Archive for September, 2011

Motherly Mishap or Misstep? Did this mother go too far to stop cyberbullies?

September 15th, 2011 in Cyberbullying, Internet Safety for Kids

As reported by ABC Television, a Long Island woman was arrested for encouraging her 12-year-old daughter to physically defend herself from her cyberbullies.

As the story goes, the mother claimed deaf ears by both police and school officials, and felt she had no other recourse than to encourage her child to confront her bullies on the playground.

A Facebook post made, a fight broke out, and fists started flying – all interspersed with reported motherly encouragement from the sidelines (and possibly even assistance in the form kneeing a bystander).

It goes without saying that this mother was clearly in the wrong.  However, I wonder what responsibility falls on the police and school officials – who according to the mother, would do nothing to help her child.

It takes more than a single parent to provide for their kids’ Internet safety.  But not much is said about support for parents who have bullied children.  Are we missing a key piece to the cyberbullying puzzle?

I’d like to know what you think in the comments section below.

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Teens, Tweets & Tequila: How Kids on Facebook are More Likely to Abuse Illicit Substances

September 14th, 2011 in Facebook and Kids

The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University (CASA) recently released its annual teen survey exploring, amongst other things, the relationship between Facebook and kids and teens and their potential to use and abuse illicit drugs.

Asking the question, “In a typical day, how many hours do you spend on Facebook, Myspace or other social networking sites,” the survey confirms that 70% of kids visit social sites daily.

It is on these networking sites that kids are exposed to images of other kids abusing illicit substances.  This exposure makes kids anywhere from two- to five-times more likely to abuse those same substances.

But it isn’t just social media sites that wield a powerful influence on kids.  Reality television shows – which also often portray illicit substance abuse – increases the rate of substance abuse by its viewers, compared to non-viewers.

Clearly, I think it is a broad statement to say that “social networking” or “reality programming” is the cause of substance abuse amongst kids and teens.  But repeated, and prolonged exposure of kids to images of substance abuse will lead to an increased chance of substance abuse.

I can’t speak for the television industry, but as for the social media industry – especially social sites for kids – I agree with and promote the premise of the survey’s findings:

“The time has come for those who operate and profit from social networking sites like Facebook to deploy their technological expertise to curb such images…”

I’d like to hear your thoughts in the comment section below.

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