June 12, 2024

All About Gacha: The Link Between Gacha Games and Gambling, and How They Manipulate You

This article is written by our intern, Yuxin, an aspiring psychology student who specialises in curriculum and content creation for Media Literacy School Ever heard of the gaming term whaling? Whaling refers to when a player spends a significant amount of money on in-game purchases, and is typically seen in Gacha games. Even though whales […]

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  • May 28, 2024

    What You Need to Know About Concert Scams – My Experience as a “Victim”

    (Reader mode is recommended for optimal viewing on mobile devices.)  We had Coldplay in January, Ed Sheeran in February, Taylor Swift in March and Bruno Mars in April. The 4th year of the 2020s began with a bang, with our island nation hosting 4 major concerts over just 4 months – a record for the […]

    May 23, 2024

    Unplugged Activities: Diversifying Beyond Screens

    In today’s digital age, your child might often gravitate towards screen-based entertainment, sometimes to the point of overlooking the value of quality time spent with others (in real life). We believe that by exposing them to a diverse variety of activities which appeal to their interests and intelligences, they would be encouraged to spend less time […]

    March 5, 2024

    Point of Contention: Sharenting is Caring?

    (Reader mode is recommended for optimal viewing on mobile devices.)  What is “Sharenting”? A portmanteau of “share” and “parenting”, the Oxford English Dictionary defines sharenting as “the practise of sharing news, images, or videos of one’s children on social media websites”. These include pictures of their new-borns in the crib, happy family moments, and milestones […]

    February 27, 2024

    Escaping the Dangers of Echo Chambers

    (Reader mode is recommended for optimal viewing on mobile devices.)  This article is written by our intern, Yuxin, an aspiring psychology student who specialises in curriculum and content creation for Media Literacy School. What are Echo Chambers? Like its name suggests, many liken echo chambers as a mental chamber, trapping its prisoners in their own […]

    July 18, 2023

    Social Media, Healthy Use & Well-Being – A Curated Set of Reading Resources

    (Reader mode is recommended for optimal viewing on mobile devices.) Mental health & cyber wellness has become one of the top issues facing young people today. Trends point toward youths who are more stressed out, anxious and display greater signs of depression. The unhealthy use of digital devices and social media is seen to be […]

    April 28, 2023

    Hyperpersonal Danger of Online Communication

    (Reader mode is recommended for optimal viewing on mobile devices.) It was a chilling moment when Mdm Kwek discovered that her 13-year-old daughter, Celestine, was talking to an online groomer. Celestine’s lady ‘friend’ had somehow twisted his way into her daughter’s confidence and convinced her to willingly share sensitive personal details. While encounters with online […]

    December 9, 2022

    ‘Tis the Season for Battle Passes

    (Reader mode is recommended for optimal viewing on mobile devices.) The holiday season is almost here, and you are probably looking forward to a well-deserved break and a nice family vacation. Excited to share your plans, you look around the house for your children. When you finally find them, they have their headphones on, and […]

    April 10, 2020

    Improving the Quality of Your Children’s Screen Time: Examples and Tips for Parents

    What is your child doing when he/ she uses devices and screens? Are there ways to choose better screen time? The American Academy of Pediatrics recommend less than 2 hours of daily screen time for primary school children. It goes on to state that these should be “high-quality content”. How can parents choose “high quality […]

    April 7, 2020

    When Should I Give My Child A Mobile Phone? 3 Steps to Managing Digital Devices for Parents

    When will your kids get their own smartphones and iPads? At which age do you think children can manage their usage of these devices? (*Real story, names changed) Jayden*, seven years-old, is glued to his iPad, watching Stampy videos on YouTube (live gaming commentaries on Minecraft). He seems oblivious to what is happening around him. […]

    April 6, 2020

    Cyberwellness for Families: Managing Distractions from Social Media

    YouTube Children love the endless choices they have on the platform. From games & music videos to Running Man, there are so much to look forward to. And you do not have to search very hard! Recommendations, special channels, email alerts are pushed to every user. We are entertained whenever, wherever and whatever! “There is […]

    March 5, 2020

    ST Feature: Schools to devote more time to cyber wellness education

    We are in the news! Coincidentally as education announcements were made in Parliament, our team of trainers were out and about conducting our ‘Social Media: Online Reputation’ module in two different schools. Here is what the teachers and students had to say: “Very current examples compared to other cyber wellness packages which are quite dated […]

    February 18, 2020

    2020 Child Online Safety Index (COSI)

    2020 Child Online Safety Index (COSI) It’s Safer Internet Day 2020, and Media Literacy School is excited to publish a new report from our partners at DQ Institute: the 2020 Child Online Safety Index (COSI). The COSI features real-time data from 145,426 children and adolescents from 30 countries since 2017. DQ Institute’s findings support the […]

    January 18, 2020

    Flying the Singapore Flag High: Digital Literacy Conference (USA 2019)

    We are back from the Digital Literacy Conference in Iowa! More than 100 educators from different schools came together for Train-the-Trainer sessions conducted by Principal Consultant Mr Poh Yeang Cherng and Principal Trainer Ms Grace Lee, learning best practices in pedagogy and engagement for digital literacy education in schools. Two modules were designed and delivered […]

    January 10, 2020

     The Common Sense Census: Media Use by Tweens and Teens, 2019

    (Common Sense Media) This large-scale study explores how kids age 8 to 18 in the U.S. use media across an array of activities and devices—including short-form, mobile-friendly platforms like YouTube—to see where they spend their time and what they enjoy most. Combined with the data from the 2015 report, the 2019 census gives us a […]

    January 2, 2020

     MRIs show screen time linked to lower brain development in preschoolers

    (CNN) Screen time use by infants, toddlers and preschoolers has exploded over the last decade, concerning experts about the impact of television, tablets and smartphones on these critical years of rapid brain development. Now a new study scanned the brains of children 3 to 5 years old and found those who used screens more than the […]

    December 12, 2019

    What You Need To Know: Cyber Bullying & Online Aggression

    This article was first posted on STORM. We reproduce here the parts that were contributed via phone interview. Defining Cyber Bullying: Aggressive and negative behaviour exhibited through a technological platform Intentionally done with the aim to cause harm to someone The negative actions are done multiple times over a period of time and its consequences […]