Facebook Removes 20,000 Kids' Profiles Every Day

Facebook's Chief Privacy Advisor, Mozelle Thompson, met with a government cyber-security committee in Sydney, Australia yesterday and reported that that the social network removes about 20,000 profiles from Facebook everyday because it finds that those users are under the age of 13.  We find that to be a staggering number and indicative of the challenges facing families as they navigate the world of social networking with their tweens.

In the U.S., Senator Al Franken has just sent a letter to Facebook about their new privacy policy and his stance that it should "be impossible for them (users ages 13 to 17) to inadvertently share their phone numbers and home addresses with anyone."

Some more links you may find useful:

• For more about how tweens use social networks, see our report from the Girl Scout Research Institute and Pew Research
• Our tips on how to teach online safety to tweens
• Our coverage of the White House Conference on Bullying
• New options for all-tween social networks

Via Daily Telegraph

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World Water Day and Tweens

World Water Day was earlier this week (March 22, 2011), and it is a day for all of us to consider how we use the planet's most precious resource: fresh water.

Foregoing the use of bottled water is a great place to begin, so here's our picks for the best reusable water bottles for tweens on the go:

• Your sporty tween will appreciate the near-indestructible and lightweight water bottles made by Klean Kanteen. These are made out of stainless steel, BPA-free and come in a range of colors. Also, these can be ordered with a variety of drinking spouts, including the Sports Cap which is perfect for rapid rehydration breaks during sports. $16.45 for 18 oz; $17.95 for 27oz size from KleanKanteen.com
• An eco-conscious tween will love these glass bottles in a silicone sleeve from LifeFactory (the silicone sleeve protects the glass while it's being carried and prevents breakage from all but the most violent falls). These glass bottles can hold both hot (think herbal tea) and cold beverages, making them perfect for year-round use. $19.99 for 16 oz; $21.99 for 22 oz from

Sigg's aluminum bottles are widely available and easy to find. These bottles are also lightweight and come in a range of prints that will appeal to your artsy tween (they even come in a Hello Kitty design). $21.99 for a .6L size from MySigg.com

Note: as a reminder, MsTwixt is strictly editorial, and there is NO pay-to-play.

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First Tweens Malia and Sasha Obama in El Salvador

Continuing their visit to Latin America with their parents, Malia and Sasha Obama are visiting El Salvador today. They visited the President of El Salvador and his family at the Presidential Palace in San Salvador, met with school children from the United States of America School, and participated in a community service effort painting a mural for a health clinic at Superate, a local youth assistance program.

The First Family came to El Salvador after a visit to Chile, and prior to that they were in Brazil. In Santago, Chile, they took in a Chilean folk dance performance and concert at the Mirador Interactive Museum and met Chile's First Family at the La Moneda Palace.

 
Photo credits: Getty Images, AP

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The National Cherry Blossom Festival With Tweens

One of our tweens' favorite annual events in Washington is the National Cherry Blossom Festival. This year it runs from March 26 to April 10, and it will be especially poignant given the earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan (the Festival highlights our historic friendship with the Japanese people). There will be a Stand With Japan Walk planned for 630pm on March 24, and all donations will benefit the Japan Earthquake and Pacific Tsunami Relief Fund.

Here are our tweens' picks for the best activities to do during this event:

• View the cherry blossoms from a unique vantage point: by paddle boat in the Tidal Basin. During this busy season, you can reserve a paddle boat in advance online, and some of the best photos are those taken from the water. Tip: bring sunscreen, sunglasses and water - it can get really hot out on the water on a sunny day.
• Visit the Smithsonian's Freer Gallery for a unique day of art on March 27th. The gallery will host a special ImaginAsia workshop geared for tweens (ages 8-14) that explores how spring flowers are used in Japanese design. Tweens will complete a project painting paper parasols based upon their study of the galleries. (Our tweens took part in two ImaginAsia camp programs last summer and are clamoring to return - they love the staff and galleries.)

For younger tweens, the National Park Service will offer a special "Blooming Junior Ranger" program, and if your tweens collect Silly Bandz, this year you can purchase special cherry blossom festival-themed Silly Bandz from the gift shop at the base of the Washington Monument.

If you can't make it to Washington for the festivities, your crafty tween will enjoy this project at home: cherry blossom treat cards. This idea is from Family Fun magazine and while they recommend it for Valentine's Day, we thought it would be perfect for use for a spring holiday too. Here are the instructions:

1. Gather your materials: scissors, solid and printed cardstock/scrapbook paper, and some lollipops
2. Cut 2 petal shapes from the solid cardstock or scrapbook paper (to see what real cherry blossoms look like, check out the National Park Services live "blossom cam", or the petal shapes in the Flower Shapes kit from the Paper-Source would work too (and be faster). These form the outer petals of your blossom.
3. Cut out a smaller petal shape from the printed cardstock/scrapbook paper. This forms the inner petal.
4. Cut out two leaves that are long enough to be seen when beneath the outer petal shapes. You'll write messages on these later.
5. Stack the paper in this order: 2 leaves, 2 outer petals, 1 inner petal.
6. Using the lollipop stick, pierce through the center of the stack starting at the center of the inner petal.
7. Fan out the petals and leaves and write a message to the card's recipient on one or both of the leaves.

