Smile, You’re On Candid Camera!
Do you talk with your kids — about what’s appropriate for posting to social networking sites and what’s not — every so often?
Kids post crazy things on their Facebook walls sometimes. Parents that can clearly see what their kids are saying if they just reviewed their kids walls once in a while don’t seem to worry too much about what their kids are saying either. It’s mostly foul language, but once in a while, criticisms of peers (pre-cursors to online bullying perhaps), and sometimes sexually inappropriate remarks.
Teens will be teens, but what’s said amongst a group of friends in study hall or on the school bus is different than broadcasting to the entire network of 350 friends and family that follow you on your social channel.
Is it completely lost on parents that an expanded audience can see the posts? If Johnny posts something beyond the pale on Sally’s wall, then all of Sally’s friends can read. Sally’s friends might include her aunt who happens to be a college admissions officer at the college that Johnny wants to get into. Or it could be her uncle who is a cop. Or maybe she’s friends with the pastor. Be careful what you say, or you could go straight to hell! Just kidding.
Adults on facebook often post things that make them look like idiots to. I see idiotic comments from people I don’t even know personally. Lots of stupid political beliefs get shared. I have a list of people in my head now that I believe have very poor judgement, and idiotic beliefs. Then there are the people that I feel sorry for. Is your life really that boring? Wow. Thanks for the daily glimpses into the inanities of your days.
Big Brother Might Be Watching.
Beyond what your friends see and read about you, what if the government also pays careful attention to what’s in these social networks.
First, a humorous look:
CIA’s ‘Facebook’ Program Dramatically Cut Agency’s Costs
But seriously, Facebook is the most appalling spy machine that has ever been invented?
by mark on February 18, 2011
CNN asks the question:
Have our brains become so desensitized by a 24/7, all-you-can-eat diet of lurid flickering images that we’ve lost all perspective on appropriateness and compassion when another human being apparently suffers a medical emergency? Have we become a society of detached voyeurs?
According to the most recent findings from the Kaiser Family Foundation, 8- to 18-year-olds on average spend 11½ hours a day using their technology.
Their brains have become “wired” to use their tech gadgets effectively in order to multi-task — staying connected with friends, texting and searching online endlessly, often exposing their brains to shocking and sensational images and videos. Many people are desensitizing their neural circuits to the horrors they see, while not getting much, if any, off-line training in empathic skills. And the effects may even reach young people.
I know quite a few people who enjoy watching those videos of people doing stunts and failing big-time. They seem to take particular pleasure with the ones where people get their grundles slammed on a railing, or get teeth knocked out with failed bike stunts. What do you think?
by mark on February 7, 2011
This NYT article presents the competition between the pros and cons of all of the technologies that we have at our fingertips. There’s an app for just about every kind of task you can imagine. and they can be used to help along your personal and work life.
But if you’re not consciously making sure that it’s working for you, it can own you, and before you know it, those same apps are taking away from your life.
From a family perspective, many of the ideas that are discussed from the perspective of adults can be adapted to kids as well.
You bought your kids cell phones so they can keep in touch in case of an emergency, or just for convenience. Have your kids been taken over by the cell phones? Do they text constantly to a point of being completely distracted all of the time? Have your kids turns into bad-manners-monsters because they can’t put them down even when they’re at the dinner table at the grandparents? Have technologies taken control of your kid’s reports cards?
by mark on February 4, 2011
A Dad, Mom, and six kids tried an experiment and totally unplugged from their gadgets for a week.
What do you it turned out like? Yelling? Arguments? Kids breaking down and going into total melt down mode? Will Mom and Dad even be able to resist their urges and overcome their addictions?
“But it was too hard, and I worked out I didn’t have room at work, so I unplugged everything from the wall and took all the remote controls and hid them instead.”
Despite the trepidation, the result came as a surprise to everyone.
Rather than fall apart, the family rediscovered the value of spending time with each other instead of staring at a screen.
“I didn’t think it would go as easily as it did,” Mr Mason said.
“Fortunately the weather was good, meaning the kids could spend a lot of time playing with the neighbours’ kids in the street outside.”
Puzzles, board games and conversation also filled the gadget void.
The Masons said the social experiment had changed their lives as a family. For a start, television viewing is now banned at the weekends, enabling them to spend more quality time together.
And this this part hasn’t surprised me one bit, because it echo’s what so many ComputerTime customers have told me over the years:
“We’ve seen a totally different attitude from the kids,” Mr Mason said.
He said it was fascinating to watch how his brood changed their behaviour and adapted to the altered circumstances.
“At the start of the week they whinged a bit, but by about Wednesday they were over it.
“By the end of the week they weren’t asking for anything because they knew it wasn’t going to happen.”
by mark on January 28, 2011
Are your kids getting enough the life skills that they need?
While I guess it’s great that kids are so tech-savvy, the study points out that they may not be getting the “life skills” they need in other areas of their lives. In an interview, AVG’s Tony Anscombe said “Because we (adults) are so connected, maybe what we don’t understand is what we’re actually doing is connecting our children the same way, and it’s becoming normal for them and maybe we’re ignoring some of those life skills as well.”
Anscombe added, “as parents there is a digital responsibility to be had. We need to look at making sure that we give our children a balanced life and a mix of both life skills and technical skills.“
Source: cnet: Safe and Secure
by mark on October 30, 2010
It causes cavities. It makes kids hyper. It does not kill them.
Learn all about how parents have ruined Halloween and how marketeers are managed to make a lot of money promoting fear to parents.
I don’t think there are any signs that this is going to stop any time soon.
by mark on September 22, 2010
Sticks and stones my break your bones, but names will never hurt you.
Ya… well, tell that to the kid who has a few dozen kids spreading lies and saying terrible things about him online, in public, where all of his 306 Facebook friends can read it.
Unlike traditional bullying which usually involves a face-to-face confrontation, cyber victims may not see or identify their harasser,” according to the survey. “As such, cyber victims may be more likely to feel isolated, dehumanized or helpless at the time of the attack.”
Helpless. What can you do when a pack of nasty kids decides to bomb Facebook or Twitter with nasty comments about you. Absolutely nothing. With traditional face-to-face bullying, the bully always ran the risk of getting punched in the face at least. That probably kept things in check to some degree. But online, the perps are safely separated from the victim by some unknown number of routers, switches and miles of cable.
“With traditional bullying, both bully and victim report feeling depressed. But when it comes to cyber-bullying, it is the victim who is more likely to report depression. The instigator tends to emerge unscathed.” (CNN)
Parents really need to keep the lines of communication open with their kids. Make sure that your kids are definitely comfortable letting you know when they’re having problems online.
What advice would you give your kid if he came to you and told you that he or she was being harassed online by other kids?
