Jonathan Seal points to an article in this week’s US News magazine that is a comprehensive discussion on both sides of the MySpace issue. The bottom line is the same: yes, there are dangers, but if we teach our kids, we can make them safe. Oft quoted Parry Aftab says that “parents are chicken” when it comes to MySpace, and I would only add that most educators are as well. But as the article points out, it’s just not something we can afford to be afraid of. In some way, shape or form, we have to teach MySpace or at least the social networking concept that it represents.
I took up a note from two of my students today. They were laughing, giggling, and the “Oh. My. Gawd.” statement was flying. So I knew there was trouble brewing. I read the note. What did I see?
“My dad has his own MySpace now! Isn’t that awesome? He is so kewl!”
Hmmm. Wonder if that dad understands the connection he just made with his daughter and her friends.
I’ve seen the article and agree with its premise – MySpace and social networking sites aren’t going anywhere and restricting kids from being on it will just make it more of a “forbidden fruit”.
I hope that this is something parents and teachers start stressing – it is certainly the “stranger danger” program for the 21st century! At the very least I hope kids know about sites like Cybertipline where they can report any sexual solicitations – that article said that 1 in 7 kids are sexually solicited online – scary stat.
Good job! I blogged about the U.S. News article on MySpace as well! (As a parent and a teacher, I have my concerns, though the article provides some good suggestions on keeping kids safe online.)
I found this video by Gym Class Heroes to be really interesting. The premise for the video is MySpace, but it’s not online, it’s in real life. People line up to request to be friends to be approved or denied. People post comments on a wall. And, friends are forced to pose in a “Top 8.” And or course, not everything going on in this “space” would be appropriate for youngsters.
Ok, the link didn’t come through for the YouTube video I mentioned. Here’s the URL:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=2TnlSVKuy34
I’ve read the article as well and agree that
parents are chickens about MySpace. Unfortunately,
I’m one of those parents. I do realized that I have to be more involved with the social networking of my children.