"Growing Up Online"

            

           The internet has become a big part of today's generation. Kids growing up in today's generation are growing up with technology surrounding them. The internet is an excellent tool where people can access to do research, business, play or communicate with others around the world,  but in the same time it could be very dangerous.

                When the internet first started and social media came out, it became an integral part of kid's lives. If you didn't have a MySpace page or an AOL screen name you weren't in the loop. Due to the easy access to the internet and social networking, and due to the increasing importance in a young's person's life, negative consequences began to rise, such as cyber bullying.  People were not only being bullied at school, but also at home. Just because you left school grounds and everyone went home didn't mean that the bullying stopped. People who bully online think that because they can't see the person it makes it okay, since people feel safe in their home, bullies think that because they are home and away from the person they are bullying, they aren't hurting them.  Not bullying directly, and not seeing the victim, gives even more power, as seen in the PBS Presentation. Cyber bullying is very psychological. It impacts a child's self esteem and how they view themselves.  Due to cyber bullying many kids have committed suicide, like the case of Ryan Halligan.  A lot of parents don't know how to use the computers, especially as efficiently as this generation, who has grown up with technology, and because of this they don't know what is going on in their kid's life.  Even if parents know how to use computers, kids know how to hide what they are doing.

            Also, we can see with the internet kids are spending more time alone.  With everything that the internet offers, young people are spending more time with the computer or cell phone, and there is an instant gratification aspect to all that they do.  They spend all their time navigating the internet and social media, communicating with others, and being able to express themselves freely without judgment from the adults and peers in their lives.  As is the case of Jessica, she did not fit in her regular day-to-day life, and turned to the internet and social media to be able to express herself and find confidence.  The danger with this, and in the example of Jessica, is that individuals don't know who is on the other side of the screen, and that they grow up too fast.  She even mentioned that at 14, she appeared as an 18 year old.  This shows that the internet has a huge impact on self-esteem and personal growth.  In order to feel included and gain more self esteem, she turned to the internet, and that led her to expose herself in a way that will always be there.  Even though she tried to continuously hide her identity, through a series of connections and events, those close to her eventually found out the truth.  This just proves two additional issues with the internet and social media connections: 1. whatever is posted will always be there, and 2. social media connections are so intricate, that information spreads rapidly, and there is no way to hide what is posted- it is basically impossible to prevent anyone from seeing what is posted online.  In the case study of Jessica, it was proven when her principal and parents found out about her online life, even though she worked hard to make sure it remained a secret. 

            I can't deny that the internet is a positive tool when utilized correctly, but as a parent, it is our responsibility to make sure that it is kept that way.  While the internet has multiple positives, the danger that lurk within it are also extreme.  Since this is the first generation truly growing up in a fully technological world, we don't really know how to deal with many of these issues that appear, since there is such a high learning curve.  But it is something that we need to continue learning and facing, in order to protect our children.