Happy Birthday Emily Osment!

The Hannah Montana star and new recording star turns 18 today - Happy Birthday Emily Osment!

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Should Facebook/Twitter/YouTube/MySpace Be Blocked By Schools?

Tweens are using social media (Facebook/Twitter/YouTube/MySpace) a lot more these days - they post pics of their friends and family, watch episodes of Fred or Justin Bieber videos (that's how he was discovered, actually), and follow their favorite celebrities on Twitter (or not, as Miley Cyrus famously quit Twitter last year) (check out MsTwixt's list of Tween Celebs on Twitter) and bands on MySpace (including Honor Society, Selena Gomez and Emily Osment). And in recent days, we've all witnessed how social media has been used for good - more than $6 million has been raised in the U.S. alone towards earthquake relief efforts in Haiti, much it driven by social networks and text messages. Demi Lovato even took to Twitter to encourage her fans to get involved to help.

Some of this takes away from studying and certainly shouldn't be done in school, but should schools totally block them? The debate is on, with proponents of blocking social media sites claiming that they are a distraction at best and used for cyber-bullying at worst. Opponents of banning social media in schools are beginning to grow, claiming that they're simply a new channel (not unlike mobile phones) and can actually be used to monitor and pre-empt social problems. Slate magazine, an online opinion blog, recently ran an op-ed on the subject.

Full disclosure: MsTwixt uses social networking a lot (you can follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MsTwixt, join our Facebook page, or see us on MySpace at www.MySpace.com/MsTwixt), but this is about tweens using social networks.

What do you think?

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Mickey Mouse is 81!

The most famous mouse in the world made his debut in a short film called "Steamboat Willie" back in 1928. Today, he holds the title of "Chief Greeter" at all Disney Parks. For a great history of Mickey, check out the Disney Archives.

Many of today's favorite tween celebs got their start in the House of Mouse, including Miley Cyrus, Demi Lovato, Selena Gomez, Emily Osment, Zac Efron, and Vanessa Hudgens.

Photo: Crafty Confections

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Emily Osment is Coming to D.C.!

Newly minted rock star Emily Osment (her album launched two weeks ago and is not only playing well on Radio Disney but her first single, "All the Right Wrongs" also topped Billboard's new artist charts this week) is coming to Washington this month! She'll be at Jammin' Java in Vienna, VA on November 23rd at 7pm; tickets are only $15.00.

For newbies, Ms. Osment is part of the Hannah Montana cast and plays Miley's BFF, Lilly. She is 17 years old and is both a singer and songwriter. She says the first song she wrote was when she was three years old about a tree.

(BTW: Honor Society is also coming to D.C. this weekend at Jammin' Java on November 14th. As of press time, this concert was sold out for both the 2pm and 6pm shows, but you can check their site for updates.)

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Emily Osment's Album Released Tomorrow!

The Disney tween machine rolls on: Emily Osment, who plays Lily on Disney Channel's Hannah Montana, launches her singing career tomorrow with the release of her first album, "All the Right Wrongs" (audio warning: this site automatically plays tracks from the album, so you might want to check the volume control on your computer). (Yes, Ms. Osment is related to Oscar-nominee Haley Joel Osment)

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