Let’s Talk Algorithms! And How They Impact Our Kids

Let’s talk algorithms! They play a huge part in why your kids do what they do with their social media. They honestly affect anyone that is using social media. Algorithms are the invisible forces that power our digital lives. They are the mathematical equations determining what content we see on social media platforms and search engines. As a result, algorithms significantly impact our lives, including the lives of children growing up in a world where social media is ubiquitous.

The algorithms that power social media platforms are designed to keep users engaged. They do this by showing users content, most likely to keep them on the platform for as long as possible. Unfortunately, this means that the content that children see on social media may not always be the most accurate or reliable. Instead, it is content that has been optimized for engagement.

One of the ways that algorithms determine what content to show users is by tracking their behavior on the platform. This includes the posts they like, the accounts they follow, and the comments they leave. Algorithms use this information to create a profile of each user, which is then used to show them content likely to interest them.

While this may seem harmless, it can have negative consequences for children. For example, if a child spends a lot of time on social media looking at posts about beauty standards, the algorithm may show them even more content related to this topic. This can create a feedback loop reinforcing negative body image and selfesteem issues.

Algorithms also have the power to create filter bubbles, environments where users only see content that confirms their beliefs. This can be especially harmful to children, who are still developing their worldview. If they are only exposed to content that supports their existing ideas, they may struggle to see other perspectives and become more closed-minded.

Another way algorithms can negatively impact children is by exposing them to harmful or inappropriate content. Social media platforms have come under fire in recent years for spreading harmful content, such as hate speech and misinformation. Children are particularly vulnerable to this type of content, as they may not have the critical thinking skills to discern what is true and what is not.

Algorithms can also contribute to spreading misinformation by promoting sensational and controversial content over more factual and accurate information. This can be especially harmful regarding issues like health and science, where accurate information is crucial for making informed decisions.

So, what can be done to mitigate the negative impacts of algorithms on children? One solution is for social media platforms to be more transparent about how their algorithms work, allowing parents and educators to understand better the content children are being exposed to and take steps to mitigate any adverse effects.

Another solution is for parents to be more involved in their children’s social media use, including monitoring the content children are exposed to and engaging in conversations about the accuracy and reli ability of online information.

Finally, educators need to teach critical thinking skills to children from a young age. Teach them how to evaluate sources of information and discern fact from fiction online.

In conclusion, algorithms are powerful tools that have the potential to shape the way children see the world. While they can have positive effects, such as exposing children to new ideas and perspectives, they can also have negative consequences, such as promoting harmful content and reinforcing negative beliefs. By being more transparent about how algorithms work, be ing more involved in children’s social media use, and teaching critical thinking skills, we can help mitigate the adverse effects of algorithms and create a safer and more positive online environment for children.

Kristi Bush serves as a national education consultant and social media safety advocate. She is a licensed social worker with greater than 15 years of clinical practice and health care experience. She attended Troy and Auburn University where she studied social work and counseling. Kristi travels nationally and has spoken with thousands of children, parents, professionals and organizations about the benefits and threats associated with social media. You may reach Kristi through her website at www.knbcommunications.com.

Tropic Falls is the tropical getaway with something for everybody—one ticket includes 23 theme park rides and the region’s biggest indoor water park! Open on select days is the all-new tropical wave pool, Big Water Bay, complete with Coastal Curl surf simulator. Hours vary— get all the details and tickets at VisitOWA.com!

Every dad needs reminders of how much he is loved and valued. While you don’t want to forgo the handmade cards and the offbeat kid ideas, these 10 ways to celebrate dad are sure to remind him of how much you care and give everyone some fun along the way.

Scavenger Hunt: Come up with fun clues like “As a dad I could not ask for better, your next clue is where you find a letter,” to lead Dad around the house to find a Father’s Day prize. You can make up your own clues or download a set from ETSY. You’re sure to get lots of giggles from kids every step of the way.

To make this work with older kids, you can even take the hunt beyond the house to go to places around town. Give him a clue when he arrives at each location, eventually ending up at a favorite restaurant or event like a baseball game or concert.

Memory Lane: Even the most macho dads can appreciate a little trip down memory lane, especially for Father’s Day. Break out some old photos and create a short movie full of memories for him. This is the perfect project for tweens and teens to take charge of. For younger helpers, get photos printed and have them create a poster of memories.

It’s even great to get photos from before Dad was, well, a dad. Give him the chance to tell stories about who he was as a kid and before he embraced dad life.

