Parents, caregivers and educators, if you haven't already done so, please pick up Jonathan Haidt's book "The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness". Jonathan is a social pyschologist and in his book, he raises the alarm on the mental health crisis amongst teens. He traces the roots of the problems back to major factors, including: - the switch form flip phones to smartphones - the inclusion
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Parents, teachers and caregivers often ask NewTechKids' team members how they can prepare kids for a world of pervasive technology which is shaping almost every facet of life. They want to give their kids the best opportunities for success yet are overwhelmed, confused and don't feel well-equipped because they did not grow up in a tech-driven world. This causes a lot of anxiety so here are our top four tips for preparing kids for an
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NewTechKids has taught thousands of primary school aged children about computer science, coding, robotics, design and critical thinking about technology. What we've found is that while enrolling kids in computer science programs is a great first step, it's only one of the factors which influence the likelihood that kids will choose a tech-related study, training or career path down the line. In order to imprint the importance of tech and reinforce the desire to master
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With Big Tech and businesses increasingly targeting children in terms of advertising, marketing, sales, data mining and surveillance, NewTechKids encourages parents, caregivers and teachers to start thinking more critically about how technology impacts children and teens. We are one of the supporters of the Dutch Code for Children's Rights in the Netherlands. Drawn up by the University of Leiden and the Waag and commissioned by the Dutch Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations, the Code outlines 10
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Recently, the Washington Post published an interesting article titled 'This School Took Away Smartphones. The Kids Don’t Mind.' It was about Buxton School, a small boarding school in Massachusetts which has banned smartphones from campus. Teachers have also agreed not to use theirs. Everyone has been given a Light Phone, a minimalist phone which is only used for essential communication. So far, teachers say that students are more engaged in class and students say the ban
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The best, most future-proof skill that parents, caregivers and teachers can impart to kids is "learning how to learn" and mastering different ways of learning. As such, NewTechKids is organizing 'Try It Out' workshops on Saturday, January 15th and Sunday, January 16th for kids ages 8-12 at the Amsterdam Public Library. The workshops will take place each day from 13:00 - 14:30 and 15:00 - 16:30. Spaces are limited. Register here. During these workshops, we'll
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The COVID-19 pandemic stressed the central role that parents and caregivers play in the education of children. Virtual homeschooling forced these adults into the roles of informal teachers and task masters. The rapid transformation of education (pedagogies, subject matter, teaching environments, technology, etc.) means that the formal school system is largely outdated and struggling to align itself with 21st century reality. No more so than preparing kids and teens for a world of constant technological
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NewTechKids discussed the pros and cons of video games and gaming with Matteo Rinaldi, who graduated from the University of Amsterdam with a Master's of Science, specializing in Communication Science, Persuasive and Entertainment Communication. One of his research areas focused on media and children's development. He wrote the blog post below based on his Masters research. It outlines his views on the benefits of gaming and his top recommendations for video games and gaming apps
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We reached out to Leah Plunkett, author of the book "Sharenthood: why we should think before we talk about our kids online", and she had this advice for parents, caregivers and teachers engaged in social media activities. "Use a holiday card rule of thumb to decide whether, when, how, why, and with whom to sharent: if you would put the photo or news update into a hard copy letter, print and mail out hundreds of copies
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Computer Science Education Week takes place next week, from December 9-15. It's a global annual program dedicated to inspiring K-12 students to take interest in computer science. In honour of this important Week, NewTechKids challenges parents, caretakers and teachers to take the plunge and explore computer science with children. Until schools make technological innovation, computer science, programming and robotics mandatory subjects, the adults active in the lives of children will have to take the lead
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