In the video teens and their use of the internet was constantly given in a negative light. I realize that predators might lurk on social networking sites and kids might even engage in questionable behavior. I believe the worst impact upon teens of the 21st century is that many kids in an attempt to find themselves may lose their chance to find their true identity. The internet as used by most adolescents perverts the good influences that technology provides to the modern age. When immature kids and teenagers are given the power to create a separate identity they often find refuge in their life. Because they control every aspect of their own personal life, they feel in control of who they are, refusing help from parents, teachers, etc. However, when reality strikes outside of their “cyber world” their supposed self-image is crushed. Adolescents find refuge back in their other world, online. However, the pain of being denied outside of their computer might follow them to their supposed secure world. I cannot blame the internet for these often grievous situations. But I do believe that often enough, parents do not play the role entitled to them by God. I ponder where the balance between being completely unaware of their children’s double life and to overly protective of teens lies. Can they be more involved in other matters to alleviate the need of belonging and identity this generation demands? The answer however is not only theirs to find but also ours to give.
www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/PIP_Teen_Parents_data_memo_Oct2007.pdf
www.christian-education.org/downloads/InternetSafetyParents.pdf
www.oneplaneteducation.com/Internet_Safety_Guide.pdf
Let's face it. Not a single one of us likes it when our parents interfere into our online lives. I personally have had my mom use one of my younger brothers as a way to basically spy on my online activity, using him to add my friends on Facebook and see what I am doing.
ReplyDeleteThis I believe is a dual failing, on my part and on my parents. As a young adult I desire independence and coming to college has given me a great deal of this. I have however neglected my family at ties by not informing them of my activities. Not that what I am doing is in anyway wrong, many times it is the complete opposite, but they still want to be involved in my life and know what is going on. If I want them to refrain from spying on me then I have to be willing to keep them involved.
The failing on their part I believe, is that they are simply parents who do not want tot let go of their son. Because I am not living at home anymore, they do whatever they can to stay connected to my life. To be the typical teenager, they just don't understand me!
I believe that the solution to this is compromise. Parents must be willing to relinquish some control over their children and children must be willing to keep their parents informed. As our parents children we must be the upstanding Christians that we are called to be and live lives that we would have no problem sharing with our parents, and as our parents they must put enough trust in us that we are learning to take care of ourselves and that they don't have to be involved in every aspect of our lives.
I'm pretty sure that relates to the post somehow...
Internet misuse by teens is just like any other common teenage issue. Just like drinking, smoking, and sexual promiscuity, it stems from a lack of self-value and a warped view of how other people should be treated. If kids are raised to understand that they are loved and valued and that they should love and value other people, then they probably won't talk to sexual predators, cyberbully anyone, or take inappropriate pictures of themselves and post them online.
ReplyDeleteIt is important for parents to give kids their privacy, but it is also important for kids to talk to their parents and be open and honest with them. In my family, we had a kind of partnership when it came to the internet. I was allowed to do my own thing with complete privacy, but my dad reserved the right to take that privacy away if I ever started exhibiting harmful behavior. In addition, we would casually talk about what I did on facebook or who I had been chatting that afternoon. It was never forced, but I would be talking to my mom and say, "So I talked to Courtenay for a long time online today." My mom would say, "Yeah, how is she?" and we would have a light conversation during which my privacy was protected but my mom was a part of my life as well. I'm not saying we did everything right by any means... there were a couple of times we had problems because of the internet. However, we talked about it, and I think that communication kept things from getting worse.
Parents have reason to fear for their children in the nasty world of the internet. I've noticed that parents in America seem to take a different approach to protecting their kids online. Rather than communicate a clear set of boundaries before the child uses the internet, most parents seem to monitor the child's use of the internet passively, as in Alex's case. However, I think that like any other parental fear, a passive discipline is an incorrect approach to keeping children safe. I think that simply because it is easier to "spy" on one's internet activities doesn't make it an effective way to prevent children from getting themselves into trouble. Instead of taking this approach to discipline, I think it might be more beneficial to both parents and children to set firmly reasoned ethical standards, as parents might on issues of substance abuse or sexuality.
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