“Growing Up Online”

PBS has long been dedicated to serving programs that are in the best interest of children, teens, and parents. In 2008 PBS worked with John Maggio and Rachel Dretzin and released another film meant to aid and protect children and parents, called “Growing Up Online”. This documentary covers how socializing online has affected some children, and how it could be affecting yours. They approach topics such as “cyber bullying” (as they call it); the reality of online predators and your children; the second life a child can create online; and throughout the film they bring up parents’ versus children’s opinions on the how and why factors of internet usage. Many of the kids admitted for the camera that “if [her] parents saw even, like, half of what [she does] online, [she’d] like, totally cry” and the parents in the film seem to realize this. Evan Skinner, a mom they interviewed, said her kids would get “edgy” if they were on facebook while she was in the room. That she would make a slight sudden noise, like “closing the refrigerator” and “boom, screen goes black.” Several adults who made an appearance in the video showed obvious hostility towards kids using the internet, saying things like “you must have all of your children’s passwords” and some made it seem they were blaming the internet for their children’s secrecy and problems.

But to be honest, at least in my opinion, the internet isn’t the cause of these problems. Having secrets is something every child will do without fail, whether they have the internet to aid them or not. And kids will always run into problems with other kids, whether online or in the school yard. As a woman in the documentary put it, the internet is simply an “extension” of a teen’s social life, it’s not the basis of it and it’s not the cause of problems. The only thing the internet does is help kids express themselves and get their thoughts across to others in another way. Some parents have this picture in their mind that the only thing the internet can do is harm their child. But in reality, the internet is a wonderful thing that can be used in helpful ways, from releasing stress, to entertaining, to feeling more social and “in the loop”. I think many parents judge the internet too harshly; in turn they begin to try and control their child’s every movement. Because of this, they don’t give their children any space or freedom to learn who they are as a person. Kids become too scared to show who they are or who they want to be while around their family because they’re afraid of their parents’ harsh thoughts. I’ve heard my whole life that you “find yourself” while you’re away at college, but I believe we should be allowed to find ourselves in the safety of our own homes where we can hopefully find comfort and support from our family. Love, acceptance, and help or a slight shove in a better direction is what your parents are supposed to provide for you in life. But reality is: most teens only see someone who is telling you who to be; someone is trying to suffocate you into becoming who they believe is the right kind of person. This isn’t always the case, but even one case like this is too many and unfortunately there are millions.