Social Networking - Thing #36

I just watched PBS's Growing Up Online (thank you Steve for lending me your tape and to Leslie Y. for telling us about the show) and was riveted to the screen. It's not that I didn't know all of these things were going on with kids online, it's that I've never seen so many kids interviewed about the topic. The issues have faces now. Many facets of going online were covered including kids' personal computer use, use at school, parents' and teachers' viewpoints, as well as experts' opinions. But what stood out for me was listening to the kids describe what they get from social networking. While there were many sad and frightening aspects of this show, I came away thinking this: If we as parents and teachers teach our kids from the get-go how to handle themselves online, everyone will benefit. Kids will know what to do when they encounter the seedy side of cyberspace, and adults can feel less anxious about what their kids are doing online. I agree with the women who said this is not going away. We need to embrace the positive aspects and teach our kids how to handle the negative aspects. I liked how one women said that she knows her kids are "good kids," but that she's worried her good kids will make maybe even one dramatically bad choice that will adversely affect their entire lives. As a parent of a teen, I know so well what she's talking about. It's difficult trying to balance worry and anxiety about what choices are being made, with pride and excitement about what choices are being made - the coin has two sides and it keeps flipping.
Social networking is here to stay. Personally, I think my daughter has enough sense to wade through the weirdos and get rid of them, to refrain from posting anything that will jeopardize her safety or future, or anything that will harm someone else. She has a good head on her shoulders and she'll use it online just like she does everywhere else.