip to main content

Happy is an Asian elephant. She lives at the Bronx Zoo, in New York City. But the Nonhuman Rights Project (NhRP) says the zoo doesn't give Happy the space and socialization she needs. The NhRP is taking the Bronx Zoo to court. The case will be heard next year. It has restarted talks about whether zoos should still exist. Some say zoos save species from extinction. Others argue that living in captivity is bad for an animal's health. Here, TIME for Kids readers weigh in.

KELLI NICOLE PHOTOGRAPHY
Grace Hipp, 8 Nashville, Tennessee
Many animal species are saved from extinction thanks to zoos. This past summer, I saw the California condor at the San Diego Zoo and learned about the breeding program there. Several decades ago, these vultures were almost wiped out in the wild. But the zoo has taken some of them in and helped them breed. Now there are many more California condors.

COURTESY WINKI WARRENSON
Yanni Warrenson, 12 San Francisco, California
We shouldn't have zoos. In zoos, animals might not be given proper living conditions. They might also be mistreated. Animals can feel stressed by cage restraint, an unfamiliar environment, and the presence of humans. A 2003 study of 35 species of carnivores found that zoo enclosures were too small for some of the animals to carry out their normal routines.

LIFETOUCH PHOTOGRAPHY
Shane Madrak, 10 Foster City, California
We should still have zoos for a few reasons. Zoos provide animals with food and a habitat that is made to look like their natural habitat. Zoos also breed animals to increase their population. And most zoos have educational programs that help children learn about different animals and conservation efforts.

COURTESY ANNSLEY SLAWSKY
Susie Slawsky, 9 Pelham, New York
Animals are kept away from their homes and put in fenced areas or cages. If it's a crowded day at the zoo, some animals might get overwhelmed. When they're in zoos, they can also lose their natural instincts. If they were released into the wild, they wouldn't know how to survive. An animal's health is more important than our entertainment.
The Next Debate! Should the government set screen-time limits for kids? Email tfkeditors@time.com by January 6, 2021 for the chance to appear in an upcoming issue.

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Happy is an Asian elephant. She lives at the Bronx Zoo, in New York City. But the Nonhuman Rights Project (NhRP) says the zoo doesn't give Happy the space and socialization she needs. The NhRP is taking the Bronx Zoo...

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ARTICLE: How much screen time is too much

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ARTICLE: How much screen time is too much

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Even by conservative estimates, the average American spends over 6 hours per day staring at a screen. That's a lot of time. What does the scientific research say about it? Is it good or bad for us?

TEACHERS: Get your students in the discussion on KQED Learn, a safe place for middle and high school students to investigate controversial topics and share their voices. Click to see this video and lesson plan on KQED Learn .

What do we mean by the term "screen time", exactly?
"Screen time" as a term isn't that useful, because it doesn't really tell you what you're doing on screen. It's kind of like if someone asks you what you had for lunch, and you say "food" -- that doesn't provide any real info. And not all screen time is created equal. Context matters. Spending 4 hours creating a video for YouTube is WAY different than spending 4 hours watching cat videos. How you feel about and how you process each of those situations won't be the same, so lumping them all under "screen time" doesn't make much sense.
So is screen time good or bad for us?
Our digital lives can take a physical toll on us -- multiple studies have shown that excess screen time can lead to bad sleep. And some researchers even use the term "addiction" when talking about how we interact with our devices, although there's a lot of debate on whether or not screen time can be a bona fide addiction like gambling. And there is some research that found that the more time people spent in front of screens, the more it affected their well-being -- their chances of developing depression and suicidal thoughts went up.

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Screen Time: How Much Is Too Much? | KQED Education

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Even by conservative estimates, the average American spends over 6 hours per day staring at a screen. That's a lot of time. What does the scientific research say about it? Is it good or bad for us?

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In July 2017, families in Marion County, Florida, got some surprising news about the school year ahead. "Traditional homework as we know it will disappear, at least for elementary students," school superintendent Heidi Maier said in a voice message to parents. "Instead of working on classroom assignments at home, we want students reading," she said.

More than 20,000 students attend the county's 31 elementary schools. Dara Mehr, a fifth grader, is one of them. Last year, Dara had two or three hours of homework a night. "I would have 12 math questions and six or seven pages of work to do for reading," she told TIME for Kids.

Now Dara's only homework is to read for 30 minutes. She enjoys having more time for activities like painting and playing video games. But her mom, Kayla Mehr, misses last year's assignments. "The kids knew that once they finished those worksheets, they were done," she says, referring to Dara and her sister, Neveah, a second grader. "Sometimes, getting them to sit down and read for 30 minutes is a challenge."

Around the country, in states from Florida to Vermont to California, elementary schools are experimenting with a no-homework policy. Superintendent Maier and other school leaders say the new policy is based on research. Studies have shown that homework does not grades or test scores in elementary school.

Paula Fass is a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, and the author of The End of American Childhood. She points out that disagreement over the value of homework is not new. "There's been over homework ever since schooling became a requirement," she says.

Support for homework has gone up and down through the years (see "Homework History"). "In the 1900s, a lot of parents thought that homework just occupied children's time [when] they could be doing chores," says Fass. More than a century later, many still question the role that homework should have in kids' lives.

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Finding a Balance

Harris Cooper is a professor at Duke University and the author of The Battle over Homework. He has analyzed more than 50 studies on homework. In his view, homework has a positive effect on achievement. "The effect gets larger as kids move through the grades. But even in the early grades, homework has a positive effect on simple skills." Examples include spelling and math facts.

The National Education Association and the National PTA suggest that students get 10 minutes of homework per grade, starting in first grade. Cooper supports this , known as the "10-minutes rule."

But he warns that homework can have a negative impact as well. "If there's too much of it or if it's too difficult, it can lead to frustration and to kids voicing concern about their abilities," he says. "And that's not a good thing."

Last year, Kelly Elementary School in Holyoke, Massachusetts, made headlines for eliminating homework. Jackie Glasheen, the principal at the time, told ABC News that she wanted kids to have more quality time with family. "We want them to engage with their families, talk about their school days, and go to bed," she said.

But this year, the school has a new principal, Isamar Vargas. Students in kindergarten through eighth grade have homework once again. But they receive only one assignment per day.

Vargas explained that the school takes a balanced approach. "We want to build responsibility and structure," she says. "But we don't want to take away the important time that children have with their families or practicing sports."

Kelly Elementary won't be the only school to experiment with its policies. "One thing you can know is that this is part of a long history of conflict over homework," says Fass, the Berkeley professor. "And that can be expected to continue."

Homework History

Attitudes toward homework have changed throughout U.S. history.

In the coming years, do you think support for homework will rise or fall?

MANSELL/LIFE PICTURE COLLECTION/GETTY IMAGES

Early 1900s: A number of school districts pass anti-homework . The goal? To cut down on students' having to memorize information, known as rote learning.

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1957: The Soviet Union launches Sputnik, the first satellite. The space race is on. Homework for math and science increases.

1966: The National Education Association suggests no homework in early grades and "limited amounts" in upper elementary.

DIRCK HALLSTEAD-LIFE PICTURE COLLECTION/GETTY IMAGES

1983: President Ronald Reagan's Education Department releases a report on problems with schools. It creates pressure to get tough.

1990s: Global competition is on the rise. Support for homework in the U.S. is strong. Elementary students receive more homework than they had in the past.
Assessment: Click for a printable quiz. Teacher subscribers can find the answer key in this week's Teacher's Guide.

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In July 2017, families in Marion County, Florida, got some surprising news about the school year ahead. "Traditional homework as we know it will disappear, at least for elementary students," school superintendent Heidi Maier said in a voice message to...

