Social media's impact on kids 'merits big debate'

Facebook's big stock offering on Wall Street must be followed by an intensive debate on Main Street about social media's powerful impact on children, an expert on the topic says.

Jim Steyer, founder of Common Sense Media, a San Francisco think tank focusing on media and families, said the technology that Facebook represents is having "an enormous impact" on youngsters, families and schools worldwide.

"We need to have a big national, if not global conversation about the pros and cons of that," Steyer, a father of four who is also a civil rights lawyer and Stanford University professor, told AFP in an interview.

While social media such as Facebook, Google Plus and Twitter offer "extraordinary possibilities" in such areas as education, he said, "there are also real downsides in a social, emotional and cogitative development way."

"Hopefully, after the flurry of the IPO and after the valuation of Facebook is done, then we can have a very serious ongoing discussion of what this means," he said.

Steyer was in Washington to promote his just-published book "Talking Back to Facebook: The Common Sense Guide to Raising Kids in the Digital Age," which argues for greater parental involvement in their children's online lives.

"Whether we like it or not, kids are now spending far more time with media and technology than they are with their families or in school," -- as much as eight hours a day on average in the United States alone, he wrote.

Children face the triple peril of what Steyer calls RAP -- relationship issues, attention and addiction problems, and privacy issues -- as well as cyberbullying, online pornography and, for girls, body image fears.

Steyer is particularly critical of Silicon Valley tycoons -- he knows many on a first-name basis -- who, unbridled by government regulation, insist that privacy no longer matters in an increasingly interconnected world.

"This extraordinary revolution in digital media has been driven by young (software) engineers, many of whom are not parents, many of whom are somewhat socially awkward and many of whom have not really thought through the social and emotional consequences" of their products, he said.

"There is an arms race for data, and to build things as fast as possible ... but that's not a great strategy when you're talking about kids," he said, accusing tech outfits for "not respecting the concept of privacy."

Earlier this week, a Consumer Reports survey found nearly 13 million US Facebook users -- out of 157 million, and 900 million worldwide -- do not use, or are not aware of, the site's privacy controls.

Girls are especially vulnerable, Steyer said, with studies indicating that many body-conscious teens are photoshopping images of themselves so as to look thinner and score more "likes" among their friends.

By way of advice to parents, he recommended "personal technology time-outs" and banning smartphones at the dinner table. "Meal time should not be tech time," he said.

Children must also be taught to reflect before hitting the "send" button on something they might later regret, refrain from anonymous comments, and not to believe everything they read or see online.

On a governmental level, Steyer suggested the United States follow Europe's lead in privacy regulation and introduce an "eraser button" enabling users to wipe off anything they might have posted in the past.

"We need clear and simple rules (around privacy) for the tech companies, too, because right now they've dominated the debate and they've set the rules themselves," he said.

But the immediate responsibility, he said, falls on moms and dads.

"It's part of parenting 2.0 today, so you have to do your homework," he said.

"You have to actually learn the rules of the road... and then you have to set clear and simple limits for kids, set clear rules of behavior -- and you have to be a role model.

"If you're constantly addicted to your cellphone or your 'CrackBerry' then that's not sending a very good message to your kids."

Batman, Spider-man, Iron Man guard Obama at fundraiser

At George Clooney's celebrity-studded fundraiser for President Barack Obama's re-election campaign, the joke of the night was that the Secret Service was backed up by Batman, Spider-Man and the Iron Man - or at least the actors who played them.

Karen Blutcher, who won a lottery to attend the fundraiser after contributing $14, described the dinner on Thursday night as the opportunity of a lifetime.

She also confessed to being star-struck by the presence of Hollywood royalty including Tobey Maguire, who played Spider-Man, and Iron Man's Robert Downey Jr. Clooney played Batman in the 1997 film "Batman and Robin."

"I think amazing probably isn't a strong enough word, but it was an amazing opportunity to meet George Clooney and Barack Obama on the same night," said Blutcher, 45, who lives in St. Augustine, Florida, and works for a public utility company.

Blutcher, who wore a gold strapless dress for the occasion, described Clooney's California mansion as "warm and cozy" and said the actor bantered with the president about basketball. It was Clooney who made the superheroes joke, as he and Obama gathered around Blutcher and her husband for a photo, she said.

Asked about Mitt Romney, the Republican who will face Obama in the November election, Blutcher declined to give her opinion, but described herself as an enthusiastic Obama supporter.

Google rolls out 'Hangouts On Air' worldwide

Google began letting members of its social network worldwide broadcast "hangouts" live to Internet titan's growing online community.

Hangouts On Air were introduced last year at Google+ with select high-profile members testing the service that lets as many as ten people at a time take part in virtual roundtable style video chats broadcast for anyone to see.

"This small community has grown the feature in lots of creative ways," said Google+ engineering director Chee Chew.

"And they've made one thing crystal clear: when groups of passionate individuals can broadcast live, together, they results are truly remarkable.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moo, the US president, musician Will.i.am, Desmond Tutu and even the Dalai Lama have taken part in "On Air" hangouts in which intimate online gatherings can be openly viewed at the social network.

"Today we're excited to launch Hangouts On Air to Google+ users worldwide," Chew said.

"So if you have something to say-as an aspiring artist, a global celebrity, or a concerned citizen-you can now go live in front of a global audience."

