Sunday, February 6, 2011

It's ten pm...do you know which site your child is on?

My phone is my baby. Without it I feel empty and when it has died or has been placed anywhere other than my hand I obsess about how much it sucks to have no connection to the digital world. I remember when I was fifteen I received a less than average grade on my report card; my punishment was the loss of my cell phone for TWO WHOLE WEEKS. I went insane and never let my grades slip again. My parents had total control over the situation. Like my own, a lot of parents today are worried about the role of new media in their children’s lives.
            Media is taking over our youth and here is why…..kids are getting older, younger. Marketers realize that the easiest way to make the most money is to advertise to the age group commonly know as the “tweens.” Tweens are children ages 8-12. People this age depend on their parents who make a substantial amount of money compared to them. Therefore, the parents are forced to satisfy the tween’s hunger for the most popular items all received through media.
            Parents should be concerned with what their kids are viewing and indulging in while online. Access to inappropriate sites, games, videos, and online communities are incredibly possible. Not only do kids harm themselves by drowning their brains with junk, they are hurtful to their peers simply because it’s so easy. For example, many young adults are burdened with cyber bullies and hate mail which should never reach the point contemplating life or death. The story of Megan Meier* will hopefully bring awareness to online hatred. Megan was teased and bullied online which lead to her ending her own life at the age of 13. Her parents were completely unaware of any sort of situation until it was too late.
There are several things online that we as consumers should do without, but I feel that today’s newest technologies are absolutely amazing and helpful in today’s world. The fact that people of such young ages can adapt to media only encourages and promotes a successful future financially. There are many teens out there that have made huge profits from their online inventions and discoveries. Mark Zuckerburg is a prime example.  Older people may hate new technology simply because younger, tech-savvy, college grads are taking over their jobs due to their lack of adaptability.
Parents are, will, and should forever remain concerned and fully aware of what’s happening on the keyboard. I fully support filter software and heavy surveillance, but at the same time our internet age should never be forbidden or frowned upon.
                                                                                  

“Give a person a fish and you feed them for a day; teach that person to use the Internet and they won't bother you for weeks” thinkexist.com

*An article on Megan Meier. http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=3882520&page=1

2 comments:

  1. Cyberbullying is a huge problem. And with more and more middle-schoolers flocking to Facebook, it is only going to get worse. What should be done, though? Should we pass laws CRIMINALIZING cyberbullying? Or holding parents' accountable for things their kids say on social networking sites?

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  2. Parents are allowing their (pre)Teens to have unlimited access to the world wide web. It is no surprise that issues such as Cyberbullying are causing such an uproar. Now that it has presented itself, I assume it is here to stay.

    Who is accountable you ask?
    THE TEEN!!! Of course parents need to monitor their kid's internet history and patterns as well as 'parent' them on how to be a mature young adult by not resorting to online hatred toward classmates. BUT, obviously this tactic is not working.

    Even if parents hold the passwords to their tech-savvy teens, there is no promise that data from the website couldn't be changed, deleted, or hidden from them. Kids are smart...I was one not, too long ago.
    Laws criminalizing cyberbullying would be too hard to decipher. Questions based on what is considered bullying will rise and there is no clear cut definition as to what is worthy of legal action to take place.

    Whether the government gets involved or not,parents should not be held accountable. I would say that if a teen decides to threaten, harrass, demean, and poke fun at another student, he/she is entitled to hold the responsibilities following....

    In Megan Meier's case, her cyberbully must now live with the memories leading up to Megan's death. She will forever know it is her fault and that is the ultimate punishment although extremely sad for both parties involved. Hopefully, tweens involved in bullying via Facebook, Twitter, and whatever else will stumble upon her fatal story and realize that their actions have consequences.

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