Finish a Project: Every dad we know has some project they started that they never got around to finishing because dad life is busy. Work together to help him finish a project. Whether it’s finally building the shelves he needs or planting the garden he dreams of, working together will make the project even sweeter.

Challenge: This can be as crazy as you want it to be. Think outdoor races or a bakeoff. Maybe a game of basketball or chess. Discover a fun challenge you can do for some friendly competition and time together.

Serve Him: This is not giving him a coupon for help in the yard or washing his car. This is about actually doing it. Surprise dad and wash the car inside and out. Pack his lunch for the next day. Take care of a job he always does so he can put his feet up and relax. Bonus points if you bring him some lemonade and cookies!

Explore a Favorite Spot: Does he love a certain hiking trail or beach? Maybe there’s a bookstore that he never has time to meander through or that hardware store that he loves. Even a coffee shop that makes his favorite latte. Find a place you know he enjoys and get him there. You can have him go on his own if he likes some quiet time to himself or make it a family affair if that’s more his speed. No matter how you do it, just make sure it’s one of his favorite places.

Discover a New Place: It’s easy for parents to get so caught up in the day-today that they run out of time for exploring new places. Give Dad the gift of exploration.

You can go old school and road trip with no plan in mind, but it’s usually better to have a few ideas up your sleeve. Websites like Only In Your State can help you find everything from wacky restaurants, hikes you never knew about, abandoned places, and even road trip trails to take you on an adventure to the state’s best ice cream spots, breweries, and more.

Make a Summer Bucket List (Dad Edition!): Even dad has a list of things he’d love to do. Sometimes it gets buried under work and baseball practice and goodnight stories. Father’s Day is the perfect time to dust it off!

Get a poster and some markers or create a shared family list on your phone for Dad’s does most of the cooking at our house,” shares Jana Gwin, light heartedly. “If any one is cooking, it is me, but with our busy schedules we keep it simple most of the time. We like to pick up takeout because it is the best of both worlds.” operates and serves as Master Esthetician and Permanent Makeup Artist at Spa One Eighty in Auburn, which opened in 2008. She has two daughters, Lily (13) and Lucy (10). Lily does baton, choir and drama club and Lucy tumbles and cheers.

Summer Bucket List. Ask him what he wants to do before summer is over. And it can’t be all work and house things. Make sure he has fun little outings like going to his favorite ice cream shop and some bigger ideas like boogie boarding at the state beach. Even reading through a favorite book or seeing a movie counts! The only requirement: make time for the things on the list. Putting them on the calendar is the key to making them happen.

Favorite Foods: From sunup to sundown, fill the day with Dad’s favorite foods. Does he love a Caffè Americano and donuts? Maybe a protein shake from that place across town? How about burgers and fries? Add a milkshake? You got it!

Whatever it is, the day isn’t about what the kids like (sorry kids!).It’s a chance for Dad to eat the things he loves and enjoy every bite. He doesn’t even have to share!

More Than a Day: The fun doesn’t have to last for just one day. Make it an overnight or a weekend. Plan a family vacation that you know he’d love. It doesn’t need to be far or expensive (although that resort he’s dreamed about isn’t a terrible idea!). Think about things he loves and start there.

Does he love the outdoors? Maybe a campout is a perfect idea (even in the backyard!). Is he a museum guy? Plan an overnight to go to an art installation or even a fun place like the Spy Museum. Whatever dad likes, you can find a place he will enjoy. And the best part? The time you’ll have together!

After five years as a teacher, Rebecca Hastings began working from home in 2015 as a writer and speaker. Since then she has authored three books, written hundreds of articles, and consulted with dozens of clients.

“With our busy schedules I am usually too tired to cook and clean the kids enjoy it - which is rare!”

Jana originally decided to try this recipe after she found some Christmas tree raviolis around the holidays. She thought it would be a fun twist on a recipe she wanted to try and festive way to celebrate the season with her girls.

When Jana isn’t working and the girls have some time off from practices and rehearsals, the family loves to spend time with their fur babies. They have a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel named Roo and two cats, Richard and Stella. Also, Jana’s parents own a home on Lake Martin and they enjoy going there.

Jana’s Tortellini Soup

Ingredients:

•14 oz. Beef Broth

•14.5 oz can Italian Stewed Tomatoes

•½ lb hot Italian Sausage (cooked & crumbled)

•½ lb ground beef (cooked & crumbled)

•1 package cheese tortellini cooked and drained

•14 oz can of Italian cut green beans

Directions: momma still makes time for homemade meals around the kitchen table.