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Should elementary schools assign homework? TFK asked two experts to weigh in.

Janine Bempechat is a professor of human development and psychology at Wheelock College, in Massachusetts. She studies kids' motivation for learning. Below, she explains why homework serves an important purpose for students of all ages.

Etta Kralovec is a professor of education at the University of Arizona. She is also a coauthor of the book The End of Homework. Here, she argues that homework is a waste of time and explains her reasoning.

RICHARD NESTEAD-GETTY IMAGES

Yes!
By Janine Bempechat
Particularly for elementary school, homework has become a debated issue. That is because studies show that doing homework does not necessarily improve younger students' grades.

Still, many teachers and parents are in favor of homework in elementary school. They view it as a way for students to review what they are learning in school and develop the learning habits and study skills they will need through middle school and high school. Homework helps you practice how to plan your time, manage distractions, and persevere when learning becomes difficult.

Research shows that homework pays off. Students who invest effort in their homework are better at keeping track of their work and managing their time. When they begin middle school and high school, they are more positive about learning than students who do not invest time in homework. They also do much better in school.

This payoff may not appear during the elementary school years. But that doesn't mean homework should be abandoned. Instead, educators should focus on designing high-quality, enjoyable homework that is challenging in the best sense of the word.

No!
By Etta kralovec
I hated homework when I was in elementary school, and I hated it even more as a parent. As I recall, my kids and I argued more about homework than about anything else.

Now that I'm an educator, I spend a lot of time in schools. When it comes to homework, there is still a lot of controversy. And it's not just students who are unhappy. Many teachers and parents tell me they think homework is a waste of time. I couldn't agree more.

Homework has been around about as long as there have been schools. You may be surprised to know that it was not always popular. In 1905, California banned homework for students under 15. In the 1920s, doctors formed a group called Physicians Against Homework. They said homework harmed students' eyes and kept kids cooped up, denying them exercise and fresh air. More recently, researchers at Stanford University found that it causes considerable stress in students' lives.

My colleagues and I have put together healthy homework guidelines, which we hope will stimulate conversation between teachers, parents, and students, and eventually lead to some common-sense solutions for the age-old controversy of homework in our schools. It's a conversation worth having, don't you think?

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Should elementary schools assign homework? TFK asked two experts to weigh in. Janine Bempechat is a professor of human development and psychology at Wheelock College, in Massachusetts. She studies kids' motivation for learning. Below, she explains why homework serves an...

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ARTICLE: Are Zoos Good or Bad for Animals

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ARTICLE: Are Zoos Good or Bad for Animals

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Zoos are great, right? You get to be up close and personal with some amazing animals that you'd pretty much never get to see in the wild. Clearly, zoos are a win for people. But when it comes to the animals, zoos might cause more harm than good. Should zoos exist?

TEACHERS: Guide your students to practice civil discourse about current topics and get practice writing CER (claim, evidence, reasoning) responses. Explore lesson supports.

How did zoos become a thing?
Humans have been capturing and displaying exotic animals for thousands of years. The earliest known collections date back to 3500 BCE in Egypt, where rulers kept hippos, elephants, baboons, and different species of large cats. Now back then, that didn't mean that your average Egyptian could go check any of that awesomeness out. These early zoos were really just a way for kings to flex on other kings. Modern zoos, where the public can come and watch animals exhibiting their natural behavior, didn't really become a thing until the early 1800s. The longest continuously operating zoo in the world is the Vienna Zoo, which has been going strong for more than 260 years.

What are the arguments in favor of having zoos?
Zoos may be great entertainment, but their big goal is to educate the public about wildlife and what we can do to protect them. Zoo animals are sort of like ambassadors for their counterparts in the wild. Zoos also contribute to scientific research. "Zoo" is short for zoological park, and zoology is the scientific study of animal biology and behavior. In addition, zoos work really hard to save animals that are threatened in the wild. Zoos can take at-risk animals, breed them in captivity, and then reintroduce them back into the wild.

What are the arguments for NOT having zoos?
Zoos have their problems. Not all zoos are created equal. Some are clean and well staffed, others aren't. There are some in the richest cities in the world, and there are some in conflict zones. What this means is that not all zoos have the resources to properly care for the animals they house. And for many critics, no amount of education or research justifies keeping animals captive. That captivity can be REALLY bad for both physical AND psychological health. And while zoos have been really helpful is saving endangered animals, it doesn't work out for certain species. For example, most large carnivores like lions and tigers that are bred in captivity die when released into the wild. It turns out that they haven't developed the natural behaviors they need when they're out on their own and have to fend for themselves.

SOURCES:
Do we need zoos? (The Atlantic)
https://www.theatlantic.com/news/archive/2016/06/harambe-zoo/485084/

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Are Zoos Good or Bad for Animals? | KQED

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Zoos are great, right? You get to be up close and personal with some amazing animals that you'd pretty much never get to see in the wild. Clearly, zoos are a win for people. But when it comes to the animals, zoos might cause more harm than good. Should zoos exist?

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ARTICLE: When Is Your Brain Ready for Social Media?

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ARTICLE: When Is Your Brain Ready for Social Media?

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TEACHERS: Get your students in the discussion on KQED Learn, a safe place for middle and high school students to investigate controversial topics and share their voices.
KQED Learn: https://learn.kqed.org/discussions/37

What percentage of 11 and 12 year olds have social media?
An estimated 20% of kids between 8-12 years old, are using social media -- despite rules on most platforms that require users to be at least 13 to create an account.
Why is the age limit for Social Media 13?
Congress passed a law called the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) in 1998 due to concerns about companies or other random people online collecting information from kids--like their name, phone number--and later photos and location--without parents' knowledge. The law considered children a "vulnerable" group that should be protected from data mining.
How does social media negatively affect youth?

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When Is Your Brain Ready for Social Media? | KQED

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TEACHERS: Get your students in the discussion on KQED Learn, a safe place for middle and high school students to investigate controversial topics and share their voices. KQED Learn: https://learn.kqed.org/discussions/37 What percentage of 11 and 12 year olds have social media?

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It's not hard to find a high school student who is stressed about homework. Many are stressed to the max--juggling extracurricular activities, jobs, and family responsibilities. It can be hard for many students, particularly low-income students, to find the time to dedicate to homework. So students in the PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs program at YouthBeat in Oakland, California are asking what's a fair amount of homework for high school students?

TEACHERS: Get your students in the discussion on KQED Learn, a safe place for middle and high school students to investigate controversial topics and share their voices. https://learn.kqed.org/topics/29

Is homework beneficial to students?
The homework debate has been going on for years. There's a big body of research that shows that homework can have a positive impact on academic performance. It can also help students prepare for the academic rigors of college.
Does homework hurt students?
Some research suggests that homework is only beneficial up to a certain point. Too much homework can lead to compromised health and greater stress in students. Many students, particularly low-income students, can struggle to find the time to do homework, especially if they are working jobs after school or taking care of family members. Some students might not have access to technology, like computers or the internet, that are needed to complete assignments at home-- which can make completing assignments even more challenging. Many argue that this contributes to inequity in education-- particularly if completing homework is linked to better academic performance.

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Homework in High School: How Much Is Too Much? | KQED

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It's not hard to find a high school student who is stressed about homework. Many are stressed to the max--juggling extracurricular activities, jobs, and family responsibilities. It can be hard for many students, particularly low-income students, to find the time to dedicate to homework.

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ARTICLE: Can Animals and Humans Co-exist in the Urban World

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ARTICLE: Can Animals and Humans Co-exist in the Urban World

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Can Wild Animals and Humans Coexist in an Urban World?

