The UAB-SCIMS Information Network is devoted to making it easier for you to find useful, up-to-date information from reliable sources. We will continue to add and remove links as needed, so you can get updates via facebook or twitter. We also want to hear from you! Help us Strengthen by suggesting a link be added, asking a question or submitting a comment
1T6-510 pdf - Troubleshooting with Sniffer Portable/Sniffer Distributed
Network-General Portable/Sniffer pdf
Other Network-General exams
1T6-111 Troubleshooting and Management with Sniffer Distributed1T6-215 Sniffer Portable Switch Expert Analysis and Troubleshooting
1T6-220 Switched Ethemet Network Analysis and Troubleshooting
1T6-222 Wireless LAN Analysis and Troubleshooting
1T6-303 TCP/IP Network Analysis and Troubleshooting
1T6-323 Microsoft Windows 2000 Network Analysis and Troubleshooting
1T6-510 Troubleshooting with Sniffer Portable/Sniffer Distributed
1T6-511 Network Analysis and Troubleshooting
1T6-520 Application Performance Analysis and Troubleshooting
1T6-521 Application Performance Analysis and Troubleshooting
1T6-530 TCP/IP Network Analysis and Troubleshooting
1T6-540 Advanced Troubleshooting with InfiniStream Network Mgmt
Windows 10 offers an inbuilt Network Sniffer Tool — PktMon.exe — to monitor internal packet propagation and packet drop reports. This tool can help you snoop around. The network and help you resolve the cause of network latency, identify impacted applications, and, when used with an additional set of tools, can provide insight into top metrics. In this post, we will show how you can use the new Network Sniffer Tool (PktMon.exe) in Windows 10.
PktMon.exe or Packet Monitor is the new network sniffer or network diagnostic and packet monitoring tool. It is located in the Systems folder, which means you can invoke it from the Run or Command Prompt or PowerShell.
If the program reminds you about Netsh Trace Command, then you are right. Netsh Trace command helps you to enable and configure network tracing to assist you when troubleshooting network connectivity problems.
What can PktMon can do?
If you run PktMon.exe Help on the command prompt. Here is what you get:
- filter: Manage packet filters.
- comp: Manage registered components.
- reset: Reset counters to zero.
- start: Start packet monitoring.
- stop: Stop monitoring.
- format: Convert log file to text.
- unload: Unload PktMon driver.
And if you want further help on a specific command, then you can run help against that command. Here is how it looks like:
pktmon filter help
pktmon filter { list | add | remove } [OPTIONS | help]
Commands list Display active packet filters. add Add a filter to control which packets are reported. remove Removes all filters.
PktMon.exe also comes with real-time monitoring and support for the PCAPNG file format.
Read: How to enable and test DNS over HTTPS in Windows 10.
How to use PktMon to monitor network traffic
Here is an example of how to use it with a simple example.
- Create a Filter to monitor a port
- Start Monitoring
- Export Log into a readable format
This example is assuming that you want to monitor a port number on the computer, which might be having issues often.
1. Create a Filter
The primary option which allows you to monitor traffic is —filter. Using this option, you can create a filter to control which packets are reported based on Ethernet Frame, IP header, TCP header, and Encapsulation. If you run the below-mentioned program, you will get full details on what you can do with the filter.
pktmon filter add help
So coming back to our topic, let’s assume that we are going to monitor TCP port no 1088. It can be a port used by your custom application, which is crashing, and PktMon can help you figure out if the network is the problem.
Open Command Prompt or PowerShell with admin privileges
Create a packet filter using the command: “pktmon filter add -p [port]”
pktmon filter add -p 1088
You can then run the command “pktmon filter list” to see a list of added filters.
To remove all the filters run the command “pktmon filter remove”
2. Start Monitoring
Since this is not an automated program running in the background but works on-demand, you need to start monitoring manually. Run the following command to start monitoring packets
pktmon start --etw - p 0
It will start the monitoring and created a log file at the mentioned location. You will have to manually stop using the “stop” argument to stop the logging, or it will end when the computer shuts down. If you run the command with “-p 0” then it will only capture 128 bytes of a packet.
Log filename: C:\Windows\system32\PktMon.etl Logging mode: Circular Maximum file size: 512 MB
3. Export Log into a readable format
The log file is saved into PktMon.ETL file which can be converted into a human-readable format using the following command
pktmon format PktMon.etl -o port-monitor-1088.txtHaving done that, while you open the file in notepad, and read it, to make sense, you will have to use the Microsoft Network Monitor. It can directly read the ETL file.
That said, Microsoft is expected to start rolling out support for real-time monitoring, which was expected in Windows 10 2004 – but I do not see that that option yet.
Related read: Free Packet Sniffing Tools for Windows 10.
Are you facing any troubles while connecting to the internet or your own local area network? If so, you probably need a network manager to identify and fix the problem. Network managers are a category of software that lets you view stats, details, and perform operations inside a network. The tool that we are talking about today is called NETworkManager.
NETworkManager is a free, open-source portable tool that is capable of working around all types of networks. It comes with plenty of features and lets you perform almost any operation on a network. It is a powerful tool for managing networks and troubleshoot network problems.
To get started, the Dashboard area displays the current state of your network. It can show some devices and current internet status on your device.
Moving on to the Interface tab, here you can see some important details about the network adapter that you are using. You can also switch to other network adapters using the dropdown. Moreover, you can even view the bandwidth consumption and configure a few settings related to an adapter under this tab.
The inbuilt IP Scanner lets you scan the entire network to discover other devices. You can see all the details about the devices in your network. To scan a network, you can enter a custom range or go for a complete scan.
NETworkManager also comes with a built-in Port Scanner. Port scanners are good when you want to know what application is active on what port of your device or any other device on the network. It works in a similar fashion; you can enter the range of IPs and Ports that you want to be scanned.
Next comes the Ping tool; it is one of the most basic network operations that this tool lets you perform. The program can keep on continuously pinging the host until you manually stop it. This comes very handily when you want to observe the behavior of your website and stats like time. Or when you simply want to check if your website is accessible or not.
Traceroute is probably the most interesting tool in this application. It lets you track the path of a packet that you sent towards a host. Just enter any host’s IP or URL, and you can trace the path of a packet from your computer to the host. It will display all the devices in the path, along with their IP addresses.
Next tool in the list is DNS Lookup; this tool lets you view all DNS records of a domain name. NETworkManager also lets you choose a source of these DNS records. You can either look up in Windows DNS settings or move on to Cloudflare or Google Public DNS.
There are a few more tools available like Remote Desktop, PuTTY, Wake on LAN, Subnet Calculator, and much more. You can explore them at your convenience.
NETworkManager is a pretty robust application with a plethora of features. You must have this tool if you work a lot around computer networks. It has a beautiful and convenient UI that makes this tool more usable. You can get it from github.com.
Alon, U. Introduction to Systems Biology: Design Principles Of Biological Circuits (CRC, Boca Raton, 2006).
Davidson, E. H. The Regulatory Genome: Gene Regulatory Networks In Development And Evolution, (Academic, Burlington, 2006).
Ptashne, M. & Gann, A. Genes & Signals (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, Cold Spring Harbor, 2002).
Levine, M. & Davidson, E. H. Gene regulatory networks for development. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 102, 4936–4942 (2005).
