Teens & Technology:
Bobbie Jo Sheridan, LBSW
Training & Education Coordinator
EyesOpenIowa
EyesOpenIowa
Established in 1997
 Located in West Des Moines, Iowa


EyesOpenIowa is designated by the federally funded agency Advocates
for Youth as the State Lead Agency in Iowa for Teen Pregnancy
Prevention.
Mission: Leading Iowa communities in advocacy, education and
collaboration to ensure adolescent sexual health.
 Programs:
 Community Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention (CAPP) Grant
Program
 WISE Iowa Project (Working to Institutionalize Sex Ed)
 Talking Sex Together (TxTina)
 Training and Capacity Building
 www.EyesOpenIowa.org

What Tech Are Teens Using?
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93% of teens have a computer or access to one at home.
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95% of teens use the internet.
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78% of teens have a cell phone.
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80% of teens say they can’t imagine a day without technology.
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Today, 8-18 year-olds devote an average of about 7 ½ hrs a day using
entertainment media, which includes watching TV, listening to music, surfing
the Web, social networking and playing video games.
*Pew Research Center
Teens Searching for General Health,
Dieting or Physical Fitness Info. Online

31% of teens are searching for this information.

13% of 12-13 yr. olds look for this information online.

38% of 14-17 yr. olds look for this information online.
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27% of boys look for this information.
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35% of girls look for this information.
Facebook
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Facebook is the world’s most popular social networking website.
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Over 1 BILLION users!

Facebook allows you to stay connected with friends and family by sharing
photos, updates, and posts online at user discretion. You can share as little or
as much as you want.
Twitter
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Quick “statuses” which are 140 characters or less.
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Users can also post photos or links to websites.

People stay connected with quick, frequent and short messages.
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In 2012 there were over 500 million users.
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Teens with more than 600 Facebook “friends” are more than 3 times likely to
also have a Twitter account.
Snapchat
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Users take photos, record videos, add text & drawings, and send them as a
“Snap” to a controlled list of friends.
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Users can set the time limit for how long their friends see the snap, from as
little as 1 second to 10 seconds.
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Friends can take a screenshot of the snap, which means they will have that
photo on their phone. The sender is notified if a screenshot is taken.

Users can “text” with friends using Snapchat.
Instagram
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Instagram is a way to share your life with friends through a series of pictures.

You post a picture under your profile and your followers can view and “like”
or comment on your photo.

Teens with more than 600 friends on Facebook are 6 times more likely to use
Instagram.
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Over 100 million active users (2012).

In 2012 Facebook bought Instagram for $1 Billion.
Vine
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Vine is a mobile service that lets you create and share short looping videos.
Videos you post to Vine will appear on your Vine profile and the timelines of
your Vine followers.
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The maximum length of the video is 6 seconds.
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Mobile app owned by Twitter.
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Released January 23rd, 2013.
Kik
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Kik is an app used for texting and communicating with your contact list.

Users can also send photos, sketches, voice messages, and other content.
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50 Million users (2013).
Ask.fm
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Users can ask other users questions, with the option of anonymity.
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Users can use a webcam to ask/answer questions.
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65 millions users (2013).

Between 2012 and 2014, the site became associated with numerous instances
of cyberbullying, some of which led to suicides, particularly in teens.
Tumblr
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Post micro-blogs, photos, links, and video.
multi-media sharing website.
168.7 million blogs.
Pinterest
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Pinterest is a pinboard-style photo-sharing website that allows users to
create and manage theme-based image collections such as events, interests,
and hobbies.

83% of users are women.

11.7 Million US users (2012).
Google+
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Social media site.
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Google+ profiles are used as the background account for many Google
Services including YouTube, Gmail, Google Maps, Android, Google Play, Google
Music, Google Voice, Google Wallet, Google Local.

540 million users.
Pheed
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Social networking site.
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Pheed combines text, video, images and audio, and includes a live broadcast
option.
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Similar to sites like tumblr.
What is Cyberbullying?
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Cyberbullying is bullying that takes place using electronic technology.
Examples of cyberbullying include mean text messages or emails, rumors sent
by email or posted on social networking sites, and embarrassing pictures,
videos, websites, or fake profiles.

Among Iowa high school students, nearly one-quarter (24%) of females
compared to 10% of males report having been electronically bullied (including
through e-mail, chat rooms, instant messaging, Web sites, or texting).

Cyberbullying can happen 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and reach a kid even
when he or she is alone. It can happen any time of the day or night.
www.stopbullying.gov
Children at Risk of Being Bullied

Generally, children who are bullied have one or more of the following risk
factors:

Are perceived as different from their peers, such as being overweight or
underweight, wearing glasses or different clothing, being new to a school, or
being unable to afford what kids consider “cool”
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Are perceived as weak or unable to defend themselves
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Are depressed, anxious, or have low self esteem
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Are less popular than others and have few friends
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Do not get along well with others, seen as annoying or provoking, or
antagonize others for attention
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However, even if a child has these risk factors, it doesn’t mean that they will
be bullied.
www.stopbullying.gov
How to Prevent Bullying

Help kids understand bullying. Talk about what bullying is and how to stand up
to it safely. Tell kids bullying is unacceptable. Make sure kids know how to get
help.
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Keep the lines of communication open. Check in with kids often. Listen to
them. Know their friends, ask about school, and understand their concerns.

Encourage kids to do what they love. Special activities, interests, and hobbies
can boost confidence, help kids make friends, and protect them from bullying
behavior.

Be aware of what kids are doing online.

Establish rules about technology use.
www.stopbullying.gov
To Prevent Bullying in the Classroom

Do NOT allow students to have cell phones or technology out in class,
especially when students are doing role plays.
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Set ground rules for when technology can be used in class.
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I.e.- No taking photos of students, teachers, etc.

Students can only be on approved websites

Class ground rules still apply.
Sexting

When people take and send sexually revealing picture of themselves or send
sexually explicit messages via text message.

A recent study found that 20 percent of teenagers (22 percent of girls and 18
percent of boys) sent naked or seminude images of themselves or posted
them online. (Federal Bureau of Investigation)

Another survey indicated that nearly one in six teens between the ages of 12
and 17 who own cell phones have received naked or nearly nude pictures via
text message from someone they know. (Federal Bureau of Investigation)
Sexting Law

Iowa does not have a specific law regarding “sexting.”

Under Iowa law, individuals-regardless of age- who are caught with a sexually
explicit image of a minor on their phone could be charged under the State’s
child pornography statues. If the individual is tried as an adult and is
convicted, they could be imprisoned as well as be required to register as a sex
offender.
When Talking About Sexting…

Advice for Young People

Think about the consequences of taking, sending, or forwarding a sexual picture of
yourself or someone else underage. You could get kicked off of sports teams, face
humiliation, lose educational opportunities, and even get in trouble with the law.

Never take images of yourself that you wouldn’t want everyone—your classmates,
your teachers, your family, or your employers—to see.

Before hitting send, remember that you cannot control where this image may
travel. What you send to a boyfriend or girlfriend easily could end up with their
friends, and their friends, and their friends.

If you forward a sexual picture of someone underage, you are as responsible for
this image as the original sender. You could face child pornography charges, go to
jail, and have to register as a sex offender.

Report any nude pictures you receive on your cell phone to an adult you trust. Do
not delete the message. Instead, get your parents or guardians, teachers, and
school counselors involved immediately.
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Thank You!

Bobbie Jo Sheridan

Training & Education Coordinator

bobbiejo@eyesopeniowa.org

515.276.6788

Facebook.com/EyesOpenIowa

Twitter: @EyesOpenIowa