Growing up online Post

Growing up online, broadcasted by PBS on Frotline, Aims to describe the effect technology has on people. Particularly in a younger generations. The documentary focuses on the way young people have become so attached to technology. Some families have communication problems because their children are so hard lined into the new technologies. One parent stated, "..I have a better chance reaching him through email, than talking to him in person". The focus then turns to high school students. They talk about how addicting myspace and other networking sites are. There are some users that take on, on-line personas like Jessica. At 14 she started taking suggestive pictures of herslef and posting them on social networking sites. She took on the alias Autumn Edows. Quickly her popularity spread. People on the web thought they were commenting on an 18 year old model, but the reality was this 14 year old girl was being bombarded with constant online attention. And when her parents took away her internet, she admited she missed the connection she used to feel. They then move on the the child predotor fear. The idea that people that used to have to go out of their way to capture children, or to get near them physically can now prey at home on the internet is truly scary. The documentary states that 1 in 7 kids admit to being sexually solicited online, but that the sexual soliciations were mild. Also most of the cases talking about sexual predators on the internet kids were seeking out the older people, not the other way around. Perhaps the danger lies more in the freedom of websearch for younger people.


I feel alot of what this video says is very true. And some of it very scary. Like the 14 year old posting lude pictures of herslef on the internet. Her parents had no idea. Parantel supervision is not an acceptable way of blocking this is kind of imagery and freedom from children. Furthermore, the use of the internet as a social tool is out numbering the time spend doing actual activities. Kids need to go out there and attain the knowledge they need to succeed.