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Students can fill this out as they watch the video from KQED about homework. Students will need to make a copy or use a copy that teachers assign in Google Classroom.

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Students can fill this out as they watch the video from KQED about homework. Students will need to make a copy or use a copy that teachers assign in Google Classroom.

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Students can fill this out as they watch the video from KQED about homework. Students will need to make a copy or use a copy that teachers assign in Google Classroom.

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Students can fill this out as they watch the video from KQED. Students will need to make a copy or teachers will need to share it in Google Classroom.

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Provides ideas and arguments that are against having animals in captivity

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The killing of Harambe, the silverback gorilla, at the Cincinnati Zoo has sparked a massive debate.

John Minchillo / AP

Over the Memorial Day weekend, a 4-year-old boy climbed the guardrail at the Cincinnati Zoo and into the enclosure of a 17-year-old silverback gorilla named Harambe. By now, most people know how this played out. The boy's mother had lost track of him, long enough that he crawled over a wall and fell 10 feet into a moat at the bottom. Harambe stood over the child, as if protecting him from the people yelling above, then grabbed the boy's arm and jerked him through the water. Tranquilizing the gorilla wasn't an option, the zoo director would later say, because the sedative takes time. And no one could predict how a drugged animal that weighs 450 pounds would react. So they shot Harambe dead.

Zoos have changed a lot in the past 50 years. The openness of Harambe's enclosure, the cliffs separated by a moat, were designed to lend it a more natural feel for viewers, and to simulate wild environment for the gorillas. It is a departure from the bars and sanitized tile floors of past zoo design. As people become more sensitive to the lives of these animals, they've understood how flat concrete and tight confinement can cause depression, even phobia, in everything from donkeys to snow leopards.

Recommended Reading

Someone at the Cincinnati Zoo caught much of what happened on video (not the shooting), and immediately afterward people blamed both the mother -why wasn't she watching her son?-and the zoo director-was there no other option?

Few people have asked why a zoo, full of dangerous, or not-so dangerous animals, is even necessary. That might be because calling for an end to zoos has typically been the cause of poets and animal-rights activists. M ost past arguments against zoos have focused on the insensitivity toward animals. A s Benjamin Wallace-Wells wrote two years ago in a piece for New York magazine titled, "The Case for the End of the Modern Zoo":

I realize that to even raise this issue makes you sound like some kind of sour, rule-bound vegetarian, so let me make clear my position up front: I love zoos. My daughter is not quite 2, and the zoo brings out all of her best and least complicated emotions - awe, delight, empathy.

But concern for caged animals has caught enough mainstream interest that New York and California introduced bills that would outlaw killer whales kept in captivity. Their focus on killer whales is in large part owed to a 2013 documentary called Blackfish, but it proves that it has become a concern for more than a fringe of animal-rights advocates. So much so, that last March, SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment said it would stop breeding captive killer whales. And if keeping an orca in large tank is unethical, then why not an elephant, a tiger, or a 17-year-old western lowland gorilla?

The argument for zoos is often that they serve to educate the public, they give people who can't afford to travel a chance to see the animals, and that zoos serve as important conservation centers. There is a distinction, of course, between good zoos and bad zoos. In the 1980s, a study of animals at the San Diego Zoo found some had died from frequent tranquilizing, malnutrition, and that some had suffered repeated injuries while being transported. Since that report, and with a rise in scientists who study animal behavior, zoos have tried to improve conditions for their caged animals. This was partly the cause for more natural-looking enclosures--like the gorilla exhibit in Cincinnati--because "empty, boring, barren enclosures" can cause depression or aggression in some animals, including primates, according to a study by Plymouth University, in England.

In that regard, the Cincinnati Zoo is by all means a good zoo, providing Harambe a relatively comfortable enclosure. It's not simple to accommodate the world's largest primate. Gorillas are as strong as eight men, they can be aggressive, and they're also endangered. For all those reason, they're fascinating to watch. And unless someone planned to visit the forests of Central Africa, a zoo is the only place a person will likely see one-or for that matter a wolf, a rhino, or a rhinoceros hornbill (a bird kept at the Cincinnati Zoo). Of course, there's TV, "but that really does pale next to seeing a living creature in the flesh, hearing it, smelling it, watching what it does and having the time to absorb details," wrote David Hone, a paleontologist and writer who has defended zoos.

So zoos teach. Or do they?

In 2014, Eric Jensen, a sociologist at the University of Warwick, published a study in the journal Conservation Biology that surveyed 3,000 children before and after a zoo visit and found only one-third had a "positive" learning experience, meaning they'd learned something factual. About 15 percent of the kids picked up incorrect information. But perhaps what pro-zoo people mean, and more in line with what Hone argued in his article, was that zoos are a type of consciousness expander. They expose people young and old to something they'd never otherwise be able to see. For example, a child's parents may take her to the Cincinnati Zoo and years afterward she might remember that moment and dream of a job working alongside animals- and achieve that goal.

Obviously, children are not the only group to learn from zoos. Researchers visit them, observe and study the animals, and help animal conservation. In this case, zoos act like temples of sanctuary, where human intervention inside protects a species from human threats outside. This happened with the California condor, of which there were only 23 left in 1982. By 1987 researchers and conservationists had captured every last one and moved them into a captive-breeding program. Today, thanks in part to the Los Angeles Zoo, there are hundreds of condors living in captivity, and about 75 have been released back into the wild.

It is true zoos have played a massive role in conserving, and in the recovery of, some species, but this is a relatively small portion of the animals zoos work with. As Tim Zimmerman pointed out in an article for Outside magazine last year, the Association of Zoos & Aquariums reported that of all the animals at the 228 zoos it accredits, only 30 species are being worked with for recovery. And of those 30 cases, most can't be re-introduced into the wild. So the species will exist, but never as they once did.

Humans have always caught and caged animals, either for entertainment, or as an assertion of power. The Sumerians in ancient Mesopotamia did it more than 4,000 years ago. Later, Alexander the Great was said to take special care of his menagerie of bears and monkeys. The Aztecs in the Americas, the early Chinese--both caged animals. The first modern zoos emerged in the 19 th century, but have changed drastically since, slowly becoming more hospitable toward animals as people's empathy toward them grows.

Now, in Denmark, the human/animal role of zoos is already being reversed. At Zootopia, BIG, the architecture firm, designed a 300-acre zoo without bars, fences or glass, which it said makes for the "best possible and freest possible environment for the animals." The first phase is scheduled to open in 2019. It's not a preserve--as those who want zoos shut down have called for--but it is an advancement in how people think of holding captive animals. Zootopia's layout would let animals roam land that encircles a doughnut-hole observation center. And though people can walk through tunnels and poke their heads up for a closer look, in this design it's not dangerous animals like the silverback gorilla that are caged, it's the humans.

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enclosure of a 17-year-old silverback gorilla

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The killing of Harambe, the silverback gorilla, at the Cincinnati Zoo has sparked a massive debate. Over the Memorial Day weekend, a 4-year-old boy climbed the guardrail at the Cincinnati Zoo and into the enclosure of a 17-year-old silverback gorilla named Harambe. By now, most people know how this played out.

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Gives both sides of homework debate chapter by chapter

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Instantly access over 40,000 of the best books & videos for kids on Epic

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Get unlimited access to 40,000 of the best books, audiobooks, videos, & more for kids 12 and under. Try it free.

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A text from EPIC that gives basic facts about social media, presenting both positives and negatives.