Thieffry, D., Huerta, A. M., Perez-Rueda, E. & Collado-Vides, J. From specific gene regulation to genomic networks: a global analysis of transcriptional regulation in Escherichia coli. Bioessays 20, 433–440 (1998).
Shen-Orr, S. S., Milo, R., Mangan, S. & Alon, U. Network motifs in the transcriptional regulation network of Escherichia coli. Nature Genet. 31, 64–68 (2002).
Milo, R. et al. Network motifs: simple building blocks of complex networks. Science 298, 824–827 (2002).
Eichenberger, P. et al. The program of gene transcription for a single differentiating cell type during sporulation in Bacillus subtilis. PLoS Biol. 2, e328 (2004).
Mangan, S., Zaslaver, A. & Alon, U. The coherent feedforward loop serves as a sign-sensitive delay element in transcription networks. J. Mol. Biol. 334, 197–204 (2003).
Lee, T. I. et al. Transcriptional regulatory networks in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Science 298, 799–804 (2002).
Odom, D. T. et al. Control of pancreas and liver gene expression by HNF transcription factors. Science 303, 1378–1381 (2004).
Boyer, L. A. et al. Core transcriptional regulatory circuitry in human embryonic stem cells. Cell 122, 947–956 (2005).
Saddic, L. A. et al. The LEAFY target LMI1 is a meristem identity regulator and acts together with LEAFY to regulate expression of CAULIFLOWER. Development 133, 1673–1682 (2006).
Swiers, G., Patient, R. & Loose, M. Genetic regulatory networks programming hematopoietic stem cells and erythroid lineage specification. Dev. Biol. 294, 525–540 (2006).
Iranfar, N., Fuller, D. & Loomis, W. F. Transcriptional regulation of post-aggregation genes in Dictyostelium by a feed-forward loop involving GBF and LagC. Dev. Biol. 290, 460–469 (2006).
Milo, R. et al. Superfamilies of designed and evolved networks. Science 303, 1538–1542 (2004).
Rosenfeld, N., Elowitz, M. B. & Alon, U. Negative autoregulation speeds the response times of transcription networks. J. Mol. Biol. 323, 785–793 (2002).
Savageau, M. A. Comparison of classical and autogenous systems of regulation in inducible operons. Nature 252, 546–549 (1974).
Becskei, A. & Serrano, L. Engineering stability in gene networks by autoregulation. Nature 405, 590–593 (2000).
Camas, F. M., Blazquez, J. & Poyatos, J. F. Autogenous and nonautogenous control of response in a genetic network. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 103, 12718–12723 (2006).
Zaslaver, A. et al. A comprehensive library of fluorescent transcriptional reporters for Escherichia coli. Nature Methods 3, 623–628 (2006).
Kaern, M., Elston, T. C., Blake, W. J. & Collins, J. J. Stochasticity in gene expression: from theories to phenotypes. Nature Rev. Genet. 6, 451–464 (2005).
Dublanche, Y., Michalodimitrakis, K., Kummerer, N., Foglierini, M. & Serrano, L. Noise in transcription negative feedback loops: simulation and experimental analysis. Mol. Syst. Biol. 2, 41 (2006).
Kalir, S., Mangan, S. & Alon, U. The coherent feed-forward loop with a SUM input function prolongs flagella production in Escherichia coli. Mol. Syst. Biol. 1, 2005.0006 (2005).
Maeda, Y. T. & Sano, M. Regulatory dynamics of synthetic gene networks with positive feedback. J. Mol. Biol. 359, 1107–1124 (2006).
Becskei, A., Seraphin, B. & Serrano, L. Positive feedback in eukaryotic gene networks: cell differentiation by graded to binary response conversion. EMBO J. 20, 2528–2535 (2001).
Kramer, B. P. & Fussenegger, M. Hysteresis in a synthetic mammalian gene network. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 102, 9517–9522 (2005).
Wolf, D. M. & Arkin, A. P. Motifs, modules and games in bacteria. Curr. Opin. Microbiol. 6, 125–134 (2003).
Yuh, C. H., Bolouri, H. & Davidson, E. H. Genomic cis-regulatory logic: experimental and computational analysis of a sea urchin gene. Science 279, 1896–1902 (1998).
Buchler, N. E., Gerland, U. & Hwa, T. On schemes of combinatorial transcription logic. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 100, 5136–5141 (2003).
Kalir, S. & Alon, U. Using a quantitative blueprint to reprogram the dynamics of the flagella gene network. Cell 117, 713–720 (2004).
Setty, Y., Mayo, A. E., Surette, M. G. & Alon, U. Detailed map of a cis-regulatory input function. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 100, 7702–7707 (2003).
Ma, H. W. et al. An extended regulatory network of Escherichia coli and analysis of its hierarchical structure and network motifs. Nucleic A cids Res. 32, 6643–6649 (2004).
Mangan, S. & Alon, U. Structure and function of the feed-forward loop network motif. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 100, 11980–11985 (2003).
Basu, S., Mehreja, R., Thiberge, S., Chen, M. T. & Weiss, R. Spatiotemporal control of gene expression with pulse-generating networks. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 101, 6355–6360 (2004).
Mangan, S., Zaslaver, A. & Alon, U. The incoherent feed-forward loop accelerates the response-time of the gal system of Escherichia coli. J. Mol. Biol. 356, 1073–1081 (2006).
Hornstein, E. & Shomron, N. Canalization of development by microRNAs. Nature Genet. 38, S20–S24 (2006).
O'Donnell, K. A., Wentzel, E. A., Zeller, K. I., Dang, C. V. & Mendell, J. T. c-Myc-regulated microRNAs modulate E2F1 expression. Nature 435, 839–843 (2005).
Johnston, R. J. Jr. et al. An unusual Zn-finger/FH2 domain protein controls a left/right asymmetric neuronal fate decision in C. elegans. Development 133, 3317–3328 (2006).
Ghosh, B., Karmakar, R. & Bose, I. Noise characteristics of feed forward loops. Phys. Biol. 2, 36–45 (2005).
Wall, M. E., Dunlop, M. J. & Hlavacek, W. S. Multiple functions of a feed-forward-loop gene circuit. J. Mol. Biol. 349, 501–514 (2005).
Hayot, F. & Jayaprakash, C. A feedforward loop motif in transcriptional regulation: induction and repression. J. Theor. Biol. 234, 133–143 (2005).
Ishihara, S., Fujimoto, K. & Shibata, T. Cross talking of network motifs in gene regulation that generates temporal pulses and spatial stripes. Genes Cells 10, 1025–1038 (2005).
Kashtan, N., Itzkovitz, S., Milo, R. & Alon, U. Topological generalizations of network motifs. Phys. Rev. E 70, 031909 (2004).
Dobrin, R., Beg, Q. K., Barabasi, A. L. & Oltvai, Z. N. Aggregation of topological motifs in the Escherichia coli transcriptional regulatory network. BMC Bioinformatics 5, 10 (2004).
Ronen, M., Rosenberg, R., Shraiman, B. I. & Alon, U. Assigning numbers to the arrows: parameterizing a gene regulation network by using accurate expression kinetics. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 99, 10555–10560 (2002).
Zaslaver, A. et al. Just-in-time transcription program in metabolic pathways. Nature Genet. 36, 486–491 (2004).
