According to Mishna, McLuckie, and Saini (2009) , “The rapid increase in use of the Internet and other forms of technology such as instant messaging, e-mail, social networking sites and webcams has enabled children and youths to engage in a vast array of experiences beyond the confines of their homes, schools, and local communities (p.107).” Internet access exposes children to an environment where they can be bullied or harassed. An inherent part of parenting is protecting your children from the dangers of the outside world. Modern technology breaks the barriers in the safe haven of home and delivers the dangers of the outside world right into the hands of children via the internet. Children do not have to go to the playground to be bullied anymore – they simply just to log into a chat room. Cyber abuse lurks amidst the social networking and interaction of today’s youth. Although most on line interactions are positive, a distinct need to protect children from the dangers of the internet exists. Identifying strategies for prevention and intervention of unsafe cyber practices for children can facilitate the process of parents and educators working together to become better informed of possible problems and situations that may arise in cyberspace and may aid in the mitigation of possible harmful effects on children. Just as parents take precautionary measures to protect children from the physical dangers on the streets of today’s world, children must be protected in cyberspace also.
References
Mishna, F., McLuckie, A., & Saini, M. (2009, June). Real-world dangers in an online reality: A qualitative study examining online relationships and cyber abuse. Social Work Research, 33(2), 107-118. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier.
2 comments:
Gina - Another warning on the "dark side" of the Internet. I had a friend who got an email regarding her Facebook account and replied to "allow" the person to post. She didn't recognize the name, but thought it might be an old high school friend. It turned out to be a militant group--whose members started posting to her account. It took awhile, but she was able to stop the messages.
Thanks for warning to parents.
Janet
There was a recent case where a woman was tried for internet bullying. She encouraged a young girl who was emotionally unsatable to commit suicide. This woman and her daughter pretended to be a guy that the girl had a crush on an started emailing her love notes and later pretended to break up with her. The girl was distraught and they encouraged her to commit suicide. A tragic story of internet bullying.
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