what parents should know hw 7

Middle school aged children are exactly that they are children. Not only are they in the period of their life when things are awkward to begin with but add the internet and all its insecurities there is bound to be issues. Any form of blogging whether personal diaries, social, news, jokes, or communication at that age is inappropriate if it is unlimited. What they see, share and know should be monitored until they are aware of their surroundings, reactions and most importantly themselves. If a child is on a web log without parental consent and observation there is the chance of them getting in to severe trouble. Sharing “too much information” (page 351, Nassbaum) as said in terms of what is going on to the internet, the misleading-contradicting internet; is something that all children are apt to do once starting a web log. They get anxious, excited and eager to get going and make a name for themselves, to belong to it and put themselves out there for the first time. Once they put that information out there, there is no way for them to take it back or hide it, it is not private despite what many may think, it is not anonymous it is out there and anyone can get their hands on it. This is a huge fear especially in parents when their young middle school child is on line blogging his “life” to God knows who God knows where. Granted every child needs to feel attention in some form other then from their friends or parents, it needs to be done in a safe and healthy manor and if they need help or someone to talk to the internet is not the place to do it, it is not safe or healthy.

“Peer into an online journal, you find the operatic texture of a teenage life with its fits of romantic misery, quick change moods and sardonic inside jokes. Gossip spreads like poison. Diary writers compete for attention, then fret when they get it. And every parents fear is true.” (Emily Nussbaum page 351)

That alone should scare parents in to monitoring what they are son or daughter is doing on line, it should be a wake up call to all parents whose children have access to the internet! It is not safe. It should be monitored and have an age limit, have securities, monitoring and not be so easy to log in to. It should not even exist to a 12 or 13 year old, it should be for the 20 + who know the consequence and facts and can handle what could become of their life when they blog personal information.