Kalir, S. et al. Ordering genes in a flagella pathway by analysis of expression kinetics from living bacteria. Science 292, 2080–2083 (2001).
Laub, M. T., McAdams, H. H., Feldblyum, T., Fraser, C. M. & Shapiro, L. Global analysis of the genetic network controlling a bacterial cell cycle. Science 290, 2144–2148 (2000).
McAdams, H. H. & Shapiro, L. A bacterial cell-cycle regulatory network operating in time and space. Science 301, 1874–1877 (2003).
Spellman, P. T. et al. Comprehensive identification of cell cycle-regulated genes of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae by microarray hybridization. Mol. Biol. Cell 9, 3273–3297 (1998).
Ingram, P. J., Stumpf, M. P., Stark, J. Network motifs: structure does not determine function. BMC Genomics 5, 108 (2006).
Pilpel, Y., Sudarsanam, P. & Church, G. M. Identifying regulatory networks by combinatorial analysis of promoter elements. Nature Genet. 29, 153–159 (2001).
Beer, M. & Tavazoie, S. Predicting gene expression from sequence. Cell 117, 185–198 (2004).
Rosenfeld, N. & Alon, U. Response delays and the structure of transcription networks. J. Mol. Biol. 329, 645–654 (2003).
Babu, M. M., Luscombe, N. M., Aravind, L., Gerstein, M. & Teichmann, S. A. Structure and evolution of transcriptional regulatory networks. Curr. Opin. Struct. Biol. 14, 283–291 (2004).
Yu, H., Luscombe, N. M., Qian, J. & Gerstein, M. Genomic analysis of gene expression relationships in transcriptional regulatory networks. Trends Genet. 19, 422–427 (2003).
Luscombe, N. M. et al. Genomic analysis of regulatory network dynamics reveals large topological changes. Nature 431, 308–312 (2004).
Amit, I. et al. A module of negative feedback regulators defines growth factor signaling. Nature Genet. 39, 503–512 (2007).
Davidson, E. H. et al. A genomic regulatory network for development. Science 295, 1669–1678 (2002).
Longabaugh, W. J., Davidson, E. H. & Bolouri, H. Computational representation of developmental genetic regulatory networks. Dev. Biol. 283, 1–16 (2005).
Johnston, R. J. Jr, Chang, S., Etchberger, J. F., Ortiz, C. O. & Hobert, O. MicroRNAs acting in a double-negative feedback loop to control a neuronal cell fate decision. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 102, 12449–12454 (2005).
Xiong, W. & Ferrell, J. E. Jr. A positive-feedback-based bistable 'memory module' that governs a cell fate decision. Nature 426, 460–465 (2003).
Brandman, O., Ferrell, J. E. Jr, Li, R. & Meyer, T. Interlinked fast and slow positive feedback loops drive reliable cell decisions. Science 310, 496–498 (2005).
Gardner, T. S., Cantor, C. R. & Collins, J. J. Construction of a genetic toggle switch in Escherichia coli. Nature 403, 339–342 (2000).
Bolouri, H. & Davidson, E. H. Transcriptional regulatory cascades in development: initial rates, not steady state, determine network kinetics. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 100, 9371–9376 (2003).
Hooshangi, S., Thiberge, S. & Weiss, R. Ultrasensitivity and noise propagation in a synthetic transcriptional cascade. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 102, 3581–3586 (2005).
Rappaport, N., Winter, S. & Barkai, N. The ups and downs of biological timers. Theor. Biol. Med. Model. 2, 22 (2005).
Conant, G. C. & Wagner, A. Convergent evolution of gene circuits. Nature Genet. 34, 264–266 (2003).
Dekel, E. & Alon, U. Optimality and evolutionary tuning of the expression level of a protein. Nature 436, 588–592 (2005).
Ihmels, J. et al. Rewiring of the yeast transcriptional network through the evolution of motif usage. Science 309, 938–940 (2005).
Madan Babu, M., Teichmann, S. A. & Aravind, L. Evolutionary dynamics of prokaryotic transcriptional regulatory networks. J. Mol. Biol. 358, 614–633 (2006).
Dekel, E., Mangan, S. & Alon, U. Environmental selection of the feed-forward loop circuit in gene-regulation networks. Phys. Biol. 2, 81–88 (2005).
Prill, R. J., Iglesias, P. A. & Levchenko, A. Dynamic properties of network motifs contribute to biological network organization. PLoS Biol. 3, e343 (2005).
Kashtan, N., Itzkovitz, S., Milo, R. & Alon, U. Efficient sampling algorithm for estimating subgraph concentrations and detecting network motifs. Bioinformatics 20, 1746–1758 (2004).
Yeger-Lotem, E. et al. Network motifs in integrated cellular networks of transcription-regulation and protein–protein interaction. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 101, 5934–5939 (2004).
Zhang, L. V. et al. Motifs, themes and thematic maps of an integrated Saccharomyces cerevisiae interaction network. J. Biol. 4, 6 (2005).
Elowitz, M. B. & Leibler, S. A synthetic oscillatory network of transcriptional regulators. Nature 403, 335–338 (2000).
Lahav, G. et al. Dynamics of the p53–Mdm2 feedback loop in individual cells. Nature Genet. 36, 147–150 (2004).
Friedman, N., Vardi, S., Ronen, M., Alon, U. & Stavans, J. Precise temporal modulation in the response of the SOS DNA repair network in individual bacteria. PLoS Biol. 3, e238 (2005).
Hoffmann, A., Levchenko, A., Scott, M. L. & Baltimore, D. The IκB–NF-κB signaling module: temporal control and selective gene activation. Science 298, 1241–1245 (2002).
Nelson, D. E. et al. Oscillations in NF-κB signaling control the dynamics of gene expression. Science 306, 704–708 (2004).
Barkai, N. & Leibler, S. Circadian clocks limited by noise. Nature 403, 267–268 (2000).
Tyson, J. J., Chen, K. C. & Novak, B. Sniffers, buzzers, toggles and blinkers: dynamics of regulatory and signaling pathways in the cell. Curr. Opin. Cell Biol. 15, 221–231 (2003).
Tyson, J. J., Csikasz-Nagy, A. & Novak, B. The dynamics of cell cycle regulation. Bioessays 24, 1095–1109 (2002).
Pomerening, J. R., Sontag, E. D. & Ferrell, J. E. Jr. Building a cell cycle oscillator: hysteresis and bistability in the activation of Cdc2. Nature Cell Biol. 5, 346–351 (2003).
Suel, G. M., Garcia-Ojalvo, J., Liberman, L. M. & Elowitz, M. B. An excitable gene regulatory circuit induces transient cellular differentiation. Nature 440, 545–550 (2006).
Ptacek, J. et al. Global analysis of protein phosphorylation in yeast. Nature 438, 679–684 (2005).
Itzkovitz, S. et al. Coarse-graining and self-dissimilarity of complex networks. Phys. Rev. E 71, 016127 (2005).
Ma'ayan, A. et al. Formation of regulatory patterns during signal propagation in a mammalian cellular network. Science 309, 1078–1083 (2005).
Hertz, J., Krogh, A. & Palmer, R. G. Introduction to the Theory of Neural Computation (Perseus Books, Boulder, 1991).
Bray, D. Protein molecules as computational elements in living cells. Nature 376, 307–312 (1995).
