21st  Century  Paren.ng:a  brave  new  world

with  Eric  Castro

Genera.on  Z  

Independence  

Rela.onships  

Technology

Genera.on  Z

“the  first  post-­‐9/11  genera.on,  one  raised  amid  ins.tu.onal  and  economic  instability,  informed  by  the  looming  shadow  of  deple.ng  resources  and  global  warming,  and  globally  connected  via  social  media.”

“ALer  seeing  their  parents  lose  jobs  and  their  

older  siblings  move  back  home,  this  

genera.on  will  avoid  debt.  They’ll  be  diligent  

researchers,  always  considering  what’s  a  

good  investment,  and  less  likely  to  make  

impulse  purchases.  In  our  study,  57%  of  Zs  

said  they  would  rather  save  money  than  

spend  it  immediately.”

“Digital  Na.ves”  ala  Marc  Prensky  (2001)

How  did  we  get  to  this  point?

the  iPo[y

Independence

“The  world  is  actually  even  safer  than  when  I  

was  a  child,  and  I  just  want  to  give  them  the  

same  freedom  and  independence  that  I  had  

—  basically  an  old-­‐fashioned  childhood,”  she  

said.  “I  think  it’s  absolutely  cri.cal  for  their  

development  —  to  learn  responsibility,  to  

experience  the  world,  to  gain  confidence  and  

competency.”

Free-­‐range  paren.ng

Rela.onships

Lowest  rate  of  in.macy/  closeness

“True  in.macy  feels  terrifying  and  foreign.  Although  they  desire  stability  and  commitment  in  rela.onships,  they  do  not  feel  deserving  or  worthy  of  a  good  partnership.”

Lowest  rate  of  marriage  recorded

Rela.onships  are  hard

Technology

It’s NOT the technology

“Technology isolates people.”

Daily  overuse  of  media  and  technology  has  a  nega.ve  effect  on  the  health  of  all  children,  preteens  and  teenagers  by  making  them  more  prone  to  anxiety,  depression,  and  other  psychological  disorders,  as  well  as  by  making  them  more  suscep.ble  to  future  health  problems.

Poke Me: How Social Networks Can Both Help and Harm Our Kids

Facebook  can  be  distrac.ng  and  can  nega.vely  impact  learning.  Studies  found  that  middle  school,  high  school  and  college  students  who  checked  Facebook  at  least  once  during  a  15-­‐minute  study  period  achieved  lower  grades.

Poke Me: How Social Networks Can Both Help and Harm Our Kids

Research-­‐based  Advice

Consciously  build  independence

Encourage  close  friendships

Facilitate  family  communica.on

Limit  social  media

Talk  about  social  media

"You have to start talking about appropriate technology use early and

often and build trust, so that when

there is a problem, whether it is being

bullied or seeing a disturbing image,

your child will talk to you about it."

Larry Rosen, PhD

Consciously build independence

Encourage close friendships

Facilitate family communication

Limit social media

Talk about social media

21st

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