Dean Shareski paraphrases a research study making its way around the blogosphere about children and online predators. Here are the key points, or you can read the original article published in the American Psychologist.
- The findings in a nutshell are that participating in social networking does not increase risk of victimization by online molesters.
- 99% of victims were 13-17 years old and none were younger than 12.
- Students who participated in risky behavior like talking about sex with strangers online did have an increased danger.
The takeaway…The internet is not inherently dangerous but does replicate real world dangers online i.e. minding your own business is not particularly dangerous but talking to strangers (particularly about sex) is a bad idea.
So, follow commonsense precautions like not putting students’ last names online but don’t be afraid of the internet. Rather than living in fear of the internet, I’d rather we teach students to be safe.
I think that’s a huge insight. The internet is very much like the real world. There’s good and bad and bad is usually, not always easy to identify and avoid if you’re careful. While there are some unique aspects to the online world, there are many similarities and practices from the real world (isn’t the internet real?) that allows us to apply common sense and behaviors we know to be safe.
For a parent or for a teen, it can be helpful to see “the internet” as a huge city. Even within the confines of a limited environment like Facebook or Second Life, you’re moving through a community of thousands of people — a few of whom you wouldn’t want to see on the bus, let alone sit next to.
So look both ways, don’t cross against the light… or ask yourself, if this person were here and offered me a sip from his Coke, would I accept?