Growing Up Online

(image taken from here)

The video, "Growing Up Online",(Rachel Dretzin and John Maggi, 2008), is a very interesting video that shows how teens are using the internet and ho some parents are panicking. Although, I liked the video and I liked how they showed real life situations that were occurring due to the video, I did not like how they didn’t show the positive of the internet and how it can also do good for kids. The internet is like an open encyclopedia that has a lot of information, some good, and some bad but the video seemed to portray just the bad. I believe the video’s intentions were to open the eyes of parents and scare them a little so that maybe they will start to ask questions more often. On the other hand, it shows the gap between the teens and their parents. Sort of like the digital divide, parents are illiterate when it comes to the computers and it shows how much children can do without their parents having the right amount of knowledge to stop it. As Mike Miliard from the Boston Phoenix states, “The Internet can be terrifying. For parents who don't know what goes on online, and those who do but can't control what their kids do there, the baleful tone of the Frontline special "Growing Up Online" is sure to be scary.” This video was a great example of that.

Many adults don’t know what the latest technology and styles are so some of the new things scare them because they are very un-educated when it comes down to it. Professor Daniels states in her blog, “There have been all sorts of moral panics, often characterized by older adults reacting to fads and trends enjoyed by younger people.” I definitely agree with this, the new fads and trends cause the adults to panic because they don’t know how to deal with the situation.