Analysis Of The Article 'Stop Freaking Out, Parents'

In the article ''Stop Freaking Out, Parents: Social Media isn't the Problem'' by Danah Boyed she is mistaken that using social media is not making our kids vulnerable to online predators, socially maladjusted, or liable to be bullied. Social media is making our kids vulnerable to online predators. If danger had a recipe, these ingredients spell trouble: vulnerable children, naive teenagers, predators, and the social media that readily connects them. Sexual predators do exist and are very dangerous. It begins with constant texting or stalking on Facebook to gain the kids trust, then predators send pornographic pictures via a chat session, and end it by taking step further and that's when they ask for for a picture or a video of these kids naked.
Kids will get scared in this point and try to cut off communication with the predator, but predators will start to ask for nude pictures, money or even sex to not tell the kid's parents. Predators target both boys and girls and use the anonymity of the internet to their advantage since they can be whomever they want. They look for teens because teens are emotionally vulnerable, which can be related to personal issues derived from problems at school or home. They use these issues to befriend the teens and empathize with them while building a pseudo- friendship and trust. If the teen is fighting with their parents, or their parents did not listen to him or her, the predator may suggest that the parents are way too strict or they have that old mindest that can't understand the teen's thinking. This plays right to the adolescent mind, as they look for someone to validate their feelings. While Boyed said: '' it is all about approaching technology with curiosity rather than with fear and anxiety'', I say parents should always have the fear and anxiety when the kids using social media, and should always worry about their kids. There is always somebody out there behind that screen trying to catch the fish in the dirty water. Parents should protect their kids from online predators by: Educate the kids about the ways predators approach and communicate with them, install parental software and inform the kids about it and explain to them that you are doing this for safety not trying to spy on them, and limit the amount of time your kids spend on social media and what times of the day. Social media is making our kids socially maladjusted.
Social media affects our kid's feelings of loneliness, separating them from the real world and increasing their feelings of depression. For instance, social media spread news of engagement and breakups, job gain and losses, passing test or failing, or news of life or death. It's easy for our kids to become overwhelmed with all the news. Social media also leads our kids to social isolation, especially, when the kids spent most oft the time on social media and reduce the chances of actual social communication. In addition, social media affects family cohesion. Social media makes our kids independent from the parent's involvement in their social lives. Our kids see social media as one way of gaining freedom from over- involvement and instruction from their parents. Kids prefer to stay in their rooms sitting behind a phone or a computer screen, chatting, texting, playing or meeting new people rather than sitting with the family. Like a mother was complaining to me about her teenage son the other day. He was very fond of painting, but recently, he lost interest in his hobby, he spent most of his time on social media. She noticed that sitting behind the screen affected his eyes and body, and he miss the opportunity to develop his personality and learn social skills. He stay up late chatting with friends or uploading pictures on Facebook, and he barely wakes up in the morning. This is one mother and I'm sure there is many
parents out there having the same issue with their kids. Even if the family goes for vacation, the kids will stay on their phones uploading every step on Facebook and Instagram trying to be in touch with the friends instead of talking with the family and enjoying the family time. Additionally, social media affects friendship, especially when they are texting instead of contacting each other. If a friend did not put like or comment on a picture the kid uploaded, then he would be on the dark list, and if the kids starts arguing with the friends on something while their chatting and did not like their opinion, they will put a big'' X'' on that person, and delete him from his life, trying to convince himself that there are many friends out there I can add and talk with. Social media is making our kids liable to bullies.
Bullying can take a variety of forms. Bullying can happen when people, post negative comments on pictures, post abusive posts on a user's wall, use pictures or videos to make fun of another person, or when use social media to stalk. It can happen on Facebook, Twitter, Whats app, Snapchat, and Instagram. The effect of social media bullying is often more dangerous than physical bullying, especially at the beginning. However, if parents do not watch their children, the end result can be tragic. The bullying in social media has caused the instances of teen suicide to rise dramatically. This is because many teens do not have the emotional capacity to deal with bullying, and it may lead to dangerous things, like skipping school, or using alcohol or drugs. Parents should talk to the kids and teach them how to deal with bulling and always tell the parents if anybody post defamatory information about them, so parents can contact the social networking site with a complaint. And take a legal action if these activities get out of hand. But unfortunately, sometimes bullying will not stop. As an example, by Sam Florella, “Cyber-Bullying, Social Media, and Parental Responsibility.”The Huffington Post article, what happened to Rebecca Sedwick, of Lank Land, Fla, who jumped from a cement factory tower on September 9th,2013.'' While only two girls were arrested for bullying, which allegedly caused Sedwick to commit suicide, authorities
claim that Rebecca was “terrorized” relentlessly for months by as many as 15 girls, both physically and online. One message posted to Rebecca’s profile on social networks said that she should “drink bleach and die.’’ Rebecca’s mother closed her Facebook account and moved Rebecca to another school but thanks to social media, the bulling continued''. There are many kids like Rebecca, who couldn't stand for bullying and decide that suicide is the best solution. If parents have the fear and anxiety and awareness to social media, then the kids will be safe. It is easy for parents to be lured into false sense of security when we feel that our children are safe to fall victims to online schemes, predators, sexting scandals, or bullying. Unfortunately, bad things happen to good kids too. Parents awareness is the best tool to keep our children safe.
If parents decide to buy their children a smart phone, and make them use social media, then they have to be prepared for a full time job monitoring their use of it.