The "On Air" option for Google+ hangouts is being rolled out gradually because "launching millions of live stations takes some doing."

The unique Hangouts feature has been a huge draw at the online community.

Hangouts can be limited to invited friends or opened to anyone.

"We think looking somebody in the eye and communicating in the normal social way we've learned to do over millennia is important," Google+ vice president Bradley Horowitz told AFP in a recent interview.

"We wanted to bring that authenticity back into the equation."

Hangouts have surprised the Google+ team. They have been used for language and music lessons. A stutterers' support group uses them for group meetings, and let bedridden people virtually explore the world.

Al-Qaeda dominates north Mali, desecrates Timbuktu tomb.

An offshoot of Al-Qaeda now dominates northern Mali, regional security sources said Saturday, as militants brazenly began to impose their radical vision of Islam by desecrating a holy tomb in Timbuktu.

The shock attack at the UNESCO World Heritage site came as authorities struggled to assert control in the capital Bamako days after elite soldiers failed to unseat the group of junior officers that took power in March.

"Today it is Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb which occupies a dominant position in the three areas of northern Mali thanks to its alliance with the Islamic Ansar Dine group and the influx of Tunisian, Libyan and Moroccan fighters," a Mauritanian source told AFP.

Islamic and tribal Tuareg groups took advantage of the March 22 military coup in Bamako to push government forces out of northern Mali, an area the size of France and Belgium, including the cities of Gao, Kidal and Timbuktu.

A resident of Timbuktu said that AQIM fighters from other countries of the region had swarmed to the desert city in the far north, distributing food to the inhabitants and saying they had come to wage holy war.

"Members of AQIM, supported by (the armed Islamist group) Ansar Dine, have destroyed the tomb of Saint Sidi (Mahmoud Ben) Amar. They set fire to the tomb," an official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

"They promised to destroy other tombs, Timbuktu is in shock. Now they want to take and control other tombs and manuscripts," the official said.

Mali's transitional government expressed outrage over the desecration, calling it "an unspeakable act", in a statement read out on national television.

Beyond its historic mosques, the World Heritage site comprises 16 cemeteries and mausolea, according to the UNESCO website.

Sometimes called the city of 333 saints, Timbuktu is also home to nearly 100,000 ancient manuscripts, some dating to the 12th century, preserved in family homes and private libraries under the care of religious scholars.

Security sources said Timbuktu was under the control of Abou Yaya Hamame, the head of an elite AQIM combat unit, along with a lieutenant of Ansar Dine leader Iyad Ag Ghaly.

A security source from Niger said AQIM was less prominent in Gao and Kidal further to the east and south but it had men loyal to it inside both cities.

A Malian defence ministry official said: "What's happening in northern Mali concerns not only the Malian authorities but all the other countries of the sub-region."

"The destabilisation of the Sahel and the Maghreb is at stake," the official warned, referring to a vast swathe of northwestern Africa comprising seven or eight countries.

In March junior army officers ousted Malian president Amadou Toumani Toure, complaining that he had failed to give the army the means to combat a Tuareg separatist uprising.

But the chaos after the coup was swiftly exploited by a medley of rebel and criminal groups, which had different aims and appeared to be only loosely allied.

A Tuareg group proclaimed the independence of the region but Islamists Ansar Dine, albeit headed by a former Tuareg rebel leader, rejected the claim, saying the imposition of sharia law throughout Mali was the priority.

Under international pressure the junta eventually agreed to cede power to a civilian government but maintains its influence, with three key posts in the new interim administration.

Coup leader Captain Amadou Sanogo has also refused demands by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) for elections within 12 months.

ECOWAS leaders met in Senegal's capital on Thursday and warned the coup leaders they would face new sanctions if they continued to defy the 15-nation bloc.

"Recent developments in Mali are a source of grave concern. Africa and the world are watching us," Senegal's President Macky Sall told his counterparts.

Tensions flared again early this week as elite paratroopers who had remained loyal to Toure attempted a counter-coup, leaving at least 22 people dead.

Officials said Saturday several high-ranking members of the Malian army had been arrested in recent days, including a general, Hamidou Sissoko, along with about 30 other troops and civilians.

Rolling Stones museum opens in German backwater

A German couple on Friday opened a museum devoted to legendary British rock band, the Rolling Stones, complete with urinals in the shape of the group's famous "tongue" logo.

The museum, in the small eastern German town of Luechow, will show "thousands of pieces" of memorabilia, including an original signed pool table the group took on tour, instruments, posters and a Stones pinball machine.

The Stones-mad couple, Birgit and Ulrich Schroeder, say the museum -- in a town with a population of less than 10,000 -- is the world's first devoted to the ageing rockers.

The grand opening party later Friday was due to be attended by Stones backing singer Blondie Chaplin but Birgit Schroeder said she was hopeful that they would soon have a visit from one of the band members.

"There's constant contact between us and the Stones," she told AFP.

"The problem is that it is up to the management to decide, not the band. But we think that if the Rolling Stones are anywhere in the vicinity that they will come to visit us.

"But we can't expect them to fly over from San Francisco or Ireland just to visit the museum," Schroeder added.

The museum's famous urinals made headlines around the world after several local women complained they were degrading.

"It was the best publicity we could possibly have had," said Schroeder, confirming the toilets were still on display.

"People came from far away just to use the toilet."