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Instantly access over 40,000 of the best books & videos for kids on Epic

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Get unlimited access to 40,000 of the best books, audiobooks, videos, & more for kids 12 and under. Try it free.

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An Informational Text About Social Media

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An Informational Text About Social Media

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An Informational Text About Social Media: What it is, how it works, the rules around it, the risks, how to do it well...

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instant access to thousands of great kids books.

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Instantly access 40,000 high-quality books for kids

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The leading digital library for kids offering unlimited access to 40,000 of the best children's books of all time. Sign up for a free 30 day trial to instantly access high-quality online books for kids, ebooks, audio books, quizzes, videos, and more.

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EPIC book that gives both sides

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Instantly access over 40,000 of the best books & videos for kids on Epic

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Get unlimited access to 40,000 of the best books, audiobooks, videos, & more for kids 12 and under. Try it free.

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Zookeepers to the Rescue: EPIC book about the benefits of zoos for endangered animals

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Zookeepers to the Rescue: EPIC book about the benefits of zoos for endangered animals

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Instantly access over 40,000 of the best books & videos for kids on Epic

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Get unlimited access to 40,000 of the best books, audiobooks, videos, & more for kids 12 and under. Try it free.

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NPR article that presents both positive and negative benefits of social media

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NPR article that presents both positive and negative benefits of social media

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Screen time is often considered the enemy when it comes to teaching kids to be active and well-behaved. But should all forms of media be considered equal?

Research being presented Tuesday finds that for 9- and 10-year-old children taking part in a study of brain development, greater social media use, such as scrolling through Instagram and texting, was associated with some positive effects, including increased physical activity, less family conflict and fewer sleep problems.

The children who had a higher use of general media, like Internet, TV and video games, were more prone to have worse sleep and more family conflict.

Kids who used social media still participated in more traditional forms of screen time. But the time they spend interacting with others through social media, texting or video chatting outweighed TV, video games and Internet time.

The findings come from an analysis of data from about 4,500 young people and their parents collected by the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study, a project of the National Institutes of Health. The study, launched in 2015, is gathering information about how young people's brains develop and how they navigate adolescence and become adults. The analysis of screen time is one of the first to emerge from the data collected so far, and it's being discussed in a symposium about the ABCD study.

"The most important thing is that not all screen media is bad, if you want to put it in a nutshell," says author Dr. Martin Paulus, the scientific director and president at Laureate Institute for Brain Research in Tulsa, Okla. "There's a lot of pre-existing biases that if we expose kids to media, something terrible is going to happen. What we show is that's not the case."

Paulus says he went into this research looking for potential indicators of future depression, anxiety, drug use and other trouble. Kids spend half of their free time in front of a screen, he says, so it's something worth investigating.

In the study, children self-reported activities like watching TV, texting or visiting social media sites - and the time spent on each. They were also asked about whether they play mature video games and watch R-rated movies. They rated their time spent on these controversial activities as never, once in a while, regularly and all the time.

Parents reported the screen time of their children on a typical weekend day and weekday.

Kids also reported on their involvement in sports and other physical activities and had a neurocognitive assessment. Kids and parents report on family conflict. Parents also kept track of how well the kids slept and filled out a checklist that assessed their children's behavior, such as noting attention problems and aggressive behavior.

Paulus and his colleagues found that kids with greater general media activity, such as watching TV or playing video games, reported more sleep problems and higher family conflict.

The results haven't been published yet, but are being presented Tuesday at the Research Society on Alcoholism in San Diego. Paulus said he has submitted the findings for scientific publication.

Previous social media and screen media research has been done largely in older kids or teenagers, Paulus says, with less focus on these younger kids.

Paulus says that around 10 to 20 percent of kids this age are on social media. The users tend to be from slightly more affluent places, have more educated parents and be girls.

The social media users also engage in other online consumption. They just report more screen time being social than their peers who spend more time online playing games or watching videos.

"What we've just seen is these kids at this age, they're already using social media as a communication tool," he says. "They are networked with their friends, they engage in more diverse activities, and in the prepuberty stage when you don't have all the teenager stuff going on, it truly is building a network community."

Communities and social networks can have beneficial effects, Paulus says, so kids who are using social media to build connections then may see positive outcomes.

Do these findings mean that parents should ban TVs and sign their kids up for Twitter? Probably not. For one thing, the researchers couldn't prove causation; they identified associations.

Psychologist Chris Ferguson of Stetson University says that both the negative and positive differences identified in the research are small. "My takeaway from this is for the most part, it looks like screen use, in general, and social media use have relatively little impact on most of the outcomes the authors are looking at, with maybe the exception of sleep," he says.

Still, Ferguson says, the finding could help allay some parental concerns. He notes that social media had some apparent positive effects.

The findings also suggest that the way parents and kids view the interplay between online media and family conflict vary. Ferguson says kids seem to be saying they often turn to media as a stress reliever when there are issues in the family. Parents don't necessarily see it that way, because there was no association between media and family conflict when they reported it.

"It's hard to say if screen use is making those issues worse, or [children] are they simply using it as a coping mechanism because they have some of these issues," he says.

In his research, Ferguson has bumped into a similar situation with kids who read tons of books and have mental health issues. It doesn't mean that books caused the problem, he says, it just could mean that kids turned to books as a coping skill.

He says that the work by Paulus "challenges the narrative that we have about screens having direct detrimental impacts, particularly social media, on kids," Ferguson says. "Obviously things are a lot more complicated than that."

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A Look At Social Media Finds Some Possible Benefits For Kids

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Researchers analyzing data from a study looking at adolescent cognition found greater social media use was associated with increased physical activity and less family conflict.

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University of Georgia article that links social media to cyberbullying

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University of Georgia article that links social media to cyberbullying

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Identifying as male and more hours spent online also contributed

As social media platforms like Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and others continue to grow in popularity, adolescents are spending more of their time online navigating a complex virtual world.

New research suggests that these increased hours spent online may be associated with cyberbullying behaviors. According to a study by the University of Georgia, higher social media addiction scores, more hours spent online, and identifying as male significantly predicted cyberbullying perpetration in adolescents.

"There are some people who engage in cyberbullying online because of the anonymity and the fact that there's no retaliation," said Amanda Giordano, principal investigator of the study and associate professor in the UGA Mary Frances Early College of Education. "You have these adolescents who are still in the midst of cognitive development, but we're giving them technology that has a worldwide audience and then expecting them to make good choices."

Cyberbullying can take on many forms, including personal attacks, harassment or discriminatory behavior, spreading defamatory information, misrepresenting oneself online, spreading private information, social exclusion and cyberstalking.

The study surveyed adolescents ranging in age from 13-19 years old. Of the 428 people surveyed, 214 (50%) identified as female, 210 (49.1%) as male, and four (0.9%) as other.

Exploring social media addiction

When adolescents are online, they adapt to a different set of social norms than when they're interacting with their peers in person. Oftentimes, they are more aggressive or critical on social media because of the anonymity they have online and their ability to avoid retaliation. Additionally, cyberbullies may feel less remorse or empathy when engaging in these behaviors because they can't see the direct impact of their actions.

"The perpetrator doesn't get a chance to see how damaging their bullying is and to learn from their mistakes and do something different," said Giordano. "It's a scary situation because they don't have the natural consequences they do with offline bullying."

Teenagers who are addicted to social media are more likely to engage in cyberbullying, as well as those who spend more time online. Participants in the study reported spending on average over seven hours online per day, and the reported average maximum hours spent online in one day was over 12 hours.