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First Tweens Malia and Sasha Obama in Brazil

Malia and Sasha Obama have accompanied their parents on their trip to Latin America. First stop: Brazil.

The First Tweens met with a Brazilian kids' soccer team, addressed a gathering of Youth Ambassadors, watched a "capoeira" performance (a Brazilian martial arts/dance form that is very athletic and acrobatic), and met with the Brazilian President and First Lady at the Palacio do Alvorada. So far they've been to Rio de Janeiro and Brasilia, and the rest of the tour includes Chile and El Salvador. The girls won't miss any school because they are on Spring Break until the 28th.

Photo credits: The Huffington Post/AP

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The Obama Administration on Bullying

Last week we attended the White House Conference on Bullying Prevention. We posted our summary of the day's events and wanted to share some key quotes from top government officials and thought-leaders in this space. (You can view our minute-by-minute conference updates on our Twitter feed at www.twitter.com/mstwixt with the hashtag: #stopbullyingnow.)

Major discussion at the Conference focused on linking anti-bullying measures directly to academic performance – that is, school climates that do not tolerate bullying in any form are also the same climates that make academic performance possible. Another major point made by Administration officials was that bullying is not simply an issue for schools to resolve – it is a whole community issue that involves schools, parents, law enforcement, and community members.

Some key takeaways from the day include:

• "Why is the White House talking about bullying? Because we know it's far too prevalent, and we CAN fix it. The consequences are too great not to – kids won't be successful.  There are stories today about sadness and triumph. Today we celebrate our young leaders who are working to make a difference." Melody Barnes, White House Domestic Policy Council Director
• "The goal of today's conference is to put a spotlight on this national tragedy. Too many keep their pain a secret, and but it shouldn't be that way." Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of HHS
• "I wasn't immune to bullying with these big ears and my name. I was not unscathed." President Obama
• "Our message to bullying victims is: You deserve to be respected and treated fairly." Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of HHS
• "We need to make heroes out of those people who stand-up to bullying. They need to feel the light on their good work." John Gomperts, Director of AmeriCorps
• "We need kids to be at the center of this effort to solve [bullying]." John Gomperts, Director of AmeriCorps
• "You can't turn off cyberbullying by turning off the technology. Kids are connected all the time." Tina Meier, the Megan Meier Foundation
• "We need to use technology productively to prevent and deter cyberbullying." Mandeep Dhillon, CEO of Togetherville
• "In our schools, we need reading, writing, 'rithmetic and respect. Enforcement picks up the pieces after bullying, but we need prevention." Tom Perez, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights
• "There is no quick solution, but sustained attention and community-wide involvement will result in one." Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of HHS
• "No school can be great if it's not safe. You cannot learn if you are in fear." Arne Duncan, Secretary of Education
• "We have to make this issue our own." Melody Barnes, White House Domestic Policy Council Director

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A St. Patrick's Day Recipe for Tweens

We were looking for a cool project to do with our tweens to celebrate St. Patricks Day, and we found it: rainbow cupcakes!

The girls were able to make it on their own with some minimal supervision (bonus!) - here's what we did:

1. We divided a plain white cake batter evenly into six bowls (a cake mix will work just fine; just make sure it's plain white cake - so one made without egg yolks) and then tinted each bowl with A LOT of food coloring - about 12 drops in each bowl.

2. We spooned about 1 teaspoon of each color into cupcake tins. Be warned: this step takes the most time, so plan accordingly. Then bake for 20 minutes - voila!

3. Peel off the paper wrappers before serving - and the best part is, no icing is needed - these cupcakes look fabulous on their own!

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New Online Obsession for Tweens: Harry Potter, The Quest

In preparation for the final Harry Potter movie release this summer, Warner Brothers has launched a new interactive website called Harry Potter: The Quest. Fans of the series can play games, post questions and earn points that enable them to see clips from the movie before its release. This is sure to be the newest online obsession in our house (for both the tweens and their parents!).

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Colorful Headphones for Tweens

We stumbled across these colorful headphones from UrbanEars and loved that they are the over-the-ear style (perfect for tween-sized ears) and come in a range of fun colors. Perfect for rocking out to tween tunes (silently).

Available from UrbanEars, $60.

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"Nice Girls", the New York Times, and Middle School

Our tween's middle school English teacher handed out a wonderful article to the girls titled "Nice Girls." It ran in the New York Times Magazine last month and shared a father's uplifting account of how he saw real girls interacting with one another during his commute home. We loved it for its tone and positive examples - it's a nice foil to all the Mean Girl stuff out there.

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