Feeding The Fish

BBC NEWS | Have Your Say: Are you aware of the dangers of social …

The 500 character limit of the BBC’s ‘Have your Say’ section makes for an Intriguing excerise in self-editing and expressing my point in half the space. I’m going to make a habit of posting my full answer here.

Some comments here seem to convey the idea of children having a divide between their ‘Real Life’ friends and their ‘internet’ friends. In fact, the two are often one and the same, kids using social networking to keep in contact with existing friends and maintaining a broader range of contacts. The idea posed by Jennifer (Netherlands) that children are being ‘driven’ online in search of friends is frankly not true. Ignoring the paedophile question, social networking websites can have a positive in terms of the social development of children (not in all cases, but the possibility exists). Of course there are negative effects, all that results from social networking is normal behaviour exemplified, so online bullying is another issue for minors using social networking.

The answer to the ‘threat’ of social networking is always education. Education to children about who can read their pages and what is and what isn’t safe to post and education to parents and teachers about what is and isn’t ’scary’ on the internet. I’m sure the knowledge that their parents know where their myspace page is would be enough to temper most children’s online behaviour.

I’ve been absent for some time, exams and so forth weighing down on me.

Now I’m back! With new….Words! Enjoy.