Who Says Kids are Tech Savvy?
When it comes to raising digital kids don’t confuse risk taking behavior with technical prowess.
Published: November, 2005
When parents talk to me about the problems they’re having laying down some rules for their digital kids the first thing they inevitably say is, “It’s just that these kids know so much more about technology than I do!”
I attempt to keep my eyes from rolling, take a deep breath, and respond, “Oh yeah? Ask them what a dynamic IP address is. Ask them how Google comes up with the results of its search. Ask them whether they know how someone can infiltrate their IM buddy list. Nine out of ten won’t know and suddenly it’s their turn to roll their eyes! “Mom, who cares?”
My point? Don ‘t confuse tech savvy with risk taking. Most kids are simply not thinking about the consequences of their actions and much more willing to “give it a try” than their more cautious adult , worldly wise counterparts. The pattern is no different than their actions in the real world.
When kids do unhealthy things on the Internet like posting half naked pictures of themselves in their best Britney-look-alike poses, when they post dangerous away messages like “Out for a bit, call my cell phone at 917-213-4679″, they need to be told “no, not a good idea”.
When they send an IM that says Julie is the biggest slut in the school or they spread a vicious and unfounded rumor about a teacher, they are simply showing their naivete about the confidentiality of an IM message. They are certainly not thinking through the damage that might ensue.
So, where are we when they need us? Part of the reason that kids do what they do in cyberspace is because, for them cyberspace is like Pinocchio’s Pleasure Island — there’s not an adult in sight and there’s a whole ton of temptation. Instead of training under the watchful eyes of adults; they’re learning their most valuable web skills on the street.
Facebook and Myspace - two websites that are giving parents their fair share of agita –are technologies that should really be embraced. They represent the next generation of the Internet where the users generate the content and where social networking will become a vital part of the cyberworld. Unless they see healthy uses of social networking it’ll be the same as learning about sex by watching pornography; they’ll learn the mechanics but not the values.
Parents and teachers need to run, not walk, to get on the social networking train. Facebook and MySpace as training wheels for the kinds of tools they’ll want in their adult lives.