Youths and The Internet

“The Internet provides an unprecedented number and variety of meeting places, from message boards to instant messaging to so-called social networking sites,” says Science News magazine.

Young people have quickly adjusted to life online. Indeed, in 2004 nearly 9 of every 10 people in the United States between the ages of 12 and 17 used the Internet, which is accessible in virtually every corner of the globe.

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Thinking About Games Fuels Aggression?

How long does aggression last after a person plays violent video games? Researchers randomly assigned male and female students to play violent or nonviolent video games for 20 minutes. Afterward, half of the people in each group were asked to think about their game. “The next day,” says the report, “participants competed with an ostensible opponent on a competitive task in which the winner could punish the loser with painful noise blasts through headphones.” Increased aggression was evident among males who were told to think about the violent game.

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Explosion of Classroom Cheating

In a survey of 20,000 first-year university students in Canada, 73 percent “admitted to committing one or more serious acts of academic dishonesty on written work while in high school,” says the Canadian Council on Learning (CCL). One university reported that cases of cheating and plagiarism increased by 81 percent between the years 2003 and 2006. “Over the past decade,” says Dr. Paul Cappon, president of CCL, “internet and high-tech devices have enabled a virtual explosion of classroom cheating.”

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Useful to Read Before Bed

When parents read to their children before bed, they not only lull children. According to the researchers, these activities enhance children's language skills, help develop motor skills by teaching them hold and turn the page, and sharpens their memory.

"But the most important thing is that reading aloud is a time to share attention and emotion between parent and child," said The Guardian newspaper. "This confirms that reading is fun." and, according to professor Barry Zuckerman, who led the study, "the children eventually learn to love books because they use it together with their loved ones."

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