A few weeks ago Katy and her friend watched a movie at our house called "CyberBully". It was a very realistic and fairly graphic depiction of how bad bullying can get when you can hide behind a computer screen and say whatever you want. Katy isn't on Facebook but she does have an iPod and I do let her go on Instagram, where she mainly stays connected with girls on her ice skating team. We have had some talks about why you don't let people follow you if they don't know you, and we've also discussed many times that whatever you put online can be seen by many more people than you may think (even if you eventually delete them - someone has probably already seen it). I've pointed out stupid things people have posted on Facebook so she can see firsthand the impression others can have of you by what you post online. While I'd love to keep Katy in a bubble forever, the truth is that she is going to grow up in an online world that connects through social media. I'd rather teach her how to use it responsibly than stick my head in the sand and hope she uses a slate and abacus for the rest of her life.
So needless to say, I've been trying to find teachable moments regarding social media for her and I to discuss. Low and behold, I stumbled across something that made my skin crawl, my blood boil, and my heart break. Apparently kids think it's a good idea to post pictures of themselves and then ask the online world if they think they are pretty/handsome. Since most kids decide to friend everyone who requests them (really, do you have 2000 friends? I think not...) they get a ton of responses, most of them crude, disrespectful, and downright demeaning. These pictures and comments then get shared all over the internet so the entire world can witness a young girl or boy get their self esteem totally trampled on. I have personally read at least 10 different comment threads on 10 different pictures that showed up on MY Facebook news ticker in the last 3 hours. I'm not even friends with that many teenagers, and the teens I am friends with are basically good kids! It's astounding how fast these threads spread beyond teen's immediate social circle.
Seriously, what the heck people?? Why do kids feel the need to subject themselves to this? What can we do about it, other than talk to our own children and hope they don't follow along with the crowd? Social media is here to stay, but we parents better figure out a way to teach our kids to be more responsible. Of course, that may be impossible considering some of the online behavior I've witnessed from adults. Just go to any news article and read the comment thread below it. People get pretty brave when they can hide behind an anonymous screen name. I love Facebook, and I love the internet, but I also love my self esteem and the self esteem of my children. Let's hope this disturbing trend bites the dust sooner rather than later - for the sake of our children and ourselves...
No comments:
Post a Comment