My Space is forever...
Is it just me or does everyone think the internet might just be the best and worst invention the world has ever seen.I love it – I use it everyday (and if you’re here, you probably do too…).
I actually think kids are smarter these days because information is so readily available now.
But the internet, youtube, social networking sites like Myspace and blogs of any type are not without their pitfalls.
My daughter is in year 9 – yesterday her class saw a presentation from a woman trying to hammer home to the kids how vulnerable they are on line – and it’s not just about sex predators and cyber-bullying .
The woman told the story of a young girl in England who decided at the age of 14 she wanted to be a model. Because she didn’t have an agent, the girl got her mum to take some slightly saucy shots which they posted on a homemade website.
There is no copyright on the internet – you post it – you lose it. The next time the girl saw her photo it was in the promotional shots for a pornographic movie available for download – the girl wasn’t in the movie – she wasn’t paid a cent – but her 14 year old space was splashed across a million computers – as people perused adult sites. Her photo is still there in fact.
Last night we talked to our kids about movies they sometimes make and post on youtube - about silly things they might say on their myspace – and about how revealing they are generally on line.
This generation of teenagers will be the first to have their teenage years come back to haunt them so graphically.
In 20 years time – when your child is a bank manager or a school teacher or on radio or running for politics – something that seems hilariously funny now – taken out of context – could take them down.
I actually think kids are smarter these days because information is so readily available now.
But the internet, youtube, social networking sites like Myspace and blogs of any type are not without their pitfalls.
My daughter is in year 9 – yesterday her class saw a presentation from a woman trying to hammer home to the kids how vulnerable they are on line – and it’s not just about sex predators and cyber-bullying .
The woman told the story of a young girl in England who decided at the age of 14 she wanted to be a model. Because she didn’t have an agent, the girl got her mum to take some slightly saucy shots which they posted on a homemade website.
There is no copyright on the internet – you post it – you lose it. The next time the girl saw her photo it was in the promotional shots for a pornographic movie available for download – the girl wasn’t in the movie – she wasn’t paid a cent – but her 14 year old space was splashed across a million computers – as people perused adult sites. Her photo is still there in fact.
Last night we talked to our kids about movies they sometimes make and post on youtube - about silly things they might say on their myspace – and about how revealing they are generally on line.
This generation of teenagers will be the first to have their teenage years come back to haunt them so graphically.
In 20 years time – when your child is a bank manager or a school teacher or on radio or running for politics – something that seems hilariously funny now – taken out of context – could take them down.
posted by Caroline Hutchinson at 6:45 AM
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