Lund, R. D. Synaptic patterns of the superficial layers of the superior colliculus of the rat. J. Comp. Neurol. 135, 179–208 (1969).
White, E. L. Cortical Circuits (Birkhauser, Boston, 1989).
White, J., Southgate, E., Thomson, J. & Brenner, S. The nervous system of Caenorhabditis elegans. Philos.Trans. R. Soc. London B Biol. Sci. 314, 1 (1986).
Itzkovitz, S. & Alon, U. Subgraphs and network motifs in geometric networks. Phys. Rev. E 71, 026117 (2005).
Sporns, O. & Kotter, R. Motifs in brain networks. PLoS Biol. 2, e369 (2004).
Sakata, S., Komatsu, Y. & Yamamori, T. Local design principles of mammalian cortical networks. Neurosci. Res. 51, 309–315 (2005).
Song, S., Sjostrom, P. J., Reigl, M., Nelson, S. & Chklovskii, D. B. Highly nonrandom features of synaptic connectivity in local cortical circuits. PLoS Biol. 3, e68 (2005).
Alon, U. Biological networks: the tinkerer as an engineer. Science 301, 1866–1867 (2003).
Autoblog may receive a share from purchases made via links on this page. Pricing and availability are subject to change.
A power generator is a fantastic nice-to-have item to keep around the house. After all, losing power in this day and age, even for a short time, can cause some headaches. Keeping a whole-house generator or portable power station ready to go can turn a night that may have been a genuine emergency into just a mild inconvenience. Outside of emergency use, they can also be used for camping, tailgating, and more. Portable generators and power stations can come in a wide range of prices with an even wider range of features, so although everyone has their own definition of the best portable generator, we've compiled this list of the best we could find according to user ratings and reviews. Check out our selection of the top power generators for 2023 below.
Key Features
- "Quiet operation" makes it great for camping, tailgating, RVs or home use
- Wattage: 4,500 starting watts and 3,500 running watts
- Up to 14 hours of run time on just 2.3 gallons of gasoline
- Optional parallel kit allows users to connect multiple inverters together to double the power output
- Built-in intelligauge allows users to monitor voltage, frequency and operating hours
- Built-in EZ Start Dial makes startup easy
- Two built-in 120V 20 amp outlets, a 120V 30 amp RV outlet, 12V automotive-style (cigarette lighter) outlet, dual port USB adapter
- Includes a 3-year limited warranty with purchase with free lifetime technical support
This generator is one of the best all-arounders out there. You can use it by itself or link it with another to double the power output, built-in gauge lets you know exactly how much time you have left and lets users accurately track voltage, and it also features an "EZ Start Dial" preventing the need for a pull cord. There's even a quiet operation mode that makes it great for camping or tailgating. Last but not least, you'll get a 3-year limited warranty with your purchase and free lifetime technical support.
Key Features
- Very lightweight, only 39 lbs
- "Quiet operation" makes it great for camping or tailgating
- Wattage: 2,500 starting watts and 1,850 running watts
- Up to 11.5 hours of run time w/ gas or 34 hours w/ propane
- Optional parallel kit allows users to connect multiple inverters together to double the power output
- Two built-in 120V 20 amp outlets
- Includes a 3-year limited warranty with purchase
A portable generator is a great compromise if you don't want or need to keep a full-sized generator around. Unlike many portable home generators, this one is powered by either gas or propane with up to 34 hours of runtime and it only weighs 39 lbs. Much like the Champion generator above, this one can also be linked to another generator to double the power output, and it also comes with a 3-year limited warranty.
Key Features
- Very lightweight, only 39 lbs
- "Quiet operation" makes it great for camping or tailgating
- Wattage: Using gasoline, this generator features 2,000 starting watts and 1,600 running watts - with propane it provides 1,800 starting watts and 1,440 running watts
- Up to 11.5 hours of run time w/ gas or 34 hours w/ propane
- Optional parallel kit allows users to connect multiple inverters together to double the power output
- Two built-in 120V 20 amp outlets, a 12V cigarette-lighter style outlet and a USB adapter
- Includes a 3-year limited warranty with purchase
This portable electric generator is a lot like the option above, but it provides a few less starting and running watts. It runs on gas or propane with up to 34 hours of runtime and like the one above, it only weighs 39 lbs. Also like the other Champions in this list, this one can also be linked to another generator to double the power output and it comes with a 3-year limited warranty.
Key Features
- Wattage: 300 watts
- Fully charges in 5-6 hours via wall charger or can be fitted with Duracell's solar panel to charge fully in 4-5 hours
- Includes LCD screen that shows the battery level and which ports are being used
- Features 2 USB-A outputs, 1 USB-A QC3.0 output, a USB-C PD output, a 120 AC inverter output, a 12V DC socket port output, 2 DC port outputs and a DC charging port input
- Solar panel sold separately
- Weighs only 7.5 lbs
This power station is a great value for homeowners if you're not looking for full-fledged gas generators. It charges quickly, offers tons of ports and weighs less than 10 lbs. It can power home electronics, mobile devices, lighting, speakers and more.
Key Features
- Powered by a 4-stroke DuroMax engine
- Utilizes dual fuel technology - can run on propane or gasoline
- Wattage: 12,000 starting watts and 9,500 running watts
- Can choose between operating at both 120V and 240V simultaneously or at only 120V at full power
- EPA and CARB approved in all 50 states
We can’t get enough of portable power. This 12,000-watt DuroMax generator for a house is larger than some others on our list, so you may not want to take it camping, but it’s a great backup power option to keep at home or at a worksite. It can run on either gas or propane, it has an electric start, and it's rated for 9,500 running watts so it can handle heavier loads and power things like a refrigerator, home air conditioning unit, and high-amperage power tools.
Key Features
- Wattage: 3,300 watts
- Features PowerRush Advanced Technology that "delivers over 50% more starting capacity"
- Quiet Inverter Power reduces sound output
- Economy mode automatically adjusts engine speed to save fuel and reduce sound
- Generator is "parallel ready" and can be connected to another GP3300i to double the power output
- Lightweight and includes visual alerts to show when it's running low, overloaded, or ready for use
- Also includes USB ports for mobile devices and more
Portable generators are great for camping or helping out in a pinch if your power goes out, and Generac is a big name in residential and industrial generators alike. The GP3300i model is a 2500-watt gas-powered unit that features multiple outlets and USB ports for charging things like a small fridge or freezer, tablets and mobile devices. It’s only 59 lbs, so transport and storage is easier than larger units and it features quiet inverter tech that aims to help reduce noise pollution when the unit is running.
Key Features
- Wattage: 300 watts
- This power station recharges to 80% in 3.5 hours
- Can recharge via USB-C, wall outlet or car outlet
- Includes 2 built-in AC outlets that deliver 300W power, 1 USB-C port, 1 fast-charge USB 3.0 port, 1 USB-A port and 1 DC car port
- Can power up to 6 devices at once
- Solar panel sold separately
- Weighs only 7.1 lbs
For those who don’t like the noise and exhaust of a normal generator, portable power stations may be for you. This one from Jackery can be charged from 0% to 80% in just 3.5 hours when plugged into a wall outlet (3.6 hours when plugged into a car) and has enough of a charge to power your phone 31x, a camera 15x and a drone 6x, making it perfect for camping and longer road trips. If you’re going to be outside for a while you can also pair it with a solar panel for charging off the road and off the grid. It may not power your entire house, but it's extremely handy in a pinch. If the Explorer 300 isn’t exactly what suits your needs the Jackery Portable Power Station Explorer 240 and Jackery Portable Power Station Explorer 1000 are also great picks, worth a look.
