Posts filed under ‘Online Safety’
Online Dangers For Kids: More Hype Than Truth
“The notion that predators are using the Internet as an L.L. Bean catalog, that’s not what’s happening.” — David Finkelhor, Study Author
The man who first brought us the staggering statistic that 1 in 7 children would be solicited online, David Finkelhor, is now reaching out to explain his data in context. In his most recent study, Finkelhor explains that the online world is no more dangerous than the offline world, and that the largest threat of child abuse comes from individuals kids know in real life, not online.
The entire article by Lenore Skenazy is worth a read because it is packed with useful information put into valuable context. From Skenazy’s piece:
“Is letting your kids go online the same as dropping them off at the Vince Lombardi Rest Stop in fishnet stockings at 3 a.m.?
A lot of parents think it is. Or maybe worse. My husband and I took our time letting our oldest boy, who is 13, start his social networking, though that was because we were worried it was like dropping him off at the Vince Lombardi Rest Stop to do his homework—we figured it would never get done. But the towering fear that the second a kid goes online he or she becomes cyberjailbait turns out to be way off base. According to new research, the danger online is teeny-tiny unless your kids are running into chat rooms, typing, “Anyone here like ‘em young?” and posting photos of themselves licking lollipops. Naked.”
We don’t want to begin to belittle the value of teaching kids to be smart, digital citizens and continuously monitoring their online activities; however, some context around popularly quoted statics is useful in considering the big picture and helping parents and companies make decisions and polices that are proactive in keeping kids safe online, not rooted in fear of misunderstood threats. Kid safety is our top priority at OneSeventeen Media, and we diligently seek out the most accurate information to share with our community while proactively working to create safe online spaces.
(Image found here)
US Teen Girl Saves Life of UK Facebook Friend
“Facebook friend saves life of suicidal teenager from the other side of the Atlantic,” reported by The Daily Mail.
This story is encouraging on several fronts. First and foremost, this young man is still alive, and will hopefully get the professional help he needs. Beyond the averted tragedy, this story is a great example of a teen girl doing the right thing and acting compassionately. We’ve been plagued in the last year by some high profile stories of teens and parents who were silent bystanders, or worse, encouragers of teens taking their lives, and this is a refreshing example of compassionate responsibility on behalf of this girl and her parents. This is also strong evidence of teens being willing to “self-police” in online spaces and knowing when to engage adults for additional support. Kudos to this teenage heroine for taking action and saving the life of her Facebook friend!
Teens Cry Out for Much-Needed Survival Resources
At OneSeventeen Media, we often talk about providing kids tools to survive their youth. We firmly believe that social-emotional learning, crisis intervention, relevant content and experience sharing are keys in helping our young people navigate the choppy waters of adolescent life. Two stories stuck out to me over the last week as examples that our collective youth are in desperate need of resources to help them survive and overcome the challenges of growing up; too often our teens seek out extreme, self-destructive measures as a means of emotional release.
The Today Show shared the story of Jesse Logan, the promising Ohio teen who hung herself as an escape from the torture she endured as part of a sexting breakup scandal. My heart aches for the Logan family, and I see two opportunities for communities of youth and adults to learn from their tragic experience. We’ve got to work on teaching kids to be savvy digital citizens and drive home the potential long-term ramifications of their short-term digital decisions. Secondly, we must improve and innovate upon the opportunities and resources we provide kids for coping with their emotional distress. In Jesse’s situation, her school administration and mother were both tuned in to her struggles, but Jesse still found herself unable to fully disclose her distress and find the help she needed.
This week, the New York Times did an intriguing piece on the young adult novel, Thirteen Reasons Why and its quiet rise to bestseller status. In full disclosure, I have not read the book (but will be reading it soon!). The NYT explains that Jay Ashers debut novel,
is made up of the transcripts of audiotapes that 16-year-old Hannah Baker recorded before committing suicide, interspersed with the reactions of a high school classmate who listens to them. Each tape reveals an anecdote about another classmate whose actions the girl blames for her death.
While this simplistic description may sound morbid, the story obviously resonates with its youth audience evident in its number three spot on the NYT Bestseller List. One student shared his takeaway after finishing the book,
“I think the whole message of the book is to be careful what you do to people, because you never know what they’re going through,” said Christian Harvey, a 15-year-old sophomore at Port Charlotte High School in Port Charlotte, Fla. “You can really hurt somebody, even with the littlest thing.”
Harvey’s understanding shares a powerful learning opportunity for students, and whether youth identify with Asher’s work as the victim, bully or bystander, their interest is evidence that relevant content carries tremendous weight. Students are hungry for information about the struggles of teen life, and as adults it is our responsibility to make sure we provide them the life-saving resources they need.
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Youth Reflection: Learning from Phelps’s Mistake
Ypulse Youth Advisory Board member, Libby, has some insightful reflections on what Gen Y can learn from the recent scandal caused when a photo of Michael Phelps smoking from a bong was released to the media.
