PL5.
I have always been taught about the dangers online. Yes, when I was in middle school I had AIM and explored the Internet, but I was always wary of the online predator. Whether to give credit to my parents or my school, my online behavior never seemed to lead me in the wrong direction or put me in a bad situation. I heard stories about younger girls who were desperate for attention and easily trusted strangers online. These stories never usually ended well. To me, these were red flags. You're not supposed to talk to strangers in real life, so why would you on the Internet? It was easy for me to understand. But it's not so easy for other kids. I grew up in a very supportive, loving family that cared if I was roaming around bad sites on the Internet. Not all children have that blessing. When I say children, I am really referring to teenagers. Young children really aren't at risk as much as tweens and teens. Children are too naive to get themselves into sexual situations and continue pursuit. Teens on the other hand, are sexually curious and have raging hormones that beg them to rebel and take action in their lives. Without guidance from parents and teachers, an adolescent could easily find themselves in an inappropriate situation. This group of our population is what we need to protect. They are vulnerable and want as much attention as they can get. Finkelhor says directly, "they are criminal seductions that take advantage of teenage, common teenage vulnerabilities. The offenders lure teens after weeks of conversations with them, they play on teens’ desires for romance, adventure, sexual information, understanding..."
It's obvious that action needs to be taken to protect these teens from endangering situations. So the Internet should be what we aim to protect. Perhaps the entire Internet is much too large to control, but websites and chat rooms that can be visited by teens. We can control what channels they can watch on television, why not on the Internet? Parents and teachers have a responsibility to education teens and children on the dangers of the Internet as well as sexual predators that can pose as peers. Without communication between generations, protection is at a loss.
dannah boyd also discusses how teens mirror their real lives on the Internet which brings the good and the bad. When teens are in trouble offline, it reflects their online behavior. I agree with most of what she says about how adults think teens are just going online for sexual intentions and forget that it can also be an outlet to express themselves and find support that is otherwise lacking. She brings an interesting concept of digital street outreach. It's something that makes sense but takes a second to let your mind wrap around it. With technology ever changing, it is obvious that we need something to reach out to kids who might not have supportive family environments and to educate internet safety to everyone. It's an entirely different generation with entirely different resources that need to be addressed to ensure safety online... just like we try to ensure safety in everyday life.