Key Features
- Powered by a 210 cc OHV-V Duromax Engine
- Utilizes dual fuel technology - can run on propane or gasoline
- Wattage: 5,500 peak watts/4,500 running watts
- "Power panel includes two 120-Volt GFCI household outlets, one 120-Volt/240-Volt 30 Amp twist-lock outlet"
- "Features CO Alert Technology that will automatically shut down the generator if an unsafe level of carbon monoxide is detected"
- Comes with a 5 year limited warranty
This 5,500-watt DuroMax generator is an RV and home power backup generator that runs on either gas or propane. It has an electric start so you won't have to break your back pulling a ripcord to start it, a fully loaded power panel with USB outlets, two 120-Volt GFCI household outlets, one 120-Volt/240-Volt 30 Amp twist-lock outlet and "an RV-ready MX2 Switch for double the 120V power," and it has CO alert tech that can automatically shut the whole thing down if an unsafe level of Carbon Monoxide is detected in the air. Maybe the best part about this deal is that it comes with a 5 year limited warranty from the manufacturer.
Key Features
- Supports 30A transfer switches for home backup use (consult with an electrician to determine which transfer switch solution will work with your home)
- Up to 11 Hours of run time on a full 6.6-gallon fuel tank
- 7,500 running watts and 9,500 peak watts
- Electric and recoil start
- Automatic low oil and carbon monoxide (CO) shutdown
- Remote start key fob
- Two GFCI 5-20R 120V household duplex receptacle and One L14-30R 120/240V
- Transfer switches, extension cords, and inlet boxes are all sold separately
- Backed by a 3-Year limited service, labor, and parts warranty
The Westinghouse model WGen7500c gas-powered portable generator utilizes an electric start system and the engine's choke operates automatically, making starting as simple as the single push of a button. A remote start key fob allows you to start and stop your generator from up to 260 feet away. The generator can also be started using the traditional recoil start function, for added dependability. With the Westinghouse ST Switch (not included) this generator will auto-start whenever power loss is detected. A great feature to have for your home's essential appliances like the refrigerator and sump pump. It's powered by a four-stroke 420cc Westinghouse engine with an air-cooled overhead valve, a design aimed at helping the unit run cooler and more fuel-efficiently. There is also an automatic low-oil shutdown feature that protects the engine when low oil is detected. And the carbon monoxide detection system monitors CO levels. It will shut down the generator before CO levels become dangerously high. This unit meets both EPA and CARB emission level standards.
Key Features
- Powered by a DuroStar 500 cc OHV engine
- Utilizes dual fuel technology - can run on propane or gasoline
- Features 13,000 peak watts/10,500 running watts
- Power panel includes "four 120-Volt 20 Amp GFCI outlets, one 120-Volt 30 Amp twist lock, one 120-Volt/240-Volt 30 Amp twist lock and one 120-Volt/240-Volt 50 Amp transfer switch-ready outlet, includes individual circuit breakers, idle control and a low oil sensor"
- Features CO Alert Technology to automatically shut down the system if too much Carbon Monoxide is detected in the air
- "EPA and CARB certified: approved for use in all 50-states"
- Comes with a 5 year limited warranty
This 13,000-watt DuroStar generator "will run your household essentials such as lights, appliances and central AC system with EASE during a blackout, storm or emergency event." Like the option above, it runs on either gas or propane and also has an electric start function. This DuroStar's power panel includes "four 120-Volt 20 Amp GFCI outlets, one 120-Volt 30 Amp twist lock, one 120-Volt/240-Volt 30 Amp twist lock and one 120-Volt/240-Volt 50 Amp transfer switch-ready outlet, includes individual circuit breakers, idle control and a low oil sensor." Like many, it also has CO alert tech for determining if there are unsafe levels of Carbon Monoxide in the air, and will automatically shut down if there are. Like the deal above, this one also comes with a 5 year limited warranty from the manufacturer.
What is the difference between a generator and portable power station?
Usually, generators use some type of fuel such as gasoline or propane to "generate" their power from. Portable power stations on the other hand borrow their power from other electricity sources such as a wall or car charger.
How do you use a generator?
The most important thing to remember when using a traditional backup or portable generator is not to run it inside your home or garage, as it can give off dangerous carbon monoxide emissions. A portable power pack that has been charged up only using electricity is fine to run in the house. A standby generator is something larger and more complex that would require the input of an electrician to install and use.
How are generators powered?
The way a generator gets its power is unique to each individual device. You can find generators that are gas-powered, solar-powered, or even powered by propane. Ultimately, though, you'll just have to check the requirements of the specific device you're looking to buy.
How to hook up a generator to your house?
While some people do in fact take it into their own hands to install a whole-home generator, it can be a troublesome and sometimes risky process. We always recommend hiring or speaking to an electrician for the task.
What size generator do you need?
According to Consumer Reports, the most accurate way to determine what size generator you'll need is to "consider the appliances you need to power and add up their wattage." Home Depot provides a handy infographic showing approximate wattages of common household items you might want to keep running during an outage right here.
What size portable generator is best for a house?
This is highly dependent on how large your house is and how many appliances you'll need to run, but a good formula for figuring out how many watts you'll need out of your generator is to add up the running watts of all the appliances in your house you'll want to run, then you'll want to find your appliance that needs the highest starting watts and add only that number to your total. Whatever that total number is, you'll need a generator that produces at least that amount of starting watts, and will also provide at least the same number of running watts as the sum total of the running watts of your appliances.
What size generator do I need to power a refrigerator, TV, lights, and a few appliances?
You can use the same formula as above to figure out what you need here, or reference this handy graphic from Home Depot.
What size generator do I need to run a refrigerator?
Again, this will be dependent on your refrigerator. Let's say your refrigerator requires 600 running watts and 2,000 starting watts, in that case, you'd need a generator with at least 2,600 starting watts and at least 600 running watts.
Pros and cons of using a generator?
The benefits of using a generator or power pack are, of course, being able to keep your electronics charged and working during a power outage. Generators probably have more cons than smaller power packs due to their use of gas or propane to operate, but you may want to be cognizant of the electricity usage while charging a power pack as well.
How much does a whole-house generator cost?
Price can vary pretty significantly depending on how much power you'll need and what features you'd like your generator to have, but to power your entire home you're probably looking at around $800-$2,500.
Which portable generator is the best to buy?
Like so many things, there truly isn't a "best" generator for every purpose. The portable generator that will best for you will depend on your needs and budget. For instance, if you're just looking to make sure your phones and laptops stay charge, you're probably in the market for something like a power pack, but if you need to make sure your refrigerator stays running, you'll want to invest in something a little more heavy duty like a Champion or Duromax generator.
What is the best generator for residential use?
Again, while there isn't a definitive "best," if you're panic about waking up your neighbors, we'd suggest looking for a generator that features a lower dB (decibel) level, or one that promotes "quiet operation" as a selling point, like this Champion Power Equipment 2000-Watt Dual Fuel Inverter Generator. The same goes for if you're wondering what size generator is the best for camping.
