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Comment| Wednesday, February 6th, 2008 | Emily Halevy | CWK Producer |
“If you put it out there, people are going to see it and they’re going to react to it. What are you going to do when they react? How is that going to make you feel? If you’re okay with that, great; but if you’re not, don’t put it out there.”
– Dr. Ken Haller, M.D., pediatrician
According to the PEW Internet and American Life Project, half of all teens say they are posting personalphotos and information on the Internet. Many of these intimate details are being seen by the wrong people.
Katie and her sister each have a blog. It is, in effect, a personal diary.
“I really post anything that I’m thinking about. If I don’t have anything better to say, I’ll probably tell them what I did that day,” says Katie, 17.
“It’s really cool, like, if you write a poem or something, people critique it,” says Janie, 15.
When kids write a personal poem, or put up an embarrassing photo, the critique may come from a college admissions officer.
“I don’t think that they [understand]that they are on the World Wide Web. And I think they just feel like, ‘Oh, only my friends will look at this,’” says Donna Parker, mother.
In fact, according to the Center for Marketing Research at the University of Massachusetts, 20 percent of colleges now visit Facebook and MySpace and other networking sites as part of the admissions process.
Experts say kids may not understand that what they put on the web can last forever. Even if, years later, they change their mind.
“So, even if the kid decides to take it down, it could end up someplace else, and that can be a real problem for them later when they’re applying to schools, applying for jobs, things like that,” says Dr. Ken Haller, M.D., pediatrician.
His advice to parents? Have your kids visit their social networking website and then ask them to be objective: would you admit this person? Would you offer them a scholarship?
“If you put it out there, people are going to see it and they’re going to react to it. What are you going to do when they react? How is that going to make you feel? If you’re okay with that, great; but if you’re not, don’t put it out there,” says Haller.
“I usually keep from putting my last name on stuff,” says Katie.
“I don’t think that anything I write will be dangerous to my future,” says Janie.
Internet safety advocates say sexual predators are looking at online profiles, too. Experts also advise that parents should not allow children under age 14 to have a blog.
Tips for Parents
- Although the Internet can be a dangerous place, parents should not become overly fearful and ban kids from using the computer. Realize your child’s future success depends on being savvy with technology. (Kathleen Fitzgerald, Director, CyberCamps)
- Parents need to become involved in their children’s Internet use. Go online with your child. Teach them to make smart decisions online. (Kathleen Fitzgerald, Director, CyberCamps)
- Some of the dangers people (particularly children) can run into if they're not careful when blogging:(Focus on the Family)
- Publishing private information. Children are especially vulnerable and unsuspecting and can post information about themselves and their families. This information can easily be made available to the public, including undesirable people who are lurking online.
- Profiles. Again, children can unwittingly enter private information (e.g. contact information, photos or private details) in the profiles of their user accounts. They may not be aware this information may be made available to the public.
- Inappropriate content. Children may be able to search through other people's blogs and find inappropriate content or discussions on topics that are not suitable.
- Online bullying. Children can use blogs as a way to bully or intimidate other children.
- Defamation and race hate. Children can use blogs as a form of publishing to defame other innocent people or to publish racial hatred information. Columbine killer Eric Harris published an online tirade filled with profanities, hate and racial slurs.
- Publishing unreliable information. Unfettered, unreliable information can be and often is published by anybody creating a blog.
References
- Kathleen Fitzgerald (director, CyberCamps)
- Focus on the Family