"Social media addiction is when people crave it when they're not on it, and continue their social media use despite negative consequences," said Giordano. "Some negative consequences could be they're tired during the day because they're scrolling all night long, they're having conflicts with their parents, they're getting poor grades in school or they're engaging in actions online that they later regret, but they still continue to use social media."

Social networking sites are designed to give people a dopamine hit, she added, and some people compulsively look for that hit. "It's feeding into that addictive behavior, and they may be using cyberbullying as a way to get likes, shares, comments and retweets," she said. "That's the common thread you see in behavioral addictions-people start relying on a rewarding behavior as a way to make them feel better when they're experiencing negative emotions. And so, I think the social media addiction piece is really interesting to show that there's another factor at play here in addition to the number of hours spent online."

The study also found that adolescent males are more likely to engage in cyberbullying than females, aligning with past studies that show aggressive behaviors tend to be more male driven. More research on the socialization process of men can help determine what's leading them to engage in more cyberbullying behaviors.

Next steps for counselors and clinicians

Giordano believes that counselors need to start assessing adolescents for social media addiction if they are engaging in cyberbullying and to provide treatment plans to help redefine their relationship with technology. These interventions may include helping adolescents examine how they define their self-worth and restricting the amount of time they spend on social media platforms.

"There's quite a few strong and reliable assessments for social media addiction for adolescents that have good psychometric properties," said Giordano. "I think when clinicians see cyberbullying happen, they really need to explore the individual's relationship with social media and to address social media addiction, not just the cyberbullying."

Often, school counselors are not aware of cyberbullying until after an incident occurs. To address this issue, Giordano recommends that schools start educating students earlier about cyberbullying and social media addiction as a preventive method instead of waiting to repair the damage. Whether it's through an awareness campaign or support group, schools can help students talk about cyberbullying to give them a chance to understand the consequences of their actions and prepare them for potential risks.

"We need schools and school counselors to do this preventative work early and educate students about the risk of addiction with some of these rewarding behaviors like gaming and social media," said Giordano. "We need to teach them the warning signs of behavioral addiction, what to do if they start to feel like they're losing control over their behaviors and help them find other ways to manage their emotions, rather than turning to these behaviors. There are a lot of programs already moving in this direction, and I think that's amazing and there needs to be more of it."

Counselors can help decrease the risk of some of these addictive behaviors at a young age by teaching and equipping children with emotional regulation skills and other ways to cope with their feelings.

"If you think about it, adolescents are not only figuring out who they are offline, but they're also trying to figure out who they want to be online," said Giordano. "We're giving them even more to do during this developmental period, including deciding how they want to present themselves online. I think it's a complex world that we're asking adolescents to navigate."

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Social media addiction linked to cyberbullying

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Research links cause of cyberbullying to social media addiction, hours spent online and identifying as male.

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Longer article from McLean Hospital that is mostly against social media for children

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Longer article from McLean Hospital that is mostly against social media for children

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Here's How Social Media Affects Your Mental Health | McLean Hospital

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Using social media can directly impact emotional wellness, physical, and mental health. Here are the signs that you are affected.

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Copy of Student Viewing Guide: Urban Wildlife

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Can Wild Animals and Humans Coexist in Cities?

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Article and video about a black bear attack on a woman and dog

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Article and video about a black bear attack on a woman and dog

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Predatory attacks on humans by black bears are extremely rare, but experts are offering insight as to how some of them may start after a woman was killed in Canada by a black bear while searching for her dogs.

A "disproportionate number" of attacks by bears on human are related to dogs, Lynn Rogers, research scientist for the Wildlife Research Institute and founder of the North American Bear Center, told ABC News.

A 62-year-old Minnesota woman died over the weekend while she was looking for her dogs in the woods in Rainy Lake, Canada, just a few miles over the border from Minnesota, authorities said. The dogs, yelping and barking, later returned to the cabin, but the woman never returned and was later found with a bear standing over her.

Bear attacks involving dogs also occurred in June, when a California man was bitten after he kicked a bear that attacked his dog in his yard, in December 2018, when a Pennsylvania woman was dragged 88 yards in her front yard after a bear attacked both her and her dog, and in June 2018, when a man wrestled a black bear after it lunged at his dog at Jasper National Park in Alberta, Canada. The dog in that case was killed.

In Minnesota, three of the seven unprovoked bear attacks recorded since 1987 in which the victim required hospitalization involved a dog, Dave Garshelis, a bear research scientist with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, told ABC News. None of those attacks were fatal, Garshelis said.

Often in those types of cases, the owner gets hurt when he or she tries to intercede in the scuffle, or the dog runs back to its owner for protection and "next thing you know the bear is 2 feet away," Garshelis said.

Knowing what to do in the event that a dog encounters a bear is a "tough call" because the situations can be so unpredictable, Garshelis said.

He suggested arming yourself with some type of weapon, such as a gun or big stick, "especially if the dog is running back to you for protection." In one of bear attacks that occurred in Minnesota, a person in the group bashed it over the head with a canoe paddle, he said.

"That's the only thing you can do," he said. "The normal reaction for the bear would be to leave."

Yelling or banging pots and pans may do the trick as well, Garshelis said, while Rogers advised using pepper spray to encourage bears to retreat.

"They don't go away mad," Rogers said. "They just go away."

An article on the website for Orvis, a retail company that specializes in fishing, hunting and sporting goods, suggests that dog owners "quietly and quickly leave the area" if the bear has not spotted you, but if it has, to "keep your dog close and calm, avoiding sudden movements."

Fatal black bear attacks on humans are so rare -- more so than any other species of bear -- that they occur on average of once per year across North America, Garshelis said. In addition, about one black bear out of 1 million will attack a human in a predatory manner, Rogers said.

The reason why the attacks by black bears seldom occur isn't because the bears stay away from humans, the experts said. In fact, they are often attracted to people's food sources or get used to the presence of humans.

However, black bears are typically not aggressive and fear the "repercussions of attacking someone," Garshelis said.

"They just don't want to attack people," Garsheilis said. "They're kind of timid animals."

Black bears may have developed their apprehensive nature during the ice age, when they faced rivals such as saber-toothed cats, dire wolves in packs, huge American lions and the giant short-faced bear, the primitive species that weighed more than a ton, had powerful jaws and could run fast with it's long legs, Rogers said.

"Black bears wouldn't have stood a chance against any of those," he said. "They developed an attitude of run first, ask questions later and stay by trees."

During more than 50 years of studying bears, the only time Rogers ever got "nipped or slapped" was when he was trying to put a radio collar on a bear without using tranquilizers, which he found would cause them to lose trust and make them harder to observe in the long run, he said.

In addition, most bears will run away from a dog that's chasing it, Garshelis said, while Rogers said bears are quite easy to drive away.

"I've never found a bear that I couldn't chase," he said.

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minnesota golden gophers men's basketball

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Black bear attacks on humans are rare but often begin as scuffles with dogs, experts say

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Predatory attacks on humans by black bears are extremely rare, but experts are offering insight as to how some of them may start after a woman was killed in Canada by a black bear while searching for her dogs.

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A website that has LOTS of information about how to co-exist with bears. 

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A website that has LOTS of information about how to co-exist with bears. 

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Living in a Bear Smart community is not something that happens by accident or without hard work from a few, commitment from many, and buy-in from everyone. Wherever human communities bump up against bear ranges there are bound to be human-bear conflicts and - sadly - without intentional advocacy on behalf of the bears, the bears always lose.

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Bear Smart | Get Bear Smart Society | Welcome

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Living in a Bear Smart community is not something that happens by accident or without hard work from a few, commitment from many, and buy-in from everyone. Wherever human communities bump up against bear ranges there are bound to be human-bear conflicts and - sadly - without intentional advocacy on behalf of the bears, the bears always lose.