More top picks
Portable displays that you pair with a laptop aren't a new phenomenon, but in the past couple of years, they have come into their own. Many of the major monitor manufacturers have at least one in their repertoire, and new models are appearing more regularly than ever. Whether you want to add a second screen for giving presentations to small groups, view two programs open full-screen at once, enhance your portable gaming system, or touch up your designs with a stylus, mobile monitors of different sizes, styles, and paradigms are ready to serve.
Why all of these panels, all of a sudden? The widespread adoption of USB Type-C connectivity—with its ability to transfer power, data, and video over a single cable—has been a godsend for the growth of portable displays. They no longer need a dedicated AC adapter for juice (though some do come with one as an option), and many have just a single USB-C port that handles all the connectivity, though some add HDMI or other connectors.
Interested in shopping for one? Read on for a breakdown of our current top, tested portable monitors suited for a variety of user categories, followed by a guide to what to look for to land the right one for you.
The Best Monitor Deals This Week*
*Deals are selected by our commerce team
Deeper Dive: Our Top Tested Picks
ViewSonic VG1655
Best Portable Monitor for General Use
Bottom Line:
ViewSonic's 15.6-inch VG1655 has the same limited color coverage as most other portable monitors we've tested, but it's one of the few to offer a built-in stand, a five-way mini-joystick controller, and a sophisticated onscreen display. It muscles out a win on the strength of those convenience features.
PROS
- Five-way mini-joystick controller
- Fully realized OSD
- Built-in stand allows for easy tilt
- Bright, with solid contrast ratio
- Good value for money
CONS
- Some colors dull in photos and video
Lepow C2S Portable Monitor
Best Budget Portable Monitor
Bottom Line:
The Lepow C2S Portable Monitor sacrifices some slimness for a full complement of ports and a fold-out metal stand. It's not the brightest mobile display, but it renders photos and videos nicely.
PROS
- Above-par color coverage for a budget portable display
- Moderately priced
- Generous port selection
- Fold-out metal stand
CONS
- Short of rated brightness in our testing
- Ineffective HDR setting
AOC I1601FWUX USB-C Portable Monitor
Best Budget Large-Screen Portable Monitor
Bottom Line:
The lightweight AOC I1601FWUX USB-C Portable Monitor is for USB-C laptops that support DisplayPort over USB. It has a roomy 15.6-inch screen with 1080p resolution, but it's best for business use due to its limited color gamut.
PROS
- Compact and lightweight.
- Sturdy, foldable stand.
- Comes with utility to control settings from your computer.
- Draws power and receives video and data over a single cable.
CONS
- Works only with USB-C laptops that support DisplayPort over USB.
- Narrow color gamut equals dull colors.
- Awkward OSD menu navigation.
ViewSonic ColorPro VP16-OLED Portable Monitor
Best Portable Monitor for Creative Pros
Bottom Line:
ViewSonic's ColorPro VP16-OLED renders vivid colors and deep blacks befitting its OLED panel—the first we've seen on a portable monitor.
PROS
- OLED panel in a portable monitor
- Wide color coverage, befitting its 10-bit color depth
- Excellent contrast and striking photo and video quality
- Flexible double-hinged stand
- Easy-to-navigate OSD
CONS
- Mediocre color accuracy for a pro monitor
Asus ROG Strix XG16AHPE
Best Portable Monitor for Gaming and Media Watching
Bottom Line:
Asus' ROG Strix XG16AHPE portable display comes jam-packed with features that make it a good choice for both gaming and multimedia viewing. It's not cheap, but it's money well spent.
PROS
- High refresh rate and low input lag
- Built-in battery and speakers
- Bright (272 nits) and colorful (97.7% of sRGB)
- Kickstand works in both landscape and portrait modes
- Includes soft carrying sleeve
CONS
- Expensive for a 15.6-inch portable monitor
NexiGo NG17FGQ 17.3-Inch 300Hz Portable Monitor
Best High-Refresh-Rate Portable Monitor for Esports
Bottom Line:
Built around a 17.3-inch IPS panel with an esports-worthy peak refresh rate, NexiGo's NG17FGQ delivers on almost all accounts for gamers seeking a portable monitor for play with a PC or console.
PROS
- High refresh rate
- Low measured input lag
- Impressive color accuracy
- Includes cover, carrying case, and cords for additional connections
CONS
- Flimsy build
- No internal battery
- Pricey
MSI Optix MAG161V
Best Portable Monitor for Casual Gamers
Bottom Line:
The Optix MAG161V, MSI's first portable gaming monitor, connects with a range of gaming consoles, smartphones, and computers. It's solid for casual gaming, but its brightness peak and overall color coverage are ho-hum at best.
PROS
- Above-average port selection
- Slim screen
- Built-in speakers
- Broad contrast ratio
CONS
- Awkward folding stand
- Mediocre brightness and color coverage
Asus ZenScreen Touch (MB16AMT)
Best Portable Monitor With Touch Input
Bottom Line:
The wisely designed Asus ZenScreen Touch brings touch-input capability, flexible stand options, and an on-the-go internal battery to a 15.6-inch mobile monitor, topping the field.
PROS
- Gesture-based multi-touch and stylus input.
- Built-in battery.
- Comprehensive, easy-to-navigate menus, with mini-joystick for navigation.
- Good brightness and contrast ratio.
- Built-in speakers.
CONS
- Pricey for a mobile monitor.
- Somewhat dull colors.
- Limited touch support for use with Macs, and none for iOS devices.
Lenovo ThinkVision M14d
Best Portable Monitor for Taller-Screen (16:10) Laptops
Bottom Line:
Lenovo's ThinkVision M14d portable monitor pairs well with laptops that match its 16:10 aspect ratio. A sturdy, tiltable stand and a quality IPS panel distinguish this winning mobile display.
PROS
- High (2.2K) resolution for a portable monitor
- Bright with high contrast
- Sturdy hinged stand with great tilt range
- Supports USB power delivery and DisplayPort over USB
CONS
- Pricey
- Limited to USB-C connectivity
espresso Display (15-inch)
Best Portable Monitor for Presenters
Bottom Line:
The 15-inch espresso Display looks gorgeous and has exceptional color coverage for a portable display. You'll have to pay extra for its stand and the stylus for its touch screen, though.
PROS
- Elegant enclosure design
- Ultra-thin frame
- IPS screen with great sRGB color coverage
- Touch-sensitive display
CONS
- Considerably dimmer than its rated brightness
- Stand, protective cover, and stylus cost extra
- Bare-bones OSD
- Highly reflective screen
- Warranty just one year
Buying Guide: The Best Portable Monitors for 2023
Many smaller desktop displays can be taken on the road in a pinch, but "true" portable monitors are those specifically sold as such. Even those range quite a bit in size: from 3.5 inches to 22 inches. Portable displays run the gamut from personal, business, and general-purpose models to panels for artists and gamers.
The sweet spot for use with a laptop, though, and our focus here, is between 12 and 17 inches. Many users match their portable display with the screen size of their laptop. But also on the market is a handful of models at 10 inches (mostly for use with gaming consoles) and at 7 inches (for use with the Raspberry Pi).
