I love reading articles, whether it be online, in magazines or from newspapers. Hearing different opinions on a plethora of topics is healthy to the mind and provides for a distinct advantage if there is opportunity to debate. So after reading the blog post, Dangers Overblown for Teens using Social Media, my own thoughts effortlessly poured out like that of the grandest waterfall.
First off, I praise Antasia Goodstein for unlocking the truth of the situation. Internet predation certainly exists and most of us are aware of that fact. However, the media devours news that shocks and appauls, so I can’t help but think that this issue is incessently blown out of proportion.
Shows like DateLine NBC’s “To Catch a Predator,” acquire so much attention because parents want to see justice being served to these sick individuals who bite the bait on naive American children. But think about how small of a sample size this is. You could argue that the only concern of the network is to get ratings. Would it be any different if a local law enforcement agencies hosted a similar show? Probably. Nevertheless, the main goal here is to inform children and parents alike about the danger of being exploited online.
To risk going on a quick tangent, I will never dispute the importance of staying safe online. It’s important to safeguard against some of the brutal ugliness that the internet trancends. However, I don’t think enough credit has been handed to the kids themselves. Kids are smart and fully capable of controlling their own environments. Thus, I don’t think it would be totally unreasonable to go for the hotline-number route, as discussed in the blog post. It should be an option for kids to call a specific number in the event that they feel unsafe on the internet. This would allow the kids to explore these social networkings without feeling watched, yet still protected from potential harm.
This is my favorite passage from Goodstein’s article.
Even when we discuss cyber-bullying, we must put it in perspective. It’s definitely causing lots of drama at school and sometimes can be so severe that it results in lawsuits or expulsions. But most of the time, teens are pretty good at blocking, ignoring or IMing back until the harassment stops or goes away. This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t talk about bullying prevention or how to respond; it just means we have to understand how teens view this issue and are responding to it as well.
Exactly. Invest a little more trust into these kids, but keep communication with them alive. It’s not a perfect formula by any means but what is?
Posted by mediamogul 