SAT Scores Drop
The average reading and math scores on the SAT test declined slightly this year, as the number of high school students taking the standardized exam grew larger and more diverse than ever, according to a report by the College Board on the high school class of 2007. The average score on the critical reading part of the SAT, which used to be known as the verbal test, was 502 out of a possible score of 800 — a decline of one point from last year, but also the lowest showing in reading in 13 years. In math, the average score for the class of 2007 declined by three points, to 515. And the average score on the SAT writing test, which was introduced two years ago, was 494, a three-point drop.
Social Networking Sites Get Younger
Tweens and even younger children are getting addicted to social networking. It was bad enough when your teen hung around the house all day friending their buddies on MySpace and Facebook. Now there’s a push by marketers to get the younger generation (12 and below) involved in sites such as Club Penguin, Cyworld, Habbo Hotel, Webkinz, WeeWorld, and Stardoll. They run the gamut from simple interactive games and chat to fantasy lands with mountains and caves. Millions of children and adolescents are spending hours on these sites, which offer virtual versions of traditional play activities and cute animated worlds that encourage self-expression and safe communication. They are, in effect, like Facebook or MySpace with training wheels, aimed at an audience that may be getting its first exposure to the Web. While some of the sites charge subscription fees, others are supported by advertising. As is the case with children’s television, some critics wonder about the broader social cost of exposing children to marketing messages. There is clearly a need for parents to learn more about media literacy (what influences your children in the media they use) and to encourage younger children away from these sites and back to person-to-person play.
Nikki Jordan 10/12/07
I don’t let my 12 year old go to social networking sites, like those mentioned in the article. But I do allow my 16 year old to have her Facebook page because we’ve talked about online privacy and she’s old enough. Just like you wouldn’t give your 12 year old the same curfew as your older child, so you should also keep her away from these sites until she has a few more years under her belt.
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