An article this week about Internet bullying describes the difficulties parents face in keeping their children safe online. Not only are they often scrambling to catch up with the technological sophistication of the next generation, but parents today must also wrestle with issues of how much online privacy is appropriate. What do you think? How aware are your parents or guardians of what you do online or via your cellphone? How much should parents in general know about their teenagers' life online? Why?
In "As Bullies Go Digital, Parents Play Catch-Up," Jan Hoffman writes:
It is difficult enough to support one's child through a siege of schoolyard bullying. But the lawlessness of the Internet, its potential for casual, breathtaking cruelty, and its capacity to cloak a bully's identity all present slippery new challenges to this transitional generation of analog parents.
Desperate to protect their children, parents are floundering even as they scramble to catch up with the technological sophistication of the next generation.
…online bullying can be more psychologically savage than schoolyard bullying. The Internet erases inhibitions, with adolescents often going further with slights online than in person.
"It's not the swear words," [cybercrimes specialist, Inspector Brian] Brunault said. "They all swear. It's how they gang up on one individual at a time. 'Go cut yourself.' Or 'you are sooo ugly' — but with 10 u's, 10 g's, 10 l's, like they're all screaming it at someone."
…"I'm not seeing signs that parents are getting more savvy with technology," said Russell A. Sabella, former president of the American School Counselor Association. "They're not taking the time and effort to educate themselves, and as a result, they've made it another responsibility for schools. But schools didn't give the kids their cellphones."
Eighth Grade Students: How aware are your parents or guardians of what you do online or via your cellphone? Do they monitor the sites you visit, the things you post to Facebook or the texts you send? Do you think they should? Where would you draw the line between appropriate monitoring and invasion of your privacy? Why? Have you experienced an incident online in which your parents intervened, or in which you wish they had? Do you agree with the expert in this article who reminds parents, "while children may be nimble with technology, they lack the maturity to understand its consequences"? Why or why not?
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