Should we regulate / educate / try to control children/teenagers online activity?

[Bugz]

Quite a controversial topic, so i hope we can keep to discussing it within the realms of flame-free.

Being a teenager, I have signed up a couple of 'teenager' websites, more often than not because its the only way to stop all those fuckin emails that get sent out to me.

But I've noticed one thing that is becoming the norm - teenagers of all ages are more and more willing to be personal over the internet. Through pictures, often in lingerie, seductive poses etc., or public conversations of personal related matters and in some cases, people even posting private information, such as mobile numbers and addresses, to the full view of the public.

As I was browsing through profiles, I saw one 15 y/o with only some underwear on; jail-baiting aside, is this really the way our children should be brought up?

I also read in the paper how one 18 year olds' facebook profile caused her to become the 'office slut,' as she uploaded pictures of her and her friends lessing it up etc. onto facebook. Ultimately, her boss found out and she got fired.

Yet, the internet provides us with a means to explore ourselves, socially interact and to an extent, to improve our self-confidence and think better of ourselves. People on the internet can be kind, considerate and helpful.

So, i'll open this up as a discussion!

Should we control/regulate/or more strictly educate our children/teenagers online activity, for their own safety and moral goodness?

 

[Amanita]

Parental guidance is certainly needed and definately educating teens and their parents about the issues that can arise from t'internet. At 16 I had problems with a fellow I met on D2, after that I became more "street wise" about what I was doing. But that incident coulda been a lot worse and although it was frightening at least I didn't learn the lesson in a really nasty way.

The idea of having an external force regulate what children see on the internet brings all kinds of logistical problems to mind and imo parents are becoming too reliant on other people (i.e. regulations) to raise their children for them.

 

[GReaper]

It's up to the parents to educate/control/restrict their children. If you let your child on the Internet unsupervised with absolutely no idea about what they're doing then things like this will end up happening.

Parents should be educating their children on the risks of the Internet, sharing their personal information, what they shouldn't put on websites and so on. With greater trust they shouldn't need to restrict what they do online - they should be able to build up some trust that their child isn't going to do anything bad.

The only problem with all of this is that far too many adults just don't fully understand the Internet, even those that do don't understand the fascination over social networking sites.

 

[Huntingtons]

the problem is partly that parents had/have no clue what this thing they call internets is. i was lucky enough to grow up when it wasnt a craze, when only geeks used the internet and i had to use it in public space till i was about 14. This means im personally not affected the way kids are today. combined with how the media represents (females) females (online and IRL) gives girls a twisted view on themselves. In Japan you see this. Schoolgirls wearing shirts so short you can see their panties when the wind blows just a little gust and the older ones practically wearing nothing but panties. According to the Japanese people ive talked with this about, its because they want to be like their idols who are represented almost only in swimsuits.
i Do believe there should be education for parents who dont know how to cope with intarwebs but there shouldnt be restrictions because its important to learn your boundries yourself and not get them forced upon you.

my 2 cents.

 

[Thorwyn]

the problem is partly that parents had/have no clue what this thing they call internets is.

This argumentative rear exit was true maybe 10 years ago. but comon! Todays parents are all children of the age of internet. They all have computers and they all have a clue what´s going on there. To be honest, this entire "I don´t know what this is anyways" is just an euphemism for "I don´t really give a crap".
Even if there are parents who don´t have a clue, they MUST have heard something about "the internet" and they CAN go out and get some information. It´s their goddamn job to do that.
I`m working in the game industry and there is this huge discussion about banning violent videogames (or as they call it: killer-games). Now, I don´t want to turn the thread away from the original topic but it´s essentially the same thing. Videogames DO have a PG rating and it´s the parents responsibility to take care of what their kids are consuming, just like they do with cigarettes, alcohol, movies and whatever else has an age protection system.

 

[Huntingtons]

lets say that their kid is 15. now, that makes the child born in 93? parents being 22 getting the child makes them generation 71? growing up in the 80ies didnt include alot of internet for the average/poor. how exactly are they the children of the internet generation? 5-6 years parents, sure, maybe even up to 10 but no more.

but yes i agree, its the parents job to do some research, and i said it was partly due to that problem, im not denying they might be lazy but doesnt change the fact they have no clue whats going on online, what it means and how it affects children when they gets too emotional involved online.

 

[old.Tohtori]

"How our children should be brought up", ain't you "our children" still Bugz

That aside, if a kid dresses like jailbait over the internet, she's gonna dress like jailbait in real life. Internet is not the blame, not the cause and not the reason.

We should regulate the parents, not the media.

End of.

 

[Thorwyn]

lets say that their kid is 15. now, that makes the child born in 93? parents being 22 getting the child makes them generation 71? growing up in the 80ies didnt include alot of internet for the average/poor.

Yes.. so they were 20-25 during the first real computer-hype years (c64 etc.) and today, they´re in their late 30ies and unless they´re working in a coal mine, there´s a good chance that they´re using computers in their every day job.
They might not be up tp date with the latest developements, they might not know facebook or web2.0 or whatever, but a complete denial of knowledge is just something I can´t believe.

 

[Laddey]

If you've got it flaunt it !

