We live in
a digital age where the internet is our primary means of obtaining information,
communication, and self-expression. Most of us know the capabilities of the
Internet and the amount of unfiltered content that is a mouse click away. It’s
pretty common for parents to place restrictions on their children’s internet
access, however most parents are either naïve to the dangers on the internet or
over trusting of their children/teens. Every week there seems to be a new
headline regarding an incident on the internet involving a child/teen. The
ironic thing is that the majority of the incidents occur on websites that you
would expect your children to be safe, like Cyber
Bullying on websites like Facebook or Twitter. The newest trend is
occurring on YouTube where adolescent girls are posting "Am
I Ugly Video's", requesting the opinion of anonymous viewers.
This “Am
I Ugly Video” trend is taking cyber-bullying to a new realm where these girls
are inviting anonymous viewers to post whatever they want about the girls. Francisco Gonzalez-Franco, a New York-based
child psychiatrist said that on a basic level, the videos are "a
masochistic way to diminish their anxiety." These girls are looking for
validation in completely the wrong place, and anonymous posters can make cruel
comments without worrying about being identified. It’s scary what could result
from one of these young impressionable girls taking a comment to heart.
The laws
that keep children safe in their daily lives don’t protect them on the
internet, and there is little that websites can do to prevent these things from
happening. Action needs to be taken by parents to protect their children/teens.
As the internet and technology grows and evolves so should the conversation
between parents and their children. Parents need to educate themselves and their children of
the growing hazards of the internet, give them clear, simple Instructions. Parents should implement Safety
Measures to help prevent their
children from being caught up these trends. Simple things like monitoring
children’s behavior and holding them accountable for their behavior,
communicate to them that there will be consequences for abusing their internet
privileges.
I was shocked to find out about girls posting "Am I Ugly?" videos on YouTube. I think that it is unfortunate that girls look to unknown viewers on the internet for validation of their looks. This is not a positive way for young girls to establish good self-esteem.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you that there is not much we can do to prevent these things from happening on the internet but parents are the key to decreasing the occurrences. Parents need to be aware of how their children are using the internet as well as educate them on how to use the internet properly and effectively. I think educating your children about the ill effects of putting personal information for everyone to see is important.
Parents try and educate their teenage children on how to use many things properly and effectively -- alcohol and automobiles, as well as things like internet, smartphones, and social media.
DeleteThe adage, "You can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink" comes to mind.
A large part of keeping children from doing these things does fall on the parents. But the websites that allow videos to be posted like this need to somehow(I know it's a monumental task) moderate what is posted. Also there is more to it that just the girls posting these videos for validation. The issue needs to be looked at from many angles one of which I feel would be crucial in finding ways to prevent these things. Why do these girls feel the need to be validated by complete strangers, what can be done to help these girls to stop them from ever wanting to post something like this online. It's scary how quickly the internet has become a place where people turn for validation & hopefully something is in the works or can somehow be done to help prevent this stuff from occuring.
ReplyDeleteWhy do girls feel the need to be validated by complete strangers? Gosh... maybe because they've learned only too well the lesson that the only measure of a woman's worth is how well they arouse sexual desire in men.
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