Does social networking harm children's brains?

We've just had a 'Chilling warning to parents' from top neuroscientist, Baroness Professor Susan Greenfield who says that "Social networking websites are causing alarming changes in the brains of young users". Her fear is that"'these technologies are infantilising the brain into the state of small children who are attracted by buzzing noises and bright lights, who have a small attention span and who live for the moment.' The baroness is worried that children's brains are changing: 'It is hard to see how living this way on a daily basis will not result in brains, or rather minds, different from those of previous generations,' she said.

I do worry when scientists and academics cross the line from measuring and explaining changes to telling us how to think about their findings. They can't know anymore than we can what will turn out to be an evolutionary advantageous change and what will be disadvantageous.

The Internet is rotting your brain, Jack!

OLD KNOWLEDGE
People (including kids) no longer have the skills to read slide rules or logarithm tables. Should we regret that? No. Life moves on and demands new knowledge, new understandings and new kinds of creativity and personal interaction. That's what our kids are learning, partly through engaging in their online worlds and social networks.

INTERCULTURAL UNDERSTANDING
Kids are gaining inter-cultural understanding. Research on the kids in IM's Social Learning Networks (SuperClubsPLUS.com and GoldStarCafe.net) found that 60% of children's online friends are outside their town, in fact, they are scattered across the UK and in 45 different countries. To these kids a foreigner is not a stranger to be feared or mocked, but a friend to play with and work with, write stories together, build online clubs together, and discuss world news as it's happening.

Social Learning Networks encourage kids to think on a more global scale. They understand our global interdependence far better than most of their parents.

INTERPERSONAL UNDERSTANDING
This month our kids have been talking to Australian kids about the terrible bush fires. Its been a valuable way for the Aussie kids to express their feelings and for the UK kids to express their empathy, for something that's might be on the other side of the world, but that involves real people - their online friends. Now that's NEW - very different to watching a news article on the television - our kids are directly involved and able to immediately offer some comfort and help. It's a new experience and it encourages new ways of thinking.

MULTI-THINKING, MULTI-TASKING
We know many of our kids spend a couple of hours each evening social networking in SuperClubsPLUS or GoldStarCafe. At the same time they are instant messaging and talking on their phones and they also have one eye on the TV and one ear awaiting Mum's call for tea. You could say that's damaging and making them butterfly minded, distracted and shallow or you could say it's turning them into fast-paced multi-taskers, who can think and work effectively in multiple media.

BRINGING FAMILIES CLOSER IN LEARNING
We also know that taking part in a Social Learning Network - far from isolating children and inhibiting conversation
can actually bring children closer to their families. Research by the Scottish Executive found that nearly all parents of kids in SuperClubsPLUS believed that use of the service had improved their child’s interest in learning 84% of parent said that SuperClubsPLUS raised their child’s attainment and encouraged parents to collaborate with their children on school work. - SuperClubsPLUS Evaluation For Learning and Teaching Scotland April 2007.

More recent research also shows the Internet is bringing families together.

"It is clear from the research results that the Internet has gained a significant place in children's daily lives. Almost all of the children surveyed use the Internet at home with their parents. Their mothers are particularly engaged with their homework and formal learning and take an interest in their online safety. Fathers join in to a lesser extent but encourage children with the fun aspects and help them with their hobbies." - Learning in the Family, November 2008

There is even evidence that kids using Social Learning Networks are becoming better learners: The University of Hertfordshire found that kids using SuperClubsPLUS "become better learners". - An Evaluation of the Educational and Social Benefits of SuperClubsPLUS for children - Dr. Karen Pine, School of Psychology, University of Hertfordshire, September 2006.

LEARNING MATTERS
The big difference here, is that these social networks are dedicated to LEARNING and deliberately set out to optimise the learning experience for children. That doesn't mean they are not entertaining too, but enabling learning is the network provider's main driver.

Yes maybe Facebook encourages us to be a bit self-regarding and maybe playing violent multi-player video games gives us a taste for death and deatruction. But maybe we should all have the humility to say that the world is changing, we are changing and kids are changing, and that's evolution. It's not good. It's not Bad. It's just different and who knows where it will lead? I don't and nor does Baroness Greenfield.

www,intuitivemedia.com
www.superclubsplus.com
www.goldstarcafe.net