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This just in: American teens use MySpace to discuss sex, violence |
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Written by Branden Hart
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Monday, 05 January 2009 |
And drugs – we can’t forget about the drugs.
A new study published in the January issue of the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine finds that "54 percent of teens talk about behaviors such as sex, alcohol use, and violence on the social networking giant MySpace – presenting potential risks even if all they're doing is talking,” CNN reports.
“The study looked at MySpace profiles of 500 people who identified themselves as 18-year-old males and females in the United States,” the report continues.
As always, education rather than restriction seems to be the most logical response to the results of studies such as this.Though researchers point out that many of the teens profiled in the study may be lying or exaggerating about engaging in risky behaviors, this could still be risky, as the co-author of the study Dr. Dimitri Christakis said that even talking about potentially engaging in such behavior could affect future actions.
Christakis added that this should be good motivation for parents to create their own profiles on social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook, which might help them bond with their children. Other experts cited in the report responded by saying that parents should know their children’s passwords for such accounts so parents can monitor online activities.
But knowing passwords and looking over your kid’s shoulder is only going to make him or her go to greater lengths to hide what he or she is doing. It will also do nothing to stop children from creating well-hidden profiles that allow them unmonitored access to chat with their friends. By and large, children should be taught why engaging in or bragging about risky behavior in a public forum is irresponsible (remember kids: what you say online stays online) and can even make it more likely that children will engage in such behavior, even if they are lying about it initially.
As always, education rather than restriction seems to be the most logical response to the results of studies such as this.
[CNN]
Branden Hart, TheSequitur.com managing editor, works as an editor in San Antonio.
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