(Credit: Zlata Ivleva)
Most portable displays use a stand consisting of a thin but stiff plastic board, with several grooves or creases on which it folds. At one end is a magnetic strip, which adheres to the back of the monitor at its top. Folding the sheet in the middle, with the angle pointing away from the user, props up the monitor. The bottom of the monitor inserts into a groove, securing it and tilting the device upward. (Some portable displays have several grooves, and you can alter the monitor's tilt angle by placing the base in a different one.)
(Credit: Zlata Ivleva)
These foldable stands often double as protective covers for the display when it's not in use. Some protect just the front of the monitor, while others are larger, wraparound covers that sandwich the entire monitor.
Another stand design that we have seen consists of a rigid, flat base, containing the ports, to which the screen is attached via hinges. You can set the screen at any angle you like simply by tilting it. This kind is much less common, though. Also, a few designs use the laptop itself as the support, fastening to its back or its side and sliding or swinging out for use.
(Credit: Zlata Ivleva)
Although mobile monitors lack the height, pivot, or swivel adjustability of their desktop counterparts, they are small and light enough that they are easy to adjust manually. Some monitors can be pivoted by hand, though not all stands can support a monitor when it is in portrait mode. In those cases, you could always prop up the monitor against a wall or other surface. Most portable monitors can automatically correct the image so it is always right side up, whether you're in landscape or portrait mode. (Even in those that lack such automatic image rotation, you can change the orientation in Windows display settings.)
The Best Portable Monitor for a Laptop: How to Evaluate the Screen
When we're looking at the panels for mobile monitors, the main factors we evaluate are the screen size, the native resolution, the brightness range, the technology the panel uses, and the maker's claims for color-gamut coverage.
Many users prefer to use a mobile monitor that has the same screen size and native resolution as the laptop screen they are using it with. That said, I have found these panels to be forgiving and have had no trouble running portable displays that are slightly larger than my laptop's own screen. As long as you don't mismatch the mobile monitor's and laptop's screen aspect ratio (which, almost always, is a normal 16:9 widescreen ratio), you are unlikely to experience much trouble in matching them up.
The native resolution on panels suitable for use with a laptop ranges from 1,366 by 768 pixels up to 3,200 by 1,800 pixels (QHD+). Most of the latest laptop-appropriate screens sport a native resolution of 1,920 by 1,080 pixels (aka 1080p, or "full HD"), but a few go higher.
(Credit: Zlata Ivleva)
Mobile monitors tend to be dimmer, at their maximum brightness levels, than their desktop counterparts. What is commonly called brightness is actually luminance, or brightness per unit area. Portable monitors tend to cluster around 180 nits (also expressed as "candelas per meter squared") in our testing, even though many are rated at between 230 and 300 nits, which is fine for typical use. The highest we have measured at this writing is 280 nits.
Monitors that make use of in-plane switching (IPS) technology are generally preferred for general use over vertical-alignment (VA) and twisted-nematic (TN) panels due to their wider off-axis viewing angles and good color accuracy. Many latest mobile monitors are IPS, but there's a catch. When we test a panel for its color gamut, we first test the sRGB color space, which is the default color space for the web and many other applications. This color space comprises essentially all the colors that can be made by mixing red, green, and blue. Most desktop monitors cover at least 95% of sRGB, and we have seen portable monitors attain similar coverage. However, since late 2017, a spate of mobile IPS monitors have shown much more limited overall color coverage (60% to 72% of sRGB) and very similar color profiles—indicating poor red and purple coverage and slightly enhanced blue-greens. Because of their nearly identical "color signatures," we assume that these screens come from the same or similar sources, although they are on monitors made by a variety of manufacturers.
(Credit: Molly Flores)
These measured results have been borne out in our experiential testing, where in photos and videos red and purple areas tended to look dull and washed out. Although screens with this issue are fine for most business and productivity use, they are subpar choices for videophiles or photo enthusiasts. In our monitor reviews, we include a chromaticity chart that maps our readings against the ideal readings for the color space being tested, and provide an analysis of the panel's color coverage.
The Ports: How Are Portable Monitors Powered and Connected?
As I alluded to earlier, the mobile-monitor world is undergoing a convergence of power and connectivity thanks to USB Type-C connectivity. Many USB-C ports support both DisplayPort over USB and USB power delivery, letting both data/video and power flow through the port from a computer over a single USB cable. Most new mobile monitors have at least one USB-C port, and some connect solely via USB-C. While this simplicity has its appeal, be sure that your laptop's USB-C port supports data, video, and power transfer, because some early-generation USB-C ports don't. (Thunderbolt ports should also work fine; their functionality encompasses all of that of USB-C.)
(Credit: Zlata Ivleva)
A few mobile monitors use traditional power adapters. This is particularly true of models that work with sketch pens and intended for artists, which are in effect interactive monitors. In a common configuration, the display draws power through an adapter, while two cables connect to the computer. One is HDMI, to handle transfer of the image displayed on the device, and the other is USB (through a USB-A port), to record the pen motions the user makes when drawing on the interactive display. HDMI (usually in the form of mini-HDMI) is also a common port (the most common other than USB-C) on more conventional portable displays.
(Credit: Molly Flores)
A few older portable-display models draw their power from a laptop over a separate USB 3.0 connection, but USB-C is well on its way to making this kind of connection passé.
Software, the Onscreen Display, and Audio
Nearly all portable displays are plug-and-play and require no software to operate. Any utilities offered, usually supplied on disc and/or through download, will be for specific functions, such as the ability to enable the screen image to remain upright when you switch between landscape and portrait orientation. Sometimes, the display may come with a utility that lets you change monitor settings from your computer screen rather than through the secondary panel's onscreen display (OSD) controls.
The OSD is the monitor's menu system, governing user-controllable settings such as brightness, contrast, color levels, picture mode, and aspect ratio. It is often arranged in several submenus. Although a few models include several buttons to use in navigating the OSD, a single button or switch to control it is more common.
In general, audio is not a consideration with mobile monitors, as these devices tend to lack built-in speakers or audio jacks. The few portable displays (often gaming models) that do include speakers, in our experience, have weak ones and are most useful when paired with a portable gaming console or a smartphone. When the monitor is connected to a laptop, you can always switch from the display's speakers to your laptop's speakers by clicking (in Windows) the speaker icon in the taskbar and changing to your laptop's audio.
So, What Is the Best Portable Monitor to Buy?
Whatever your needs or budget, there's a model out there that's right for you; the key thing is to consider the primary display panel that you'll be using alongside it. Below, check out the current best portable displays we've tested. We update this story regularly, but for the very latest monitor reviews we've posted, also see our monitor product guide.
The University of Alabama at Birmingham Spinal Cord Injury Model System (UAB-SCIMS) maintains this Information Network as a resource to promote knowledge in the areas of research, health and quality of life for people with spinal cord injuries, their families, and SCI-related professionals. Here, you will find our educational materials and information on research activities of the UAB-SCIMS along with links to outside (Internet) information.
The surgeon general’s wake-up call for social networks
The surgeon general’s wake-up call for social networks
/A growing body of evidence suggests that social products pose significant risks to teenagers
Share this story
:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23951344/STK040_VRG_Illo_N_Barclay_4_facebook.jpg)
Illustration by Nick Barclay / The Verge
For many years now, a group of researchers and activists have warned about the potential dangers of children using social networks. The warnings resonated with me emotionally, since so many people I know — young and old — have struggled with their own relationships to apps like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. It seems logical that what many people experience as a kind of icky feeling after too much scrolling manifests as something much more serious in others — particularly in young people.
