Digital Grounding Takes Hold

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Remember these words, "You're grounded! No going out with your friends for a week!" Those used to be killer words when I was growing up. (Not that I heard them, mind you.)

Today, those words would be applauded or even laughed at. Kids don't want to or need to go out. They "hang out" with their friends in the virtual world of online and texting. Home is the domain where social networking and virtual reality takes hold. Many kids actually WANT to stay home.

So a new form of grounding is here. It's called digital grounding. This modern form of grounding involves taking away kids' cell phones or computer access. And for most kids, it's a far more potent punishment than the old style.

For more on this subject, see the following excellent article in Sunday's Washington Post. Click http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/05/AR2010090503836.html to read it.

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