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Where are all the millennial entrepreneurs?
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Is student loan debt to blame for a lack of enterprising young business owners? - photo by Sarah Anderson
While millennials may have the most entrepreneurial mindset of all generations, and certainly believe themselves to be entrepreneurial, its a belief that isnt backed by statistics.

According to the Atlantic, the average age for someone behind a successful start-up is about 40 years, with those between 55 and 65 as the only age group with increased entrepreneurship in the last two decades.

Furthermore, the number of business owners under 30 has dropped by 65 percent since the 1980s and is at a quarter-century low, the article stated.

"Millennials are on track to be the least entrepreneurial generation in recent history, John Lettieri, the co-founder of the Economic Innovation Group, told the U.S. Senate, according to The Atlantic.

So why so few enterprising millennials?

One possible reason several sources note is that student debt is keeping younger entrepreneurs from acting on their ventures. A national poll from advocacy organization Small Business Majority found that half of the millennials who were paying loans and either owned a business or had plans to, said that student loans were a barrier to entrepreneurship.

The same survey found 51 percent, if they do not already own a business, either have plans to or simply want to.

Responding to those views, presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton proposes deferring federal student loan payments for up to three years during which no interest would accrue, MarketWatch reported.

In addition, Clintons plan allows for those who start a business in distressed communities to be eligible for up to $17,500 of student loan forgiveness after five years.

But Small Business Trends argues against the debt factor, stating that the rise in student loan debt in 2004 doesnt coincide with the decline in entrepreneurship, which has been falling since 1989.

Instead, Small Business Trends points to a change of attitude. Todays young people are less interested in being entrepreneurs than their parents were at their age and instead pursue other life goals, the article stated, with the timing of the attitude shift syncing better with the decline of entrepreneurship.

Regardless of the cause, the lack of entrepreneurship among millennials can have a broad, longterm economic impact. The Atlantic noted that older firms employing up to 80 percent of the workforce dominate the business landscape, which can lead to a less efficient economy.

"There is, however, cause for optimism," the article concluded. "First start-up ideas germinate in office daydreams before blossoming into something worth pursuing outside the comforts of the company. Second, the slow recovery has stalled some would-be entrepreneurs, but 2015 was one of the strongest years this century for job and wage growth Third, the next generation may be better prepared to start a company. The number of entrepreneurship classes on college campuses has increased by a factor of 20 since 1985, so its possible that there are thousands of future startup founders who are currently employees sifting through ideas for their own firm."
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How to avoid 'sharenting' and other paparazzi parenting habits
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A recent study revealed parents often spend up to two hours staging a single photo of his or her child to post online. - photo by Amy Iverson
Before having kids, some people just dont appreciate their friends baby posts. But after having a child of their own, three fourths of new parents jump right on the parental social media bandwagon. If you have become a member of this group, there are some rules to follow for posting responsibly.

Much of a parents worry is how to teach their children to use social media responsibly. We talk with our kids about privacy, oversharing, and setting restrictions on their devices to keep them safe. But parents themselves need to look in the digital mirror once in a while. Before having children, it doesnt take as much effort to think about what to post online. Its up to us to decide what we share about our own lives. But once you become a parent, there are many questions to think about regarding what is appropriate to post about your kids on social media.

In a recent survey, kids clothing subscription company Mac and Mia surveyed 2000 new parents to find out how they are documenting their kids lives on social media, and what concerns they may have.

First of all, people without children seem to feel a bit differently about the onslaught of baby pictures online than those who are parents. 18 percent of people say before they had kids, they were annoyed by their friends baby posts. But after having children of their own, 73 percent admit they post progress pictures of their little ones every single month.

Not only are new parents letting the world know each time their baby is a month older, but they are posting about their kids every few days or so. Men and women report they post 6-7 times per month about their baby.

And while 70 percent of new parents say the benefit of using social media is how easy it is to help family and friends feel involved, there are some downsides. Here are a few tips to avoid the pitfall of becoming paparazzi parents.

Dont miss the moment

In the Mac and Mia survey, some parents admitted to spending up to two hours to get the perfect shot of their baby. That seems a little extreme. New and old parents alike should be careful about spending so much time taking pictures and videos that they dont enjoy the moment. Years ago, I decided to never live an experience through my phone. A study by Linda Henkel, a psychology professor at Fairfield University in Connecticut, found that when people took pictures of objects in an art museum, they didnt remember the objects as well as if they simply observed them.

This photo-taking impairment effect can happen to parents as well. If we are so consumed by getting the perfect photo, we can miss out on the moment all together, and our memory of it will suffer.

Dont forget about privacy

60 percent of couples say they have discussed rules and boundaries for posting their babys photos, according to the Mac and Mia survey. Even so, men are 34 percent more likely to publish baby posts on public accounts. If parents are concerned about their childrens privacy, keeping photos off of public accounts is a given.

In the Washington Post, Stacey Steinberg, a legal skills professor at the University of Florida, and Bahareh Keith, a Portland pediatrician, wrote that sharing too much information about kids online puts them at risk. They write that all that sharenting can make it easier for data thieves to target out kids for identity theft. Check that your privacy settings are where they should be and never share identifying information like full names and birth dates.

Dont be paparazzi parents

36 percent of parents say they take issue when their childs photo is posted online by someone else. Responsible social media users will always ask permission before posting a photo of another child. But parents should also think about whether their own children will take issue with their own posted photos a few years down the road.

When parents are constantly snapping pictures and throwing them on social media, it can be easy to forget to pause and make sure the post is appropriate. I always use the billboard example with my kids. I ask them to picture whatever they are posting going up on a billboard in our neighborhood. If they are okay with that, then their post is probably fine. Parents should ask themselves this same question when posting about their children. But they should also ask themselves if their child would be OK with this post on a billboard in 15 years. If it would cause embarrassment or humiliation, it might be best to keep it private.

Once children reach an appropriate age, parents should include them in the process of deciding what pictures are OK to post. Researchers at the University of Michigan surveyed 10- to 17-year-olds and found children believe their parents should ask permission more than parents think they should. The kids in the survey said sharing happy family moments, or accomplishments in sports, school and hobbies is fine. But when the post is negative (like when a child is disciplined) or embarrassing (think naked baby pictures or messy hair), kids say to keep it off social media.
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