Video content is ubiquitous in students' lives, and a recent report highlights its effects on adolescents. The report emphasizes the importance of teaching students to be savvy consumers of digital media, noting that while video can be educational, it can also spread misinformation.
APA recommendations for healthy teen video viewing. (2024). American Psychological Association . https://www.apa.org/topics/social-media-internet/apa-adolescent-video-consumption-recommendations.pdf
A study by the American Institutes for Research reveals that gender stereotypes in STEM form as early as age 6, with children perceiving boys as better at computer science and engineering. This belief becomes more entrenched among girls over time, potentially deterring them from pursuing STEM careers.
Miller, D., & Tanenbaum, C. (2024). Analyzing the research on gender stereotypes in STEM. American Institutes for Research. https://www.air.org/project/analyzing-research-gender-stereotypes-stem
The Pew Research report reveals that YouTube, TikTok and Instagram are the most popular platforms among teens, with YouTube being used regularly by 90% of surveyed teens. Instagram and WhatsApp are seeing increased usage, while Facebook and X, the original giants of social media, have experienced significant declines in popularity among this demographic.
Faverio, M., & Sidoti, O. (2024). Teens, social media and technology. Pew Research Center.
https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2024/12/12/teens-social-media-and-technology-2024/
A recent study examined self-censorship of controversial topics in collection development. Articles can be accessed for free at www.ala.org/aasl/slr.
In the recently published “To Add or Not to Add: An Examination of Self‐Censoring Behaviors among School Librarians,” Jennifer Moore and Alissa Tudor present a study examining collection development and self-censorship amongst school librarians. The researchers collected data via surveys, and examined which controversial or frequently challenged topics school librarians chose not to collect. This research found that amongst controversial topics, there were high amounts of self-censorship around books that dealt with sexual content, abortion, and self-harm. Respondents who had never experienced book challenges in their school libraries expressed reluctance to include books that involved sexual content and LGBTQ themes or content
Moore, J., & Tudor, A. (2024). To Add or not to add: An examination of self‐censoring behaviors among school librarians. School Library Research.
