Frontline: Growing Up Online-Response to Class Discussion

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/kidsonline/

Today in class we watched Frontline: Growing Up Online. While I have been growing up during this new era it still seems foreign to me in many ways. As I was watching the show I was honestly freaked out at first.  I know what's going on around us, but to put a glance at all the major issues into a 60 minute segment is almost disturbing. Afterwards I had many posing questions racing in my head. 

One of the first questions, and possibly the most important question, that entered my mind was, "should kids be allowed their privacy on the Internet?" In Frontline one mother took the only family computer and placed it downstairs in the kitchen. She felt that if the computer was in a more "public area" it would be harder for mischief to take place. Another girl had an eating disorder and publicly announced the fact that she surfs the Internet looking at Ana sites and speaking to others that feel the same way as her.  Another boy was bullied at school, and when the bullying carried over to after school hours he began entering websites focusing on suicide. Later he hung himself. 

It has been said that being "connected" online allows individuals that may normally be very quiet have a new persona and voice. In the show one girl locked herself in her room for countless hours taking questionable photos of herself while building a whole new identity over the Internet. These kids look at this as a way to create the person they want to be and everyone else "wants" them to be. Again, should kids be allowed their privacy on the Internet? 

I believe that parents teach their kids morals and values.  Parents give their children the wings and expect them to fly. There are always the birds that fly into our windshield just as there are the kids that find themselves in dangerous situations and even death. While there are children engaging in bad behavior and such online there is just as much bad behavior happening offline. I believe they even stated that in the show. I, personally, do believe that children, within a certain realm, should be allowed their privacy on the Internet. The Internet gives teenagers, specifically, a way to show their independence. Group forums and bonds are formed online allowing kids to engage in other activities besides illegal or inappropriate behavior.