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Updated article about whether bears should be hunted in CT

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Updated article about whether bears should be hunted in CT

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CT black bear hunting back up for debate

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HARTFORD - Allowing hunting of black bears in certain areas of the state has become an annual debate at the state Capitol and Friday saw that conversation renewed on two different bills raised by the Environment Committee. One of the bills, SB 586, would allow the hunting of black bears in Litchfield County.

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Sierra Club Argument Against Hunting Grizzlies

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Sierra Club Argument Against Hunting Grizzlies

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When you visit Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks, as my family and I did a couple weeks ago, you see something spectacular everywhere you look, whether it's towering peaks wreathed in cloud or carpets of wildflowers. One thing you probably won't see is a grizzly bear, even though both parks and the surrounding wilderness are prime bear habitat. Like us, you might find yourself in what's known as a "bear jam." As you can see, though, the animal backing up traffic was the grizzly's smaller cousin, a black bear:

Grizzly bears do their best to avoid the most dangerous animal of all: humans. At the same time, park rangers do their best to keep people away from grizzlies, even if it means temporarily closing a popular trail. Even so, when you hike in the park, it's at the back (or for my wife, the front) of your mind: Will there be a bear around that corner? Part of you would be excited to see one (from a distance), and part of you (the sensible part) hopes you're making enough noise on the trail to avoid surprises. Even so, and despite their size, without their grizzlies, Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks would be diminished.

That came close to happening about fifty years ago, when the total grizzly population in the lower 48 was down to about 800 bears. In the Greater Yellowstone Area, fewer than 150 were left. Technically, what saved grizzlies was passage of the Endangered Species Act. In reality, though, it was a shift in attitude -- from "us or them" to "conservation and coexistence" -- that made it possible. Federal protection led to enlightened policies (like closing park garbage dumps that attracted bears and educating local landowners on how to avoid human-bear conflicts) that made coexistence feasible.

Even so, it's been a long, slow road toward recovery. Grizzlies reproduce very slowly (only one North American mammal takes longer, and if you don't already know, you'll never guess which one). Although grizzly populations in Yellowstone and Glacier are certainly in better shape now than before they were protected, their future remains precarious. That's why it's so disastrous that U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services took the Greater Yellowstone grizzly off of the endangered species list, which eliminated many protections and put the fate of the bears in the hands of the Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana state governments.

Grizzlies today occupy only about two to four percent of their historic range in the Lower 48

The result? Despite public protest, and against the advice of scientists, the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission has decided to let trophy hunters kill nearly two dozen bears this year -- including females of breeding age -- and Idaho has approved killing one bear in the first year, and potentially more after that. Regardless of what you think of trophy hunting (for the record, most Americans deplore it), this is indefensible. Remember, it took more than 40 years to increase the Greater Yellowstone grizzly population from fewer than 150 to about 700. In the past three years, more than 150 bears in that region have died, mostly from human-related causes. And nobody knows how grizzlies will cope with the increasing and disturbing effects of climate change on their food supply.

Grizzlies today occupy only about two to four percent of their historic range in the Lower 48. With the loss of protection for the Greater Yellowstone population, even that tiny foothold is again in jeopardy. Will the grizzlies of the Northern Rockies, like those in Glacier National Park, be the next to face slaughter if they step over the park boundary? Don't look to Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke to protect the bears in his home state of Montana or anywhere else; the centerpiece of his office makeover wasn't those $139,000 doors but a stuffed and mounted grizzly.

The Sierra Club, other conservation groups, and the Northern Cheyenne nation (for whom the grizzly bear is sacred) have filed lawsuits over the delisting, and we expect a decision on August 30, right before the trophy hunts are slated to begin. We'll do all we can to ensure that grizzly bears not only survive in places like Greater Yellowstone and the Northern Rockies but also thrive wherever suitable habitat remains. On September 1, though, it's possible that the first sanctioned trophy hunt for these magnificent animals in 40 years will begin. If so, that will be a sad day for America, and a tragic one for the grizzly bear.

Recommended for you

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When you visit Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks, as my family and I did a couple weeks ago, you see something spectacular everywhere you look, whether it's towering peaks wreathed in cloud or carpets of wildflowers. One thing you probably won't see is a grizzly bear, even though both parks and the surrounding wilderness are prime bear habitat.

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National Geographic Article about hunting bears

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National Geographic Article about hunting bears

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Many scientifically and data-based facts about rationale for hunting grizzlies

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Create a new document and edit with others at the same time -- from your computer, phone or tablet. Get stuff done with or without an internet connection. Use Docs to edit Word files. Free from Google.

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How Technology Affects Child Development

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How Technology Affects Child Development

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Is technology bad for children's health? Or is it an important part of early childhood education? The research reveals pros and cons for children and tech.

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How Technology is Changing the Way Children Think

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How Technology is Changing the Way Children Think

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Article from Psychology Today

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Thinking. The capacity to reflect, reason, and draw conclusions based on our experiences, knowledge, and insights. It's what makes us human and has enabled us to communicate, create, build, advance, and become civilized. Thinking encompasses so many aspects of who our children are and what they do, from observing, learning, remembering, questioning, and judging to innovating, arguing, deciding, and acting.

There is also little doubt that all of the new technologies, led by the internet, are shaping the way we think in ways obvious and subtle, deliberate and unintentional, and advantageous and detrimental The uncertain reality is that, with this new technological frontier in its infancy and developments emerging at a rapid pace, we have neither the benefit of historical hindsight nor the time to ponder or examine the value and cost of these advancements in terms of how it influences our children's ability to think.

There is, however, a growing body of research that technology can be both beneficial and harmful to different ways in which children think. Moreover, this influence isn't just affecting children on the surface of their thinking. Rather, because their brains are still developing and malleable, frequent exposure by so-called digital natives to technology is actually wiring the brain in ways very different than in previous generations.

What is clear is that, as with advances throughout history, the technology that is available determines how our brains develop. For example, as the technology writer Nicholas Carr has observed, the emergence of reading encouraged our brains to be focused and imaginative. In contrast, the rise of the internet is strengthening our ability to scan information rapidly and efficiently.

The effects of technology on children are complicated, with both benefits and costs. Whether technology helps or hurts in the development of your children's thinking depends on what specific technology is used and how and what frequency it is used. At least early in their lives, the power to dictate your children's relationship with technology and, as a result, its influence on them, from synaptic activity to conscious thought.

Over the next several weeks, I'm going to focus on the areas in which the latest thinking and research has shown technology to have the greatest influence on how children think: attention, information overload, decision making, and memory/learning. Importantly, all of these areas are ones in which you can have a counteracting influence on how technology affects your children.

Attention

You can think of attention as the gateway to thinking. Without it, other aspects of thinking, namely, perception, memory, language, learning, creativity, reasoning, problem-solving, and decision making are greatly diminished or can't occur at all. The ability of your children to learn to focus effectively and consistently lays the foundation for almost all aspects of their growth and is fundamental to their development into successful and happy people.

Attention has been found to be a highly malleable quality and most directly influenced by the environment in which it is used. This selective attention can be found in the animal kingdom in which different species develop attentional skills that help them function and survive. For example, wolves, lions, tigers, and other predators have highly tuned visual attention that enables them to spot and track their prey. In contrast, their prey, including deer and antelope, have well-developed auditory attention that allows them to hear approaching predators. In both cases, animals' attentional abilities have developed based on the environment in which they live.

