Totally Wired Teens
When my oldest was about two I remember being proud and amazed that he could use a mouse on the computer. I was equally impressed at his computer confidence at 5 - when he could navigate his computer and find the software and sites he needed. So at 11 should it even surprise me that he is extremely comfortable moving files, finding what he needs on the web, and knows all the social networking terms? I shouldn’t be. And at some point between 2 and 11 he crossed the line where I was thrilled with his new computer confidence to a point of being cautiously concerned!
John Walsh, Cox Communications and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children have just released the findings of a survey of teen Internet use:
The 2007 survey found that 71 percent of teens have established online profiles on social networking sites like MySpace or Facebook–up from 61 percent in 2006. Further, 64 percent post personal information like photos or videos of themselves on these sites; more than half tell or give clues about where they live. Nearly 10 percent have put their cell-phone number online.
Frighteningly, 69 percent of teens regularly receive messages from strangers through the Internet, and most tell no adult about them. Some 19 percent say they’ve been harassed or bullied on the Internet. (In 2003, 13-year-old Ryan Patrick Halligan of Vermont killed himself after a painful period of harassment, much of it online, giving rise to that state’s new anti-bullying law.)
Despite campaigns that preach against it, most kids today don’t think posting photos or personal info online is unsafe. Still, the survey showed a significant drop in teens who said they’ve considered meeting someone face-to-face whom they’ve talked to only online: Sixteen percent reported that temptation in 2007, down from 30 percent in 2006.
These are some pretty scary statistics still. As a parent who is very comfortable with technology, I am extremely open with my kids about their computer usage. They each have their own computer in a playroom that can be seen from all the main living areas of the first floor of our house. My kids know I use their computers from time to time to test things and to check up on them. All passwords and user names are kept in a central location and they seem to understand the importance of it now.
In her recent book, Totally Wired: What Teens and Tweens Are Really Doing Online author Anastasia Goodstein provides parents with a guide to what teens and tweens are really doing on the Internet and gives parents the knowledge they need to communicate with their child using the same terms. She also posts her reaction to the John Walsh press release as well.
Two more good resources for parents and kids wanting to learn more about online safety include: Linda Moran’s Parenting Teens site, and Wired Safety.
Thanks to Denise at About.com’s Parenting Teens for reminding me to read my newspaper today.
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POSTED IN: Teens and Technology
4 opinions for Totally Wired Teens
V-Grrrl
Jun 2, 2007 at 12:35 pm
The first time I scheduled a meeting with someone I met online through my blog friends, my 8 year-old daughter gave me a lecture about the danger of getting together with people you meet on the Internet.
I addressed her concerns and told her what precautions I was taking and why (meeting in a public place, not revealing where I lived, etc. etc.). The incident was reassuring because it showed how much of their Internet safety training had been taken to heart, but it also reminded me that they will do what I DO.
Parry Aftab
Jun 2, 2007 at 8:00 pm
We appreciate your sharing our site with our readers. While I worry about teh traditional social networks and what our tweens and teens are doing on them, I have some serious misgivings about the tiny networks - ClubPenguin and others that encourage our 8 yr olds to chat with others in the guise of cute little animals.
8 and younger is far too young for interactive communications, no matter how well monitored, with strangers….
let’s try and get more moms involved…
together we can change the world! :-)
thanks again.
Parry Aftab
Exec Director
WiredSafety.org
p.s. check out our new site on cyberbullying - stopcyberbullying.org.
char
Jun 2, 2007 at 8:04 pm
V-grrrl - your daughter sounds very sensible! You are doing a great job with your kids.
char
Jun 2, 2007 at 8:11 pm
Parry - thank you for taking time to stop in and talk with us.
My kids really like playing Disney’s Virtual Magic Kingdom - they are almost 11 and 8. I have been extremely impressed with the moderators on the site and the real life lessons they have been able to learn in a relatively safe online environment.
Last August my daughter attempted to give out her phone number to her best friend in real life while they were both on VMK. The moderators immediately banned both girls for one month. We did a lot of talking about the incident, why what she did was wrong (apart from the fact that her friend has her on speed dial anyhow), and how that mistake could have devastating effects in different environment.
My son prefers to just Skype his real life friends and they play video games at the same time and talk to each other at the same time.
I agree, we as parents have to help our children learn to combine street sense with online sense - social networking and technology are not going away - we just have to prepare them to use it wisely.
Thanks again for stopping in. I will check out your other site, too.
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