The Shifting Nature of Autonomy: Adolescence, Social Cognition and Digital Media Margaret Weigel Project Zero, Harvard GSE Society for Research on Adolescence

The Shifting Nature of Autonomy:Adolescence, Social Cognition and Digital Media

Margaret WeigelProject Zero, Harvard GSE

Society for Research on Adolescence Annual MeetingMarch 2010 Philadelphia, PA


youth and autonomy

affordances of new digital media related to youth autonomy

study observations related to youth autonomy

NDM, youth and autonomy – parents

NDM, youth and autonomy – teachers

NDM, youth and autonomy – peers



youth and autonomy








youth and autonomy








youth and autonomy








youth and autonomy








youth and autonomy







youth and autonomy

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The changing historical contexts of children and childhood

Pieter Brueghel, Children's Games (1560)

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The changing historical contexts of children and childhood

youth and autonomy

Twentieth century practices to control youth autonomy

youth and autonomy

“Young people often do not fully appreciate their

conduct's effect on others. What they believe to

be normal and legitimate behavior can

sometimes make others apprehensive or afraid.

Sometimes the mere presence of large youth

groups, or their physical appearance (dress,

hairstyles, body piercings, and tattoos), is

intimidating regardless of their conduct. People

often perceive youth groups congregating in

public to be gangs and, therefore, dangerous.”

-- COPS guide, p. 16


youth and autonomy

STRANGER

DANGER


youth and autonomy

•Formal schooling


youth and autonomy

•Formal schooling

•Educational, child-centric toys


youth and autonomy

•Formal schooling


•Dedicated play spaces


youth and autonomy

•Formal schooling


•Dedicated play spaces

•Directed play


youth and autonomy

“During the earliest stages,

the child perceives things like

a solipsist who is unaware of

himself as subject and is familiar

only with his own actions.”

youth and autonomy

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Today, the desire to shelter and

monitor children’s activities has

resulted in more home-based

children’s activities, often involving

the computer or television set.

(Chudacoff, 2007, pp. 216-7).


The technology youth are using



• As of 2009, 29% of 8-18 year olds own a laptop (up from 12% in 2004) (cf. Kaiser)




• 66% own a cellphone (up from 39% in 2004) (cf. Kaiser)




• 66% own a cellphone (up from 39% in 2004) (cf. Kaiser)

• Pew: As of 2008, 71% of 12-17 year olds own a cellphone


Advantages of mobile technologies

• Anytime



• Anytime

• Anyplace



• Anytime

• Anyplace

• Peer-based language

LOL!



• Anytime

• Anyplace

• Peer-based language

• Free from adult monitoring

POS!

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The subversive potential of new digital media

place restrictions

age restrictions

time restrictions

activity restrictions

social restrictions

“online commons”, mobile access

no enforceable age restrictions

24/7 access

shopping, gambling, porn

peers and strangers alike

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place restrictions

age restrictions

time restrictions


social restrictions



24/7 access



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place restrictions

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social restrictions



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place restrictions

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place restrictions

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social restrictions



24/7 access



The Developing Minds and Digital Media study

• Privately funded two-year project

• Forty teachers

• over fifteen years of experience

• upper middle class SES

• recommended by peers

• two hour semi-structured interviewed

The Developing Minds and Digital Media study

• Privately funded two-year project

• Forty teachers

• over fifteen years of experience

• upper middle class SES

• recommended by peers

• two hour semi-structured interviewed

• “What’s changed over the past 15 years”?

• cognition

• social cognition

• ethics

• society

• teaching itself

NDM, youth and authority

Popular NDM tools used for social interaction



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NDM, youth and authority – parents

• an increase in parents defending their children’s transgressions in “blind, irrational ways”

• an increase in parents intervening earlier when a child is struggling

• an increase in parents completing student work, such as homework or college essays

The Educators Speak:


• increase in parental involvement in youth’s daily lives

• Decline of parental authority; rise in friend role

• anxiety related to youth achievement

Developing Minds and Digital Media findings:





persistent, constant contact with children via NDM







• via cellphone







• via cellphone

• via SNS sites


Hi, dear! Just

checking in…


• Children never allowed to fail

Implications:



• Children never really “on their own”

Implications:




• Children largely unsupervised

Implications:




• Children largely unsupervised

Parents as rescuers/pals

Implications:

NDM, youth and authority – teachers

• students are more comfortable with authority

• students evince fewer disciplinary problems

• students are more rule-focused



• shift in authority from teachersstudents



• shift in authority from teachersstudents

• modified communications

• technical savvy

• content vetting

• reinventing homework



• Students focus on grades, not learning

• Students never allowed to fail

• Shift in authority from teachersstudents

• Educators and schooling as a game to master

Implications:


• Students focus on grades, not learning

• Students never allowed to fail

• Shift in authority from teachersstudents

• Educators and schooling as a game to master

Teachers struggle with newly empowered students

Implications:

NDM, youth and authority – peers

• basic teen desires unchanged over time

• less unstructured time to hang out

• more elective obligations

• more stress about the future



• NDM as efficient

• NDM as a way to perform identity both online and offline

• NDM as a way to control relationships



• for introverted youth, protection against unwanted contact

• for more extroverted youth, way to manage level and intensity of engagements

• way to depersonalize contact, emotional distancing

• inadvertently promotes online ‘disinhibition’

Implications:


Implications:

• for introverted youth, protection against unwanted contact

• for more extroverted youth, way to manage level and intensity of engagements

• way to depersonalize contact, emotional distancing

• inadvertently promotes online ‘disinhibition’

NDM as social buffer






Teachers grapple w/ newly empowered students




Teachers grapple w/ newly empowered students

Peers struggle to assert personal autonomy over social interactions


Documents

The Shifting Nature of Autonomy: Adolescence, Social Cognition and Digital Media Margaret Weigel Project Zero, Harvard GSE Society for Research on Adolescence