Two bits on the modern life of children

I have some links decaying in tabs in my browser, so just quick bits here:

• Bitch, Ph.D., makes a good point about after-school activities (of the paid or public kind), and especially what it means that for some kids we worry about "over-scheduling" while for others we worry about "keeping them out of trouble"...

  It frustrates the crap out of me when people talk about the social problems of "urban youth" without recognizing that even with all other things being equal, the fact is that *all* kids need *something* to do after school, and that public funding for this stuff shouldn't be about charity or "public safety": it should be something we do because, well, because we *do things for our kids*, even if we grumble about what a pain in the butt it is.

  But really, read the whole thing for the context.
  
  
• Boing boing notes a recent study that shows that the risk to kids on the Internet isn't pedophiles but bullies, and predicts correctly that this will get little or no media coverage. Still, a helpful perspective for parents (and for lawmakers, if they take a moment to catch their breath from panic about the Web).