McBloggy's Blog

What in the world wide web is your kid up to?

Posted by: Katherine McDuffee

Tuesday, April 8, 2008 11:50 AM

Today, as I'm sure everyone with a TV knows, we found out that a group of teenagers in Florida attacked another teenager and videotaped it. Their intention was to post it online. I don't know if this was to embarrass the girl or to get famous. All I know is as a parent I'm terrified.

The behavior is bad enough, but the urge to make it public is even more frightening. More and more often I see kids (and adults) putting privacy, safety, and dignity aside in an effort to get attention. With the advent of reality TV and user generated content on the web we have seen an explosion of stupid behavior. I don't know if it is simply that we don't hear enough about what happens after you prove to the nation you will compromise your marriage for money and fame (Fox's The Moment of Truth), gain notoriety as the kid that freaked out over Brittney, or send your friends the picture of you doing something disgusting with a Popsicle.

I know these are isolated events (beat downs of the homeless aside), but not as isolated as you might think. Sign-up with a social networking site like Facebook and take a look at the profile pictures local kids are putting up. Take a look at what your kid has put out there. Bikini-clad tweens and teens, young kids flipping you off from your computer screen, one teenage girl from Mahomet had a picture of herself leaning against a boy while he grabbed her breasts. I know when you are young you feel invincible, but this goes so far beyond that.

I'm scared not because I think the downfall of society is headed straight our way. I'm terrified because there are thousands of kids right now with their lives on the line. While some things might be categorized as harmless fun it is still permanent. What people don't realize is that once something is out there it can never be taken back. What seems like a joke when you're sixteen can come back to haunt you when it comes time to interview at colleges or for your first real job. Poor judgment might not always kill you but it may just make you wish you had.

My husband and I are in our twenties and we have siblings in their teens. As young parents and older siblings we are put in an interesting and sometimes difficult position. We worry about our younger siblings but we are also privy to (some) of the antics they don't necessarily want to share with our parents. As concerned adults we have a responsibility to make sure they are safe, but as siblings we often need to butt out of it.

We are on the same networkings sites and are "friends" with not only them (and our younger cousins), but a number of their friends. Call us nosy, call us spies, or just call us overprotective but you better believe we keep an eye out for anything resembling a red flag or yellow or orange or pink...

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