The same holds true for human development. Whether infant recognition of their parents' faces or students paying attention in class, children's immediate environment determines the kind of attention that they develop. In generations past, for example, children directed considerable amounts of their time to reading, an activity that offered few distractions and required intense and sustained attention, imagination, and memory. The advent of television altered that attention by offering children visual stimuli, fragmented attention, and little need for imagination. Then the internet was invented and children were thrust into a vastly different environment in which, because distraction is the norm, consistent attention is impossible, imagination is unnecessary, and memory is inhibited.

Technology conditions the brain to pay attention to information very differently than reading. The metaphor that Nicholas Carr uses is the difference between scuba diving and jet skiing. Book reading is like scuba diving in which the diver is submerged in a quiet, visually restricted, slow-paced setting with few distractions and, as a result, is required to focus narrowly and think deeply on the limited information that is available to them. In contrast, using the internet is like jet skiing, in which the jet skier is skimming along the surface of the water at high speed, exposed to a broad vista, surrounded by many distractions, and only able to focus fleetingly on any one thing.

In fact, studies have shown that reading uninterrupted text results in faster completion and better understanding, recall, and learning than those who read text filled with hyperlinks and ads. Those who read a text-only version of a presentation, as compared to one that included video, found the presentation to be more engaging, informative, and entertaining, a finding contrary to conventional wisdom, to be sure. Additionally, contrary to conventional educational wisdom, students who were allowed internet access during class didn't recall the lecture nor did they perform as well on a test of the material as those who weren't "wired" during class. Finally, reading develops reflection, critical thinking, problem-solving, and vocabulary better than visual media.

Exposure to technology isn't all bad. Research shows that, for example, video games and other screen media improve visual-spatial capabilities, increase attentional ability, reaction times, and the capacity to identify details among clutter. Also, rather than making children stupid, it may just be making them different. For example, the ubiquitous use of internet search engines is causing children to become less adept at remembering things and more skilled at remembering where to find things. Given the ease with which information can be found these days, it only stands to reason that knowing where to look is becoming more important for children than actually knowing something. Not having to retain information in our brain may allow it to engage in more "higher-order" processing such as contemplation, critical thinking, and problem-solving.

What does all this mean for raising your children? The bottom line is that too much screen time and not enough other activities, such as reading, playing games, and good old unstructured and imaginative play, will result in your children having their brains wired in ways that may make them less, not more, prepared to thrive in this crazy new world of technology.

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How Technology Is Changing the Way Children Think and Focus

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Are your children prepared to think and focus for success in 21st-century life?

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Explains ways homework can be useless and useful.

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Are Teachers Giving You Too Much Homework?

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Screen time can cause ADHD- Taken from Newsela and a lower level

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Create a new document and edit with others at the same time -- from your computer, phone or tablet. Get stuff done with or without an internet connection. Use Docs to edit Word files. Free from Google.

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Create a new document and edit with others at the same time -- from your computer, phone or tablet. Get stuff done with or without an internet connection. Use Docs to edit Word files. Free from Google.

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Article from Newsela about how social media is complicated

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Article from Newsela about how social media is complicated

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Create a new document and edit with others at the same time -- from your computer, phone or tablet. Get stuff done with or without an internet connection. Use Docs to edit Word files. Free from Google.

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Consider using Rewordify.com

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Create a new document and edit with others at the same time -- from your computer, phone or tablet. Get stuff done with or without an internet connection. Use Docs to edit Word files. Free from Google.

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Two minute video from NPR about rules that should be in place for screentime

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Two minute video from NPR about rules that should be in place for screentime

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Screen Time Rules For Kids | Let's Talk | NPR

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PRO Article from CNBC with more complex reasons and evidence

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PRO Article from CNBC with more complex reasons and evidence

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Create a new document and edit with others at the same time -- from your computer, phone or tablet. Get stuff done with or without an internet connection. Use Docs to edit Word files. Free from Google.

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Create a new document and edit with others at the same time -- from your computer, phone or tablet. Get stuff done with or without an internet connection. Use Docs to edit Word files. Free from Google.

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Article from Psychology Today about why children should not be on social media

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Article from Psychology Today about why children should not be on social media

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Copied and pasted into a Google Document because of the ads.

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Create a new document and edit with others at the same time -- from your computer, phone or tablet. Get stuff done with or without an internet connection. Use Docs to edit Word files. Free from Google.

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CT.gov - Connecticut's Official State Website

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Ursus americanus
Report a Black Bear Sighting View a current map of black bear sightings in Connecticut Living with Black Bears
Background Information

Black bears are impressive animals. Even a long-distance glimpse of one foraging in a woodland is an unforgettable experience for most outdoor enthusiasts. However, glimpsing a bear in Connecticut was once unlikely because bears were extirpated from the state by the mid-1800s. Since then, bears have made a comeback. Their return is due, in part, to the regrowth of forestland throughout the region following the abandonment of farms during the late 1800s. Beginning in the 1980s, the DEEP Wildlife Division had evidence of a resident black bear population. Since then, annual sighting reports have increased dramatically, indicating a rapid increase in the bear population. With the number of bears increasing in the state, it is important for residents to learn the facts about black bears and how to coexist with them.

Description

The black bear is a stocky animal with short, thick legs. It is the smallest North American bear. In Connecticut, adult males, or boars, normally weigh from 150 to 450 pounds, while females, or sows, weigh from 110 to 250 pounds. Yearlings weigh 45 to 100 pounds. Adults are 5 to 6 feet long.

The black bear's coat is typically glossy black or brownish black, except for the muzzle, which is tan. There is sometimes a small, white patch on the chest. In western North America some black bears are brown or cinnamon. Black bears have 5 toes with large claws on all feet. Bear tracks somewhat resemble human tracks, but the front feet are shorter than the rear. A bear's tail is short, from 3 to 5 inches long. The sexes are similar in appearance, although males are usually larger.

Habitat and Diet

Black bear habitat is forestland, usually with deciduous and coniferous trees, as well as streams, swamps, and rock ledges. Bears prefer areas with thick understory vegetation and abundant food resources. Mature forests provide soft and hard mast (e.g., acorns) in late summer and fall. Wetlands are particularly important in spring when emerging plants are one of the few available foods. Bears are omnivorous; they eat grasses, forbs, fruits, nuts, and berries. They also will seek insects (particularly ants and bees), scavenge carrion, and raid bird feeders and garbage cans. Bears occasionally will prey on small mammals, deer, and livestock.

Life History

Breeding occurs during summer, usually in late June or early July. During this time, males travel extensively in search of females. The age when sows first produce cubs is related to the available food supply, but most begin to reproduce at age 3 or 4 and continue to have young every 2 years. Bears do not form long-lasting bonds, so the males may mate with more than one female during the breeding season. Fighting may occur between rival males as well as between males and unreceptive females.

Young are born in the den during January or February and are blind, toothless, and covered with fine hair. Cubs weigh 6 to 12 ounces at birth. Litter sizes range from 1 to 4 cubs, with litters of 2 or 3 being most common. After giving birth, the sow usually continues her winter rest while the cubs are awake and nursing. Only females rear the young. Cubs are weaned when they are about 7 months old and will remain with the female until the second summer of their lives. Then, the young bears, especially the males, may travel great distances in search of their own territories. Yearling females frequently settle near their mother's home range. Young bears are often forced into less preferred habitat.

Interesting Facts

The black bear is an intelligent animal with keen senses of smell and hearing. It can detect the slightest aroma of food, which may lead the bear to campsites and near homes. Odor from carelessly stored food and garbage can lure bears long distances. Black bears travel and feed primarily at night, but can be active any time of the day. Climatic factors, such as drought, may result in a food shortage, causing bears to travel many miles in search of food.