Brown and crumble the sausage and ground beef, draining off the excess fat. Bring the meat, broth and tomatoes to a boil along with 1 ¾ cup water. Let boil for five minutes, then reduce heat to low. Add the tortellini and green beans, simmer until thoroughly warmed. Top with shaved parmesan and serve.

Options: 1 lb spicy Italian sausage instead of ½ lb of sausage and ½ lb of ground beef if you prefer a spicier dish. Small ravioli works in place of tortellini, but doesn’t hold up as well for leftovers!

Gabriele has been married to her husband Daniel for 17 years. Together they have three incredible children – two boys, ages 16 and nine, and a sweet girl who will be two in August.

“We like to make breakfast for dinner, tacos, creamy Conecuh pasta and pork

“I grew up going to my grandparent’s on Lake Martin, so it’s always been my happy place,” Jana said. “My girls and I love going to spend time with my parents. We enjoy riding the boat and sea-doos, swimming, grilling out and relaxing!”

Gabriele is a full-time Sales Director for Mary Kay Cosmetics. When she isn’t spending time with family or building her business, she supports her husband who is the Lead Pastor and Planter of Forward Church in Gulf Shores.

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Gen Zers and Millennials in the Workforce

Q. I am the managing partner of a family business. We would like to add to our team, but I’m worried we can’t try to hold millennials and Gen Zers to the same standards as other generations without losing them. How do you feel about this?

A. Listen, I’ve got a building full of Gen Zers and millennials — and I love them. If you hire the rights ones, you’re getting people who love calluses on their hands and on their brains. They make the interview process easy too, because there are just two types from these generations: the ones who are unbelievably awesome and the ones who aren’t. But the great ones are not afraid of hard work. They’re passionate, intelligent and mission driven. I mean, they’ll charge the gates of hell with water pistols for something they believe in.

But that means you have to provide meaning in the work they do. They want to see that their work connects to something that matters. They want to be treated with dignity, not like units of production. And they have inquiring minds. Most of them want to know why you do things the way you do them. All that is perfectly okay with me and always has been.

Now, they’re the worst two generations to work for someone who’s just a boss. That’s because bosses push while leaders pull. If you’re going to pull, you have to inform, communicate and share a vision that draws people into your mission. Bosses, for the most part, have a “do it this way because I said so” attitude. That’s not going to last long with Gen Zers and millennials.

I get where you’re coming from though. I’ve still got friends and business associates who tell me we’re going to lose everyone from these generations if we don’t cave in and give them things like “the flexibility to work from home” — which really means, “I don’t want to work much” or “I want to work all the time.” Listen, I understand not everyone who works from home falls into one of those two categories, but some of them do. There are folks who put in 80 hours a week because they can’t put their screens down and live a life. Or they work three hours a day and call it “working from home.” That’s not working from home — that’s working part-time hours for full-time pay. And that’s called stealing.

But millennials and Gen Zers? They are, for the most part, genuine, real people and hard workers. If you give them what you should as a leader, they’ll blow you away with their smarts and what they’re capable of achieving!

As a military spouse, I have moved a handful of times with and without kids.

In the last year and a half alone, we have relocated three different times... with kids.

It is not always easy and sometimes it doesn’t go as smoothly as we’d like, but it is possible to do while maintaining a tiny bit of your sanity.

I know you might be thinking that moving across the country or to a new neighborhood can seem stressful and make you crazy, but it really doesn’t have to be that way. It’s possible to make moving with your kids stress-free and a fun family memory for you. I promise! What I share won’t take a lot of time to do and anyone can use these tips to help them have a calm move.

Here are 7 things that have helped us when we’ve had to move with kids:

1) Lists Are Your Friend. Maybe I’m just a “list-person” but lists keep me sane and organized. Even if you don’t consider yourself to particularly rely on lists in your daily life, moving with children in tow may just be the perfect time to start!

Set aside a notebook, folder, or even a binder for your moving prep. In it, you can keep your lists, paperwork, important documents, and anything else you may need in one spot.

Lists help me sort out the overwhelm and break things down into what I have to do right now, what can wait, or what I will have to do in the future. I make lists for each car if we’re driving, the plane if we’re flying, snack lists, packing lists for each person or pet, and to-do lists.Things to grab or do the morning of is another helpful one!

Repeat after me: “To combat extra frazzled moving-mom-brain, lists are your friend.”

