Adolescents and Social Networking

Technology

United States General Omar Bradley:

“If we continue to develop our technology without

wisdom or prudence, our servant may prove to be

our executioner…”

The Information Age Accessibility of information is remarkable However, the Internet contains both

information that should and should not be exposed

Internet cafes, libraries, and cheap production of computers make the World Wide Web affordable to a majority of families

School-aged Children and the Internet

AOL, Instant Messaging, E-mail, MySpace and Facebook are used by adolescents.

Substitute for old ways of gossiping and bullying

Hobbies not related to the Internet are being ignored

Critical Question to Consider:

“How can we as educators prevent technology like MySpace and

Facebook from becoming a detriment to our students’ healthy growth without ourselves becoming an accomplice to

this crime?”

MySpace Started in 2003 as a site for new musicians 4th most visited site on the Internet In 2005 Rupert Murdoch’s News

Corporation bought MySpace for $580 million

Must be at least 14-years-old to use, but no verification for children is used

Facebook Originally created for college students Since September 2005, over 900,000 high

school students have joined Anyone with any kind of e-mail address can

now have an account However, strict privacy features can be

used if the member so wishes

The Problems… Students are left vulnerable to stalkers,

predators, enemies, and other unwanted guests when they do not regulate the amount of information put on their page and who is allowed to see it.

Posing as people to bully or ridicule Promotes students’ risky behavior (drinking,

sex, and smoking)

Attempts at control… Warnings are posted on the sites and their

employees monitor all members and the content of their pages

Parents and authority figures half-heartedly regulate and monitor student use of the Internet

What does the research say? Fairly new topics and issues in society Being monitored by television news

programs, magazines, and newspapers MySpace and Facebook have both

negative and positive aspects

Positive uses of these sites… Free space in which adolescents can

express themselves in order to satisfy their desire to be heard

Availability of an array of activities Way to connect to people in new ways to

maintain less intense relationship over distance and time

Use the sites to rally people for similar interests and causes

MySpace and Facebook as addictive drugs

Students spend an average of one to four hours at a time on these sites.

Students are not budgeting their time. 14-year-old Shannon Shartzer of Niceville, FL:

“You can’t go one day without someone talking about or asking about MySpace. It’s a little out of hand. I don’t know a person who doesn’t have one.”

Students make the sites their first and last activities of their days

Exposure of personal information…

Students lack discretion They desire privacy from their controlling parents

and other adults However, their lives are open books to anyone on

the World Wide Web 7 teenage girls from Middletown, CT, contacted

the police in the course of just five weeks in order to report cases of sexual assault by men they met through MySpace “This Web site is a sexual predator’s dream and a

parent’s worst nightmare.”

Connections to crimes…

These sites hold clues in the investigations of crimes ranging from statutory rape and molestation to murder.

No organization or agency keeps comprehensive statistics on the number of crimes against children connected with the Internet.

Los Angeles detective Paul Bishop claims that “a case that doesn’t have a connection to the Internet is rare.”

Students are being exposed to too many adult situations too soon.

Age of technology is ruining the age of innocence.

Sites used to target peers/teachers

Sites used to bully, stalk, and ridicule Remarks made can be accessible to the entire

student body Creation of fake pages to defame In April 2006, a 18-year-old high school senior

was arrested after he threatened to blow up his private school on his MySpace page

Another student in Costa Mesa, California, faces expulsion for allegedly posting graphic threats against a classmate on MySpace

Methods of research… Watchful eye on television news programs, news

magazines, and newspapers Speaking with peers and colleagues and their

experiences with children and the Internet Observations at my student teaching site Interview with Mrs. Kelly Mattis a vice-principal at

Steinert High School in Hamilton

What we can do as educators… Have an ethical responsibility Regulate the sites within the schools Educate students about the dangers that may

occur when discretion is not used Let students know that technology can be asset Respect students’ First Amendment rights of free

speech However, let them know that action must be taken

when the information they post puts them and their fellow classmates at risk

Target areas of research Open-minded approach to both the positive and

negative aspects of these sites Four major focal points:

MySpace and Facebook as positive teenage outlets The sites as replacements of human interaction and enriching

arrays of activities The sites as arenas for predators and the release of too much

information The sites as breeding grounds of hate among student peers

Measures too drastic… Computer filtering systems that are so extensive that they

block both students and teachers from essential websites used for research

Pope John XXIII High School in Sparta made headlines when it told students that they could face suspension for using MySpace at home or any off-campus location

Administrators who are in a hurry do not see that they are eliminating the use of the Internet as a teaching tool

They are also taking away an activity that students use to express their creativity

Educators, Parents, Local Authorities: Unite! Local police departments can work with

districts to educate parents about the dangers of the Internet

Despite disclaimers on the websites, many parents are ignorant to the threat in cyberspace

It should be a district initiative to educate teachers, parents, and students in order to create a large support network that would help ensure safer Internet environments for our children

Victims become advocates… Eric Mandel, the director of a Mar Vista middle school in

California, became aware of MySpace when one of the students let him know that he saw his profile on the site

Mandel had never visited the site. When exploring the phony site, he found that students

listed their school affiliation Sent a letter home to parents warning them that their

children’s profiles contained information that left them vulnerable to predators

Parents were given instructions in how they can monitor their children without taking away their outlets of creativity

Policies, policies, policies! Administrators must

establish firm and consistent regulations

First Amendment rights apply in private, not public schools.

Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District: schools can limit student free speech when it “materially disrupts class work or involves substantial disorder or invasion of the rights of others.”

A dose of reality… Mrs. Kelly Mattis, vice-principal at Steinert High School, had

been assigned to enforce school policies regarding sites like MySpace.com and Facebook.com

Disheartening when items that were designed to enhance communication and education are now causing problems for schools on all levels.

“Kids thrive on shock value; so documenting cruel, vulgar, or troublesome acts for show are of huge interest.”

Steinert’s policy: any information obtained from a student’s site that involves the school or its members can be used against them and can result in a nine-day suspension.

A few more practices to use… MySpace classes for students and parents Letters sent home Question and answer forums in the community Promote social networking by creating school spirit events State all rules and regulations about these sites in the

student handbook Invited guest speakers to address current issues facing

adolescents on the Internet Teach tips to encourage wise usage of the sites Promote open class discussion when negative events

involving MySpace or Facebook arise in the school.

My Personal and Professional Growth

Social networking websites have a huge impact on schools

These sites influence the social interactions of an entire generation of school-aged children.

When you do not understand a new issue among adolescents, do not ignore it. Educate yourself!

Guiding my students… Become savvy with the sites

in order to guide the students in how to best navigate the webpages

Promote their use of writing in blogs, but in password-protected, private websites

Read the latest literature on students and technology

Implement after-school programs for students and parents

In conclusion… When you attempt to take something of

value away from teenagers, they only want it more.

Instead, as a teacher, I must educate them on the proper uses of social networks so that they may learn to navigate this treasured resource that indeed does have the possibility of improving their social growth.