Libby’s reflections are a great example of what I also consider the most important takeaways from Phelps’s experience:
A) be aware of the activities you choose to engage in and their ramifications (it goes without saying that illegal drug use is never a good idea and not condoned by OneSeventeen Media)
B) exert caution in the content you post online and the content others collect and post online about you. Savvier tweens and teens grasp the point about not posting their own lewd content, but extending the criteria to the content others collect is key.
Libby provides an articulate example of the deep understanding of social media sharing today’s youth must sort out to be savvy 21st Century citizens. OneSeventeen Media looks forward to providing a forum and resources to help tweens and teens grow their understanding of digital citizenship.
(Ypulse’s YouTube channel found here)
95% of Tweens More Tech Savvy Than Parents
London Free Press highlights the fact that of 3,000 grade 6, 7 and 8 students surveyed, 95% believe they know more about the Internet than their parents.
While the cartoon above is good for a laugh, It’s hard for parents to monitor their child’s online presence and set expectations when they do not know more about the tools than their tween. At OneSeventeen Media, we tend to agree with the tweens: many of them can out-tech their parents any day. This is one of the many reasons we’re excited to provide PlumbBrain to the tween market. We have the savvy and know-how to build the community kids want, but we’re also moms, dads and teachers; we understand the importance and necessity of creating safe places for youth to hang out online while teaching them skills to navigate their online and offline worlds successfully.
(Image found here)
Digital Citizenship for Parents
Vicki Davis at the Cool Cat Teacher Blog often has great resources centered around learning, technology and kids. An example of the great content she shares is below from her post A Little Digital Citizenship Parent Brainstorming: Share Your Thoughts. I really appreciate her comprehensive approach to teaching digital citizenship and urging parents to keep up with their tech-savvy kids. Be sure you check out the blog to see the diagram in its entirety.
71% of Kids Cyberbullied: How to Protect Your Kids
UCLA’s study citing that 71% of 12-17 year olds have been cyberbullied in the last year is indeed concerning, but most worrisome to me is that only 1 in 10 kids reports the bullying to parents or adults, citing several reasons for their hesitation:
The most common reason for not telling an adult, cited by half the bullied participants, was that teens believe they “need to learn to deal with it.” In addition, 31 percent reported that they do not tell because they are concerned their parents might restrict their Internet access. This concern was especially common among girls between the ages of 12 and 14, with 46 percent fearing restrictions, compared with 27 percent of boys in the same age group. One-third of 12-to-14-year-olds reported that they didn’t tell an adult out of fear that they could get into trouble with their parents.
What are parents to do? Being proactive is the best way for parents to prevent their children from being victims of continual cyberbullying. Teaching your kids practices and expectations for safe internet surfing and online interactions is the best way to prevent the kids you love from becoming victims. One of the many content areas we at OneSeventeen Media are excited to address is digital citizenship. We look forward to partnering with the PlumbBrain community to tackle tough topics like cyberbullying and provide practical, useful solutions and resources for kids and parents.
An idea I find appealing is to create an Internet User Policy for your household, with adults and kids contributing in the process. Schools, libraries, community centers and most any public access points have Internet User Polices, and maybe your home should too.
Creating a policy would be a great way for parents to share their knowledge about digital citizenship, as well as provide strategies for dealing with cyberbullies. Be sure to make this process a conversation with your kids and solicit their input for what they think is fair and helpful to them. As part of the conversation, I would definitely include for kids (on an age appropriate level) concerns about cyberbullying. Consider phrasing it in a way that affirms their abilities to deal with negative influences/comments correctly, but points out how cyberbullying can quickly escalate out of control. Also make sure that your kids understand what cyberbullying is so that they aren’t perpetuating the cycle.
In regards to cyberbullying reporting, outline for kids some possible options/outcomes if they were to present you with a case of cyberbullying. You can address some of the concerns of teens who don’t report problems to reinforce for your child that you’re a safe place to turn. This requires parents to be a bit tech savvy, but depending on the circumstances, have some options available. If kids think reporting online problems to you means they’ll get internet privileges taken away, they’ll stay mum to protect their online social standing. Suggestions include (but aren’t limited to, and not all are appropriate for various situations) changing passwords, changing user names, blocking individuals, adjusting privacy settings, avoiding problematic sites, reporting abusive behavior to site administrators and the ones your kids won’t like — talking to the bully’s parents or school administrators. See if you can’t find some common ground with your kids to set guidelines you can both live with.
Other areas to consider addressing in your home user policy — hours for computer usage, content, visibility, parent oversight and privacy. We’d love to hear from any parents or youth who have home user policies, or suggestions for what to include in a policy. We look forward to being able to provide more resources, templates interactive activities, and member content addressing digital citizenship and cyberbullying through PlumbBrain.
(Image found here)