Black bears are generally shy and secretive and usually fearful of humans. However, if they regularly find food near houses and areas of human activity, they can lose their fear of humans. Unlike grizzly bears, black bears are seldom aggressive toward humans.

Females with cubs tend to have restricted home ranges which average 5 to 7 square miles in Connecticut, while males move about widely in home ranges of 12 to 60 square miles. The size of a home range varies geographically and often depends on the quality of habitat. Most ranges are used by more than one bear, but specific areas are rarely used at the same time. There can be some broad overlap between male and female ranges. In their home territories, bears may mark trees (called "bear trees") along their travel routes by clawing and biting the bark. Black bears are good tree climbers and strong swimmers. They also can run up to 35 miles per hour.

Black bears are not classified as true hibernators but their body temperature is lowered and heart rate slowed during winter denning. Denning enables bears to overcome unfavorable weather conditions and lack of food during winter. Denning bears do not eat, drink, urinate, or defecate. However, they will usually wake up if disturbed during their winter dormancy. Bears commonly den under fallen trees or in brush piles, but varied sites are used, including rocky ledges. Most dens are lined with leaves, grass, or rotted wood. In Connecticut, most bears den from late November through mid-March. Females tend to remain in the den for a longer period of time than males.

Bear Management

As Connecticut's bear population continues to increase, more bears, particularly young bears, will be seen near residential areas. The DEEP's response will depend on the specifics of each bear situation. The mere presence of a bear does not necessitate its removal. In most cases, if left alone, the bear will make its way to a more natural habitat. Removing food attractants, such as bird feeders, reduces the chance that bears will go near homes. The DEEP seldom relocates bears. An exception may be made to remove a bear in an urban location when there is little likelihood that it can leave safely on its own and when the bear is in a position where it can be safely immobilized. DEEP Tranquilizing Teams, consisting of Environmental Conservation Police officers and wildlife biologists, are trained and equipped to immobilize wildlife. Bears cannot be relocated to another state because no other state allows it. Bears that have persistent, serious, negative behavior, such as killing protected livestock or entering buildings, may have to be destroyed.

As bears become more regular residents of Connecticut towns, it is important that people learn to adapt to the presence of bears and take measures to avoid damage and problems. If people do not take precautions, problem behavior by bears can increase, possibly leading to bears being removed or destroyed.

Living with Bears

Much of Connecticut's landscape is now forested and is suitable for black bears. The rapid increase in the bear population between the 1980s and early 2000s is expected to continue. As the bear population expands, interactions between humans and bears will increase. People should learn what to do if they see a bear and how to avoid unnecessary conflicts by keeping food away from bears.

If You See a Bear:

Observe it from a distance.

Advertise your presence by shouting and waving your arms or walk slowly away.

Never attempt to feed or attract bears.

Report bear sightings to the Wildlife Division (or call 860-424-3011).

Bears Near your Home

In wilderness settings bears usually avoid people. But food attractants near homes can cause them to grow habituated to humans and disturbances, such as dogs and other noises. Bears are attracted by bird feeders, garbage, outdoor pet food, compost piles, fruit trees, and berry-producing shrubs.

To avoid attracting bears:

Remove bird feeders from late March through November. If a bear visits a bird feeder in winter, remove the feeder.

Wait until the morning of collection before bringing out trash. Add a few capfuls of ammonia to trash bags and garbage cans to mask food odors. Keep trash bags in a container with a tight lid and store in a garage or shed.

Do not leave pet food outside overnight. Store livestock food in airtight containers.

Do not put meats or sweet-smelling fruit rinds in compost piles. Lime can be sprinkled on the compost pile to reduce the smell and discourage bears.

Thoroughly clean grills after use or store in a garage or shed.

Never intentionally feed bears. Bears that associate food with people may become aggressive and dangerous. This may lead to personal injury, property damage, and the need to destroy problem animals.

Encourage your neighbors to take similar precautions.

If you see a bear on your property you can either leave the bear alone and wait for it to leave or make loud noises from a safe distance to attempt to scare the bear away. After the bear leaves the property, remove anything that may have attracted it to the area.

Bears Seen While Hiking or Camping

Black bear attacks on humans are exceptionally rare. In most hiking areas, bears normally leave once they have sensed a human. However, at campsites and campgrounds bears can be attracted by poorly stored food and garbage. If you see a bear when hiking or camping, make your presence known by making noise and waving your arms. If you surprise a bear at close range, walk away slowly while facing the bear. Do not run. Try to stay calm as you make your retreat. Black bears will sometimes "bluff charge" to within a few feet of you when they feel threatened. If this happens, stand your ground and shout at the bear. Do not climb a tree because black bears are excellent tree climbers. Make sure your dog is on a leash and under control.

Sometimes bears are attracted to food that is prepared outside. Do not cook near your tent and do not store food inside your tent. Instead, keep your food in a vehicle or use a rope to suspend it 10 or more feet off the ground and at least 6 feet away from tree trunks. Even clothes that you have cooked in should be stored out of a bear's reach.

Bears, Livestock, Pets, and Beehives

Bears occasionally attack livestock and damage beehives. Livestock can be protected with electric fencing or by moving them into a secure building at night. Store livestock and pet foods in airtight containers and clean up any spilled feed. Bears may attack sheep, goats, pigs, fowl, and llamas. Attacks on horses and cattle are less common. Bears rarely harm cats or dogs. However, they will go after pet rabbits in outdoor hutches. Beehives also can be protected with electric fencing or with reinforced wire and metal strapping.

Blueprint for a Black Bear
Weight: Males, normally 150-450 lbs.; females, 110-250 lbs.; yearlings, 45 -100 lbs.
Body Characteristics: Stocky, with short, thick legs.
Color: Varies in color from black to brown; tan around the muzzle and occasionally has a white chest patch.
Locomotion: Plantigrade (walks on whole foot). Usually walks with a shuffling gait but can run at speeds of over 30 mph. Agile climber.
Senses: Exceptional hearing and smell.
Diet: Grasses, forbs, fruit, nuts, and berries. Occasionally preys on small mammals, rarely deer and livestock. Also seeks insects (ants, bees), scavenges carrion, and raids garbage cans and bird feeders.
Habitat: Mixed deciduous-coniferous forests with mast-producing overstories and understories, marshes, and thickets.
Social Behavior: Breeding occurs in early summer. Males may breed with several females, but are solitary in the non-breeding season. Females give birth while denned, usually in January. Cubs remain with the female for 1 1/2 years. Adult females breed every other year, less often in poorer habitat. Bears are most active at night. Often avoid humans but can be habituated by food sources found near homes.
Connecticut Population: Increasing. The resident population is estimated to be in the hundreds. The majority of the population inhabits northwestern Connecticut.
The Technical Assistance Informational Series is 75 percent funded by Federal Aid to Wildlife Restoration - Pittman-Robertson (P-R) Program. The P-R Program provides funding through an excise tax on the sale of sporting firearms, ammunition, and archery equipment. The remaining 25 percent of the funding is matched by the Connecticut Wildlife Division. (rev. 5/09)

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Ursus americanus Report a Black Bear Sighting View a current map of black bear sightings in Connecticut Living with Black Bears Background Information Black bears are impressive animals. Even a long-distance glimpse of one foraging in a woodland is an unforgettable experience for most outdoor enthusiasts.

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Sorry, Kids: Homework Is Good for You, According to New Research

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Homework Or No Homework? What Educators Are Saying

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Two minute video of what Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) is

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Two minute video of what Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) is

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Bend 2

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7. Understanding the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA)