Posts filed under ‘Research’
Can You Hear Me Now?: Earbuds, high volume music cause teen hearing loss
When we see a car drive up next with the bass and volume turned up so much that the cars around us are bouncing, we smirk, because we know that those folks are going to have hearing loss later in life. But while we consider hearing loss among adults who ought to know better something we can smirk at, a study released on Tuesday (as show on CBS News) is just plain alarming: 30 percent more of today’s teens have some sort of hearing loss, as opposed to their peers in the last decade.
So maybe teenagers aren’t necessarily tuning out adults; they simply might not be able to hear them.
This hearing loss can affect learning, speech perception, social skills development and self-image. This recent research asserts that one in every five teens has at least a slight hearing loss, with one in every 20 teens showing a more severe loss in their hearing. The study did not identify a cause for the increased hearing loss specifically, and the teenagers did not identify any significant changes in their exposure to loud noises. (The study’s authors say teenagers often underestimate their noise exposure.) Many experts suspect the primary cause is the use of using earbuds or headphones to listen to portable music.
The authors of the report in the Journal of the American Medical Assn. eliminated ear infections and exposure to loud noises in the 
environment as causes for the hearing loss: could it be those headphones teens are always wearing?
A recent Australian study also found a 70% increased risk of hearing loss associated with the use of headphones to listen to portable music. As a sound hits the ear/inner ear, nerves are triggered by hairs in the ear canal. With high and prolonged exposure, teens maybe destroying these triggers and their ability to discern certain decibels of sound. Think about it: a normal conversation is about 60 decibels, whereas the music from an ipod or MP3 player can range 100 to 120 decibels. OSHA notes that exposure to noise levels of 110 decibels for more than 30 minutes requires ear protection in workplaces, so this earbud/headphone theory has some merit.
Researchers say the results are cause for concern because hearing problems worsen with age and can have a significant impact on a teenagers ability to learn, so turn it down teens. Save your hearing and pay attention to your volume.
Want more info: Check out The Los Angeles Times
Kids Prefer Life Online, Choose Correct Behavior
ReadWriteWeb shares that in a study of 14-21 year-olds, MySpace found that, “Some 36% of the respondents said they found it easier to talk about themselves online than in the real world, leading them to share more about themselves using technology.” For their younger counterparts who’ve never known life without social networks and text messaging, I’d guess that the percentage preferring to share online would be even higher.
MySpace’s numbers make total sense to us. For nearly a decade, OneSeventeen Media’s team members have been creating interactive experiences for kids online; we see technology as an opportunity to connect with kids who don’t always feel comfortable reaching out for help or support in face-to-face interactions. This isn’t to say online interactions should replace real life ones, but often the right online tool can serve as the first step in improving offline relationships.
So often it’s the doom-and-gloom reports about kids online that catch mainstream media attention, and Anastasia Goodstein presents a fresh look at information and youth behavior online:
“- 63% of teens said they DO NOT USE social networks to make fun of other students
- 87% of teens said they HAVE NOT posted naked or semi-naked photos or videos of themselves.
- 76% of teens said they HAVE NOT signed on to someone else’s account without permission
- 72% of teens HAVE NOT posted personal information that they normally would not have revealed in publicI would say wow, most teens are using this technology pretty responsibly…”
While there’s still room for improvement and educating kids as digital citizens, I greatly appreciate Anastasia framing the numbers to give kids the benefit of the doubt. There’s a strong majority of kids choosing to do the right things online, and that’s encouraging news!
Today’s Kids: Expensive, But Not Worse Behaving
A Canadian study reports that today’s kids behave no worse than their parents;
“The conventional vices such as smoking, drinking and occasional marijuana use are all down from Bibby’s earlier Teen Project Canada studies dating back to the 1980s. So are the teen problems of the sort highlighted by the media such as depression, suicide and bullying, according to his 2008 survey of 5,200 teens from coast to coast.”
While it might be mildly reassuring that this generation of teens and tweens are no worse off than their parents, the expansive media coverage on youth issues should make us aware of many individuals were previously falling through the cracks unnoticed. Twenty-first century tweens and teens are often criticized for their over-sharing, but when kids are willing to open up through new media tools, there’s a unique opportunity for us to provide support and resources to help navigate their struggles. At OneSeventeen Media, we’re motivated around using social media to connect kids with the tools for success that weren’t readily accessible a generation ago.
Another (expensive) sign of the times: the average family will spend $221,000 to raise a child born in 2008 to age 17, according to a USDA report that’s been widely covered the last few days. This is no small chunk of change, but as Joanne Jacobs points out, the figure could be quite inaccurate. On Jacobs’ blog, there are some interesting comments where a single mom explains the number sounds low:
“Overestimates? If anything, it underestimates. I’m a single parent in Southern California, living in a middle-class neighborhood. It costs me $500 MORE a month to rent a 2-bedroom apt. than a 1-bedroom. If I rented a house for optimal “family raising” conditions, it would cost even more. So already, we’re talking $108,000 just for him not to share a room with his mom. Even with extra-cheap child care until he turns 12, we’re talking $40,000 more. It would cost more than that for a parent to stay home for 12 years. That’s $148,000, and we haven’t even gotten to health insurance, medical expenses, food, or clothing yet.”
(Image found here)
Tweens = $43 Billion in Spending Power
This tidbit stuck out to me from The Washington Times article, “Retailers lure parents of powerful tweens:”
“Tweens wield $43 billion in spending power annually and influence the spending of billions more on everything from cell phones to vacations to automobiles,” New York consumer behavior and marketing firm EPM Communications Inc. said in a 2008 report.”
That’s a-whole-lot-of money, and the figure doesn’t even include teen spending power. As we seek out responsible advertisers and sponsors for PlumbBrain, this study is a great reminder of the missed opportunity for retailers who do not to engage the tween market.
(Image found here)
Mobile Integration Key as Wireless Net Usage Surges
In a study released by the Pew Internet and American Life Project, they share wireless internet usage has “increased sharply in 2009″ with more than half of the adult population having accessed wireless internet via laptop or mobile device. Mobile device usage has grown “73% in the 16 month interval between surveys.” Implementing a strong mobile integration strategy has always been part of our plan for PlumbBrain, and Pew’s study reinforces that increasingly youth and adults will be accessing content via mobile devices.
Research Affirms the Right Direction
Two different research studies from the last few weeks have shared data useful to OneSeventeen Media. MEDIAWEEK reports that kids are “living online.”
Time spent among kids has soared by 63 percent over the past five years, as kids are increasingly drawn to watching videos and playing games—and even more so than adults, visiting virtual worlds
According to Nielsen, kids 2-11 spent nearly seven hours online per month five years ago, versus 11 hours a month in 2009, with boys spending slightly more time on average than girls (seven percent more this past May). That usage disparity is perhaps most evident in online video viewing, as boys accounted for 61 percent of video streams among kids on the Web and 57 percent of kids time spent viewing videos.
Nielsen’s study includes the youngest part of our target audience, and their increased internet usage supports our belief that quality online content, even for younger tweens, will continue to be a critical resource in their development. [While we're not looking to engage kids as young as the precious exploring baby above, I do predict they'll be growth in online activites for the youngest of kids in the next years.]
While this comes as a no-brainer to our team, ReadWriteWeb shared, “a new study released by enterprise wiki provider Wetpaint and the Altimeter Group shows that the brands most engaged in social media are also experiencing higher financial success rates than those of their non-engaged peers.” Having hard data supporting the success of social media campaigns is useful as we continue to engage potential partners, sponsors and advertisers for PlumbBrain.
Half of 2009 Fortune 500 Founded During Recession
It pays to make the most of a down economy — this has been our mantra during the last year’s economic woes. While investors have held their purse strings tighter, we’ve continued to push ourselves and get to work helping kids.
OneSeventeen Media is in good company, according to a new study the Kauffman Foundation released today:
“The study, “The Economic Future Just Happened,” found that more than half of the companies on the 2009 Fortune 500 list were launched during a recession or bear market, along with nearly half of the firms on the 2008 Inc. list of America’s fastest-growing companies. “
Pushing onward is the winning strategy, for our investors and the kids we serve.
Making the Most of Ypulse Mashup 2009
By Amy Looper, OneSeventeen Media Co-Founder
This year’s 2009 Ypulse Youth Marketing Mashup conference was another winner and maybe even the strongest lineup yet. It was good to catch up with old friends and to make new ones. For those of you who may be new to OneSeventeen Media, this is one of our very favorite conferences because Anastsia Goodstein, Ypulse Founder, does such a fantastic job bringing in top brand, corporate and social marketers, media professionals, non-profits and educators together to share the latest best practices, research and the strategies on marketing to youth with technology.
For OneSeventeen Media’s focus, the following were particularly relevant highlights:
- Social networks continue to be an important place for youth to accomplish social good and engage around current events. Interestingly enough, C&R research presented that environmental issues were no longer the number one issue among youth, their research shows it was youth oriented issues like education and child poverty as number one, cancer was number two, then followed the environment in the number 3 slot.
- I think the big shocker was learning from Bill Carter’s presentation on Fuse Marketing’s latest research, that teens still read magazines! In fact, it was the second most effective rated medium to reach teens, and TV isn’t off their radar either! Several girls on the youth panels mentioned they like to read Seventeen Magazine, and they do pay attention to ads. However, when they see an ad of interest they will go to the web to do research and then make any purchases from there. 75% of teens believe it’s appropriate for brands to reach them via TV ads. The bottom line? It’s imperative to have go-to-market strategies that fully integrate all available platforms youth utilize. The underlying theme here was to have an authentic, value-providing story that your youth market can relate to.
- Facebook’s faceoff with Twitter continues. While it’s been widely reported that youth have been slow to adopt Twitter, the youth panelist were somewhat divided on which was a better marketing tool. Of note, none of them mentioned MySpace. Facebook fans liked the ability to create a community around your brand ie: through a fan page and or group, while the other panelist opted for Twitter because it was the best way to monitor your brand as well as insert yourself into a relevant conversation with others about your brand. It’s important to remember these young panelists are still a bit older than our market, but trends with the older youth trickle down to younger kids over time — something for us to watch for.
- Last, but definitely not least, Don Tapscott’s keynote presentation was brilliant, and Guy Kawasaki’s masterful moderation of the Youth Entrepreneurs panel was fantastic! These young entrepreneurs are fearless and had many valuable insights to share. You can read more about what others are saying about their conference experiences on the Ypulse site.
Job well done Anastasia and team!
(Pictured above: Guy Kawasaki and the Youth Entrepreneurs panel in action)
What Kind of Tech User Are You? Take the Quiz.
From Pew Internet & American Life Project:
“Is Facebook your window to your social world? Is your mobile device the last thing you put aside before shutting the light out at night? Or does the deluge of digital information leave you flat and the ring of your cell phone leave you cranky? Take the quiz to find out where you fit in the typology of technology users.”
Curious, I took the quiz and discovered that I am a Digital Collaborator.
“If you are a Digital Collaborator, you use information technology to work with and share your creations with others. You are enthusiastic about how ICTs help you connect with others and confident in how to manage digital devices and information. For you, the digital commons can be a camp, a lab, or a theater group – places to gather with others to develop something new.”
I’m interested to see what other people are! I’d love for you to take the quiz and share your results below. Having only seen my results, I’m curious what other titles and divisions there are. I’d venture to guess my classification is typical of my age group; particulary those of us seeking out Pew’s content. I’m also wondering if the younger, tech-savvy tween crowd generally falls into the same category?
(Image found here)
Online Dangers For Kids: More Hype Than Truth
“The notion that predators are using the Internet as an L.L. Bean catalog, that’s not what’s happening.” — David Finkelhor, Study Author
The man who first brought us the staggering statistic that 1 in 7 children would be solicited online, David Finkelhor, is now reaching out to explain his data in context. In his most recent study, Finkelhor explains that the online world is no more dangerous than the offline world, and that the largest threat of child abuse comes from individuals kids know in real life, not online.
The entire article by Lenore Skenazy is worth a read because it is packed with useful information put into valuable context. From Skenazy’s piece:
“Is letting your kids go online the same as dropping them off at the Vince Lombardi Rest Stop in fishnet stockings at 3 a.m.?
A lot of parents think it is. Or maybe worse. My husband and I took our time letting our oldest boy, who is 13, start his social networking, though that was because we were worried it was like dropping him off at the Vince Lombardi Rest Stop to do his homework—we figured it would never get done. But the towering fear that the second a kid goes online he or she becomes cyberjailbait turns out to be way off base. According to new research, the danger online is teeny-tiny unless your kids are running into chat rooms, typing, “Anyone here like ‘em young?” and posting photos of themselves licking lollipops. Naked.”
We don’t want to begin to belittle the value of teaching kids to be smart, digital citizens and continuously monitoring their online activities; however, some context around popularly quoted statics is useful in considering the big picture and helping parents and companies make decisions and polices that are proactive in keeping kids safe online, not rooted in fear of misunderstood threats. Kid safety is our top priority at OneSeventeen Media, and we diligently seek out the most accurate information to share with our community while proactively working to create safe online spaces.
(Image found here)
