What's Happening in Boys' Digital Worlds

A new study from Common Sense Media just dropped some eye-opening findings about how adolescent boys are navigating masculinity online. As a researcher and a parent of two adolescent boys, I have a personal stake in helping boys understand that there are multiple ways to be a man, not just a narrow version promoted in social media feeds and gaming communities. Some of the findings about what's happening with boys in digital spaces confirmed my own observations, and others surprised me. But it all has implications for your classroom too, where you may see impacts from a wide range of influencers. 

https://www.commonsensemedia.org/research/boys-in-the-digital-wild-online-culture-identity-and-well-being

Digital Citizenship Week is October 20–24, 2025

Digital Citizenship Week | Common Sense Education

Each year during the third full week of October, Common Sense Media leads Digital Citizenship Week, an annual campaign to promote a healthy, balanced, and positive approach to media and tech use among young people.

https://www.commonsense.org/education/digital-citizenship-week?lid=xnrtg83sig0m

Movies with Positive Role Models for Boys | Common Sense Media

Boys deserve more from their movies than narrow or biased representations. These films offer examples of kindness, compassion, selflessness, courage, and sensitivity—all things that are good for everyone to see, but especially for boys, who too often are bombarded with messages that prioritize the importance of being protectors, extremely fit, and financially successful. Inspire the kids in your life with these fun, family-friendly films that portray healthy masculinity. For other worthy role models, try these TV shows and books.

Read more: 

Movies with Positive Role Models for Boys | Common Sense Media https://www.commonsensemedia.org/lists/movies-with-positive-role-models-for-boys

How Parents Manage Screen Time for Kids | Pew Research Center

From YouTube to smartphones to tablets, tech is part of kids’ lives. AI chatbots are part of the mix now, too. While parents strive to manage screens, 42% say they could do better

ByColleen McClain,Olivia Sidoti,Michelle FaverioandSuvi Lama

This Pew Research Center report, "How Parents Manage Screen Time for Kids," surveyed over 3,000 U.S. parents of children ages 12 and younger about their efforts to balance the benefits and challenges of technology in their kids' lives. Essentially, the report highlights that screens are an unavoidable part of modern childhood, leading to parental struggles to find balance, a strong desire for external regulation, and a sense that they're doing their best, even if they could improve.

Read the full article: 

https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2025/10/08/how-parents-manage-screen-time-for-kids/

Lessons to Teach Media Literacy

How2Internet | Be MediaWise—Lessons to Teach Media Literacy | PBS LearningMedia

https://florida.pbslearningmedia.org/collection/be-mediawise-news-literacy-lesson-plans/t/how2internet/

What Kids Told Us About How to Get Them Off Their Phones

Main idea: Giving children more freedom to play unsupervised with friends is essential to decreasing their smartphone dependence and improving their overall learning and well-being.

One Way Parents Can Fight the Phone-Based Childhood - The Atlantic https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/08/kids-smartphones-play-freedom/683742/

The role of hope in bullying and cyberbullying prevention

The role of hope in bullying and cyberbullying prevention 

Introduction: Research is clear that the cognitive-motivational internal asset of hope is significantly related to enhanced life satisfaction and psychological wellbeing. It has also shown promise in preventing participation in a variety of negative externalizing behaviors, especially antisociality, maladaptive coping, and various forms of aggression among young people. The current exploration evaluates the relationship between hope and youth participation in bullying and cyberbullying.

https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sociology/articles/10.3389/fsoc.2025.1576372/full

Online Child Exploitation Prevention Initiative

 

The Online Child Exploitation Prevention Initiative (OCEPI) has created Ten Best Practices for Prevention Programs, an easy guide to optimize the effectiveness of online safety engagement efforts by providing a quick reference guide that outlines evidence-based techniques, created for any front-line professional working with children and families to help ensure a child’s safety online. The goal of this Best Practices document is to share what researchers know about prevention with those who do the work, with an aim to provide consistent messaging which supports effective prevention and victim response.

https://www.icactaskforce.org/OCEPI

Talk, Trust, and Trade-Offs: How and Why Teens Use AI Companions

 

Read more: https://www.commonsensemedia.org/research/talk-trust-and-trade-offs-how-and-why-teens-use-ai-companions

72% of U.S. high school teachers say cellphone distraction is a major problem in the classroom

A June 2024 Pew Research Center report highlights growing concerns over smartphone use in schools, especially among high school teachers. 