 

[Huntingtons]

Yes.. so they were 20-25 during the first real computer-hype years (c64 etc.) and today, they´re in their late 30ies and unless they´re working in a coal mine, there´s a good chance that they´re using computers in their every day job.
They might not be up tp date with the latest developements, they might not know facebook or web2.0 or whatever, but a complete denial of knowledge is just something I can´t believe.

that is true and thats why i said partly. many of the 30'ies and even 40-50'ies know computers, but those who dress up like that over the web has more than just uneducated parents. they have social issues either at home or in school.

and toh, i do not believe you since the internet still works as a perfect escape from reality. some might, some might not.

 

[old.Tohtori]

and toh, i do not believe you since the internet still works as a perfect escape from reality. some might, some might not.

Still doesn't make the internet to blame or one to judge. As no media is. If a kid has problems, if a kid slits his wrists, if a kid dresses like a ho, it's NOT because of the internet. Simple fact.

If parents let this kind of thing go on, then they are to blame, and when their 14 year old kid gets raped by some internet weirdo, it's THEIR fault.

We don't need regulation, we need interaction between parents and kids and that's it.

 

[Himse]

This whole, concept, of older men chatting up little kids is beyond me.

In the 12 odd years i've used the internet, i've never once thought that i was talking to someone who was much older than me, in a sexual way i mean.

It's just kids going on stupid teen websites & chatrooms, then they wonder why they get hit on.

Many people are absolutely fine on the internet, but for example Panarama automatically puts on their little login name

13/f/single LF fun !

or something stupid like that, its just like blatently obvious they are gonna catch some pedo chatting to them.

 

[liloe]

I think the main problem of society atm is the lack of communication between parents and children. It's so much easier to have your child sit in front of the TV / computer than to actually do something with it. "Hey and after all, there are children programs on TV, so it can't be that bad, aye?" This is what's really scaring me. People are no longer thinking for themselves, but instead let some piece of paper (be it some PG sign, the TV program or whatever...) judge for them. This way, parents don't learn to verify things for themselves and everything that has no sign is left unchecked.

I admit, I wasn't interested in social networking sites when I was young and started to have internet, but nowadays MOST parents know these sites and are even part of some network, so basically they should know what is going on.

I also agree with toh on the "internet is not the cause" thing, because yes, the media are imho only a sign of what is going on in people's lives. When children expose themselves on the internet, then there is a good chance their parents never told them something about being careful in life and not just trusting anybody. But hey, as I mentioned above, how should children learn something from their parents if they don't even communicate with them.

Personally I'm a very talkative person, so often I'm the one looking for a talk but still. My parents always cared for what I did, how I felt and hey, even if sometimes it felt like control, they never dictated my life too much. In the end it was just good that I knew someone always looked after me and cared for me. I think this is something many children lack nowadays and it definately has an impact on their behaviour concerning media.

 

[Bugz]

That aside, if a kid dresses like jailbait over the internet, she's gonna dress like jailbait in real life. Internet is not the blame, not the cause and not the reason.

That's one thing I am not so sure about, although I agree regulation/education of parents should be a priority.

The internet is great in that it gives u the social interaction without the confrontation and to an extent, more social security, for individuals.

I bet a lot of girls post sleazy pictures on the internet, but they would dare not try it in real life, because their parents would not let them or because they feel more vulnerable.

People seem to think the internet is a place where you can act consequence-free without anything coming back at you in real life. But in many cases, that simply is not the case.

 

[old.Tohtori]

But still one can't blame the internet, or say it's because of internet.

Sure, internet may offer a way to express your slutty side, but it doesn't make you want to be slutty, the slutty in you is your problem, and as such, parental/other reason.

If you're properly taught by your parents that slutty dressing will get you in trouble, you won't go parading on the net in your jimmyjams.

Only problem that can't be blamed on the parents is if the kid is a psycho.

 

[liloe]

The internet is great in that it gives u the social interaction without the confrontation and to an extent, more social security, for individuals.

I totally don't agree. Personal interaction always beats interaction over the internet and you will find that with distance comes a different behaviour.

The last days I had lots of quarreling with some ppl on the German students platform studiVZ about the OF-server. It resulted in two people gettin rather abusive with "go die irl" comments and I bet my arse that if we had discussed the same topic in some bar, the outcome would've been extremely different.

The internet is, for some people, a reason to act like the idiots they can't be in real life. It doesn't make them become idiots all of sudden, but when the pressure of society is partly taken away, people tend to show their worst.

 

[Lamp]

Firstly, you can't blame existing technology or the internet itself. The internet is the way it is because its the way it is. If it wasn't the way it is, it wouldn't be the internet.

This is part and parcel of the whole internet regulation thing.

I'm massively in favour of restricting internet access for kiddies and parents must act responsibly. You wouldn't give your 8 year old a set of carving knives to play with.

Kids grow up faster these days. They have to. But at the end of the day, a 15 year old is still a 15 year old kid, not a 37 year old man, and despite all the bullshit they come out with, and all the shit they get from the media, they're still teenagers, not responsible adults.

Its not black and white. Some teenagers are incredible responsible and mature.

At the end of the day, there's not a lot you're going to be able to do to prevent this kind of stuff. I think the site owners have a responsibility to crack down on as much dodgy goings on as possible, but it is the internet, and is pretty hard to police 24/7.