Anxiety over this state of affairs has contributed to a significant uptick this year in state-level regulation aimed at getting kids off their phones. (The other reason, of course, is a total failure of Congress to act.)
Utah just passed a law preventing children under 18 from using social networks without their consent. Arkansas considered something similar. Montana just banned TikTok altogether.
I’ve long been sympathetic to the idea that young people need greater protections from the social networks they use daily. But I’ve also had my doubts about how aggressively we ought to compel them to intervene. Data on the relationship between children, teens, social networks, and mental health has been slow in coming, limited in scope, and contradictory in its findings. Looking at the research that has trickled out so far, I have more than once found myself throwing up my hands in confusion.
Recently, though, I’ve begun to feel like we’re making real progress on understanding how social networks affect young people. For too many children, frequent use of social products really does seem bad for them. And the research now appears robust enough that lawmakers can be confident in demanding more from the companies that produce them.
That was my main conclusion today after reading the surgeon general’s advisory today on social media and youth mental health. Over a brisk 19 pages, US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy and his team synthesize more than a decade of research into risks posed by social networks and conclude that the potential for harm is significant. While the report also makes welcome acknowledgement of the benefits social networks have for young people, it also highlights specific areas where action from social networks, lawmakers, and parents are long overdue.
“Nearly every teenager in America uses social media, and yet we do not have enough evidence to conclude that it is sufficiently safe for them,” the surgeon general writes. “Our children have become unknowing participants in a decades-long experiment. It is critical that independent researchers and technology companies work together to rapidly advance our understanding of the impact of social media on children and adolescents.”
The full report is well worth reading in its entirety. But several aspects of the surgeon general’s findings are worth calling out.
One, children are starting to use social media too young. The report found two in five children have begun using social networks between the ages of 8 and 12 — a deeply vulnerable time where it seems unlikely to me that the potential benefits outweigh the risks. And this comes despite the fact that companies’ own terms of service typically forbid children under 13 from using them. Platforms really ought to do more to keep young children off their platforms — and not openly court them with cynical growth-hack products like Messenger Kids from Meta.
Two, we’re learning a lot about what kinds of children are at higher risk of harm from social networks. It includes adolescent girls; kids with mental health issues; kids who have been cyber-bullied; kids with body image issues and disordered eating; and kids whose sleeping patterns have been disrupted by social media. Parents of children in these categories should pay particularly close attention to their kids’ social media use.
Three, there’s growing evidence that frequent social media usage can negatively affect the development of the body. “Small studies have shown that people with frequent and problematic social media use can experience changes in brain structure similar to changes seen in individuals with substance use or gambling addictions,” the report states.
Moreover, it noted that “a longitudinal prospective study of adolescents without ADHD symptoms at the beginning of the study found that, over a 2-year follow-up, high-frequency use of digital media, with social media as one of the most common activities, was associated with a modest yet statistically significant increased odds of developing ADHD symptoms.”
Four, a simple intervention that seems to produce significantly positive results is simply to reduce the time children spend using it. Spending more than three hours a day on social networks doubles the risk of bad mental health outcomes, including depression and anxiety. Voluntary screen-time controls don’t seem to be doing enough here; lawmakers should consider creating and enforcing daily time limits for apps like these.
All that said, social network usage clearly also has real benefits for young people. Most young people, even. There’s a reason 95 percent of them use it!
“For example,” according to the report, “studies have shown that social media may support the mental health and well-being of lesbian, gay, bisexual, asexual, transgender, queer, intersex and other youths by enabling peer connection, identity development and management, and social support.”
It also notes that:
Seven out of ten adolescent girls of color report encountering positive or identity-affirming content related to race across social media platforms. A majority of adolescents report that social media helps them feel more accepted (58%), like they have people who can support them through tough times (67%), like they have a place to show their creative side (71%), and more connected to what’s going on in their friends’ lives (80%).
And in other cases, the authors found research suggesting that social media actually prompts some children with mental health care issues to seek treatment, in part because they’re learning about it there.
This is useful, I think, because it helps us understand who social networks can be particularly beneficial to. Understanding how and why LGBT kids benefit from these networks disproportionately, for example, could help platforms make themselves safer and more beneficial to everyone else.
Of course, there’s still a lot we still don’t know. In part that’s because, to climb back on an old hobbyhorse of mine, platforms are still too stingy with the data that might help researchers understand them better. Part of this is for good reasons related to user privacy; part of it is for the bad reason of not really wanting to understand too deeply the harms their own platforms can cause.
“There is broad concern among the scientific community that a lack of access to data and lack of transparency from technology companies have been barriers to understanding the full scope and scale of the impact of social media on mental health and well-being,” the surgeon general’s report states.
I’m hopeful this will change, though. Thanks to the European Union’s Digital Services Act, academic researchers now have a legal avenue to safely request and study platform data, and I imagine it will be hugely beneficial toward the cause of better understanding social networks’ effects on mental health and many other issues.
In the meantime, we have enough data to make good recommendations for platforms, lawmakers, parents and children. For platforms, good suggestions include conducting independent assessments of the effects on their products on children and adolescents; establishing scientific advisory committees to inform product development; and sharing data with researchers in a privacy-protective way.
Recommendations for policymakers include developing age-appropriate health and safety standards for platforms; funding more research on the subject; and cutting off growth and engagement hacks for kids.
It’s a lot to take in. And I know that plenty of you — especially those who work at social platforms — still might not be persuaded of the evidence that’s available.
But the more data we see, the harder it gets for me to keep an open mind on the subject, particularly for younger children in the high-risk groups mentioned above. If I were to become a parent, I’d endeavor to keep my kids away from media through middle school. (Though I imagine I wouldn’t be able to totally prevent them from at least some unsupervised use of YouTube and TikTok.) I’d also plan to continue monitoring their social media usage and any effects it might have on their mental health through high school.
When I first started writing a newsletter about social networks, the consequences of children using it were largely a mystery. But little by little, we’re beginning to understand both the risks and the benefits. And on the question of whether using social networks poses risks to children, the surgeon general’s warning today suggests that the answer is almost certainly yes.
As Kellogg alumni, you have a lifetime relationship with a unique community that lends its support both personally and professionally
From day one, Kellogg students become part of a global network of more than 65,000 entrepreneurs, innovators and experts across every conceivable industry and endeavor. Our alumni exemplify excellence in management and represent the advantage of the Kellogg experience. But with a network as broad as ours, we know how important it is to facilitate connections between and among our alumni in order to build a strong, engaged global community.
Explore the breadth of opportunities to connect with your fellow alumni as well as with Kellogg, reaping numerous benefits such as social and professional networking, continued learning, career advice and more. New events hosted by clubs and affinity networks and ways to volunteer are always becoming available, so you can stay active in the community throughout your life.
1T6-510 test | 1T6-510 exam format | 1T6-510 test | 1T6-510 basics | 1T6-510 learner | 1T6-510 benefits | 1T6-510 exam syllabus | 1T6-510 study help | 1T6-510 course outline | 1T6-510 techniques |
Killexams exam Simulator
Killexams Questions and Answers
Killexams Exams List
Search Exams
Training Exams List