Read more: 
https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/06/12/72-percent-of-us-high-school-teachers-say-cellphone-distraction-is-a-major-problem-in-the-classroom/

13 ways gaming affects your mental health

Gaming is a double edged sword when it comes to mental health. An OII study outlines 13 distinct ways gameplay can boost wellbeing, yet also spiral into obsession, financial strain, loneliness, and even exposure to sexualised content. Read the full article on how gaming affects mental health, for better and worse.

AngelQ - A Kid-First Super Browser

AngelQ - A Kid-First Super Browser

Bring your child’s interests to life with voice-activated Q+A. AngelQ delivers personalized, age-appropriate, engaging content with compelling images and videos.

https://www.angelq.ai/

Common Sense Media just scored App of the Day on the Apple App Store!

Common Sense Media just scored App of the Day on the Apple App Store! Turns out, helping parents find actually good entertainment is kind of our thing. Ready to make screen time smarter (and way less stressful)? Download the app and dive in. 

Prescreen Your Kid’s Screen Time : App Store Story https://apps.apple.com/story/id1781346728

Year One of a Phone-Free School

 By Sameer Hinduja
April 8, 2025

Tags:  cell phones school

In my last piece, I shared about the inconclusive research findings associated with banning student phones at school and the outcomes of academic achievement and positive mental health and well-being. I argued that we shouldn’t treat these devices as a singular crisis, because social, cultural, and contextual factors all strongly affect how students do scholastically and personally, and also are inextricably linked with how exactly they use their phones. Today, I wanted to share a conversation I recently had with Rabbi Dr. Hillel Broder, who serves as Head of School at Melvin J. Berman Hebrew Academy in Rockville, Maryland. Let’s dive right in!

Rabbi Dr. Broder, you and I have worked together for about 1.5 years now, and we’ve had multiple conversations on student device use at school. Over the last year, you’ve implemented a Wait Past 8th Initiative, and I think enough time has passed to have a meaningful conversation about lessons learned.

Read more: https://cyberbullying.org/phone-free-school

How the Great Rewiring Of Childhood Impacted Everything – And What We Can Do About It

Instagram’s School Partnership Program – Prioritized Reporting to Help Students

Source: Cyberbullying Research Center

Instagram pilot-tested this program with 60 schools around the nation and found that giving schools prioritized reporting of bullying and harassment increased the ability of schools to properly support students when targeted. As such, the program is being deployed far and wide.  

Learn more: https://cyberbullying.org/instagram-school-partnership-program-prioritized-reporting-to-help-students

How can we make schools phone-free?

https://www.anxiousgeneration.com/phone-free-schools

How Platforms Should Build AI Chatbots to Prioritize Youth Safety

By Sameer Hinduja
January 14, 2025

The introduction and adoption of AI chatbots across multiple domains has ushered in many enjoyable and educational possibilities. These conversational agents – accessible via stand-alone apps or built into existing popular social media platforms – can offer companionship and support without the pressures or complications of real-world interactions. They can also provide youth with a safe space for self-expression and exploration, where questions can be posed and sentiments expressed presumably without fear of judgment, shame, or criticism. Furthermore, they can serve as valuable educational tools, helping young users develop communication techniques, access information, and learn skills that can benefit them in school, social situations, and extracurriculars. However, the technology is now very capable of blurring the distinction between human and AI, thereby introducing specific problems that must be considered and accounted for.

Read more:
https://cyberbullying.org/ai-chatbots-youth-safety