Growing Up Online
Growing Up Online
Being online is like another place with many advantages and disadvantages however no one is really in control. It can bring more people together, or let people vent, or be a form of entertainment to pass the time. However, as addressed by the Frontline program :Growing Up online the net is not all sunshine and rainbows. It discussed cyberbullying which can be a little tease or an actual jail offense. For instance I have been teased online but it never got as far as what the show's shown. A kid named Ryan committed suicide because couldn't take the teasing, lying and cheating anymore. The kids who for him to do that can actually end up in jail if found out. Despite this, some may argue online forums maybe worse.
Online forums are places where people go to find others like them and make friends or discuss their problems. While it provides secluded people a place to reach out and call for help; it can also promote dangerous acts. For instance, Sara constantly goes on a forum that promotes people to stay anorexic. Which can be life threatening because it makes people think that it's okay to be unhealthy skinny. I have not been on those types of forums but my advice is to stay informed and avoid toxic sites e.g. fourchan. In addition when someone is hurting you tell someone and block them. Not matter what be online is a risky slope but no one should be able to take it away for you indefinitely.
I was also bullied growing up, including online. I watched a movie recently about cyber bullying and one concept that was highlighted was the idea that people who are bullied online find it hard to disconnect even though it hurts them to view the things that are being said about them. Luckily, that was not something I experienced, but I find it incredibly sad that some people fall victim to online bullying and become addicted to staying connect even when it is detrimental to their mental health.
ReplyDeleteAdditionally, I like the proper internet awareness drills that were taught to children in the program which showed them how to approach potentially threatening situations including child predators.
I remember back in elementary school and middles school we were taught about the dangers growing up on online. We had many victims talk about their experiences growing up online, many were cyber bullied. One person told a story about how their friend committed suicide because of the bullying. I think that your blog post is very interesting and relatable.
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