2) Join Facebook Groups Before Getting to the Area. Yes, Facebook groups can be a lot, but using it as a research tool when you’re moving is one of the most beneficial things I’ve learned after relocating with the military so many times.

There is basically a Facebook group for everything these days, but some of the more beneficial ones I’ve joined were local town or mom groups. These are awesome for anything from pediatrician recommendations to which park is in the safest area or places to avoid for various reasons. Many areas have stroller and fitness groups or organize community playdates and other activities. I’ve also met some of my best mom-friends because of these groups!

3) Even Though You Can’t Prepare for Everything... Try to Prepare for Everything. If you’re driving long distances, don’t forget to have some sort of “car sick” or cleanup bag – Lysol wipes, a roll of paper towels, plenty of grocery bags.

If your baby relies on a sound machine to sleep, be sure to have a battery backup, plus some extra batteries. Extra clothes for everyone. Lots of sanitizer for hotels and gas station potty breaks, and more diapers than you could ever need.

On an eight or fifteen-hour trip where anything can happen, it doesn’t hurt to plan for anything that can happen! Or at least try to. We also invested in the Velcro pockets that hang on the back of the front seats. They are perfect for sticking spare diapers, wipes, a change of clothing, a burp cloth/rag, small toys or teethers, and anything else you may or may not need!

4) The Magic Hotel/First Night Bag. This will help eliminate shuffling through your trunk and other bags when you’re exhausted after driving. We’ve driven for 12, 16, and even 18 hours while moving across a few states. With two littles, two cars, and pets, it made sense to stop for the night and break up the drive into two days. This was overwhelming because it added another challenge with kiddos: a hotel stay.

I don’t know about your kids, but mine require certain things when they sleep, whether it’s in a house or hotel -- a sound machine, sleep sack, overnight pull-ups, etc. Rather than tearing through each person’s individual bag in the hotel parking lot at 7 p.m. or lugging multiple bags into the hotel for just one night, we pack one bag with everything.

We use zipper packing cubes for each person, and inside each cube, we have a pair of pajamas (and often a spare), a change or two of clothing, socks, toothbrushes, etc. Anything that person needs for one night. This concept can also be applied to a First Night Bag if you’re not stopping at a hotel! Anything anyone will need to initially survive and be somewhat comfortable the first night at your new home. With the first night bag or box at your house, you could also include things like toilet paper, a flashlight, and a first aid kit.

5) Special Toys and New Toys. We are not an “excessive-toy” family and tend to lean more toward minimalism, but this is where I have a bit of grace. In the long run, it saves my sanity and, while moving, that is so very important.

When driving long distances, we usually grab a few new toys. Sometimes it’s simple things like a small fidget-type toy or activity, sometimes it’s a few cheap toys for the baby from the dollar store that I can toss back while driving when he starts freaking out. On our last move, we got our almost-four-yearold a play toolset so she could “help” my husband put our furniture together at our new home. It’s one of my favorite memories, seeing them sitting on the floor together with all the parts. My husband read the instructions while she sat patiently until he would ask her to use her plastic hammer while wearing her pretend safety goggles.

While on the topic of toys, think carefully about what you’re giving them in the car. Stickers are okay for a four-year-old, but I wouldn’t want to peel them off my car windows from my two-year-old. For littles, use pacifier clips for smaller teethers so they don’t throw them two minutes into the trip. Does it make a mess? Is it safe? Can they swallow, break it (so it becomes sharp), or otherwise hurt themselves with it?

Obviously, we cannot control everything that happens, but I’m going to opt to give my kid Water Wow pens instead of real markers on a twelve-hour road trip. Even if they’re washable. For most, this is probably a bit of a “pick your battles” scenario.

6) Make the Kids Feel Comfortable as Soon as Possible. When we moved into our last house, my husband went to my daughter’s room and told her to stand in her doorway. He then talked loudly down the hall to show her we could easily hear her if she needed anything from her room (especially at night).

Since our things were on a moving truck and didn’t come until the following week or so, we made sure to have our kids’ special sheets/bedding with us in the car. The very first thing we did was set up their bed/space. Even though they were on air mattresses and makeshift bedding the first night, we wanted it to be as familiar and comfortable as possible for them to help with the adjustment. We treated our oldest like one of the adults, showing her around the house and letting her know where things would be going, making as many connections from our last house as possible.

7) Snacks, Screens, and a Whole Lot of Grace. While we try to limit screens normally, we have a lot of grace during traveling and getting into a new residence.