A recent survey conducted by McAfee suggests that parents may be more worried about the dangers of their children’s online activity than real-world dangers like drugs and alcohol. The poll of 1,000 mothers of teenagers revealed that about two-thirds of them are just as, or more, concerned about their teens’ online safety than the risks of drunk driving and drug use. Larry Magid, a member of the board of directors for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, acknowledges that parents have reason to worry about their kids’ safety on the Internet, but is shocked that they would perceive it as a threat greater than that of drunk driving. He shows that the risks between the two aren’t even close, saying that 1 in 5 of all fatal accidents involving drivers between the ages of 15 and 20 are alcohol-related, while only about 1 in 750 children are victimized by people they meet online.
According to Magid, research shows that kids who get into trouble online tend to do the same offline. That means those who take risks online are most likely the same ones abusing drugs and alcohol, and putting themselves in far more dangerous situations. “I'm not suggesting that parents have nothing to worry about when it comes to the Internet,” he says. “But let’s keep things in perspective and not turn parental concern into unjustified fears.”
McAfee’s research also shows that parents will go to extreme lengths to keep track of their teens online. 26% of the mothers surveyed said they had “friended” their children on social networking sites to keep an eye on their activities. 59% say they actually look at their child's browser history when they aren’t using the Internet, and 15% use software tools to monitor every move their teen makes online. McAfee surveyed adolescents to see how they felt about these results. 34% said they would be offended if their mothers tracked them online without their knowledge, 24% would be shocked, and 19% would feel hurt.
McAfee announced in the article the appointment of a “Chief Cyber Security Mom,” Tracy Mooney. They said that Mooney, a mother of 3, was chosen because they believe education is as important as technology. “There’s a lot of information out there, parents just need to know where to go to find it.” said Mooney of the study. “Kids will always want to break the rules and stretch boundaries and you have to give them their space and privacy. What works for me is acting before it happens and teaching them how to behave responsibly and safely online, as you would teach them to behave in the real world.”
I find the results of the study very troubling. I recognize that being a parent is extremely difficult, but I don’t think that excuses the irrationality found in this survey. Parents need to understand that every child will be faced with the threats of drugs and alcohol, but the threat of online predators is, as Magid proved, greatly exaggerated by shows such as To Catch a Predator. I couldn't agree more with everything Tracy Mooney said. The key to protecting children from online and offline threats is to educate them and to give them space. I think it's disturbing that so many mothers would violate their teenagers’ privacy because of their misplaced paranoia. Even I know that’s a sure-fire way to make teens do the exact opposite of what they want them to do. What kind of genius decided that stalking their kids online is the best way to keep people from stalking their kids online?
I wrote about this research because it shows how misguided Mark Bauerlein, author of The Dumbest Generation, must be to accuse young people of being dumb while his own generation is so dangerously misinformed. If we’re “ignorant and lazy” as he put it, exactly what are they? The ignorant ones are the mothers who identified the Internet as more of a danger than drunk driving and drug abuse. If parents truly want to protect their kids, they should stop believing every word that comes out of Chris Hansen’s mouth and start focusing on the real threats.
Sources:Is the Internet as Dangerous as Drunk Driving?
McAfee, Inc. Research Reveals Mothers Rate Cyber Dangers as High as Drunk Driving or Experimenting With Drugs
2 comments:
This irrational mindset of American moms is a combination of overprotective love and fear of the unknown.
Alcohol has been around for thousands of years. So when the Baby Boomers were our age, getting intoxicated was essentially the same as it is today. Drunkenness is something people of all generations can understand from teenagers on up. Since many of our parents went overboard with booze and are still alive and well, they assume we will make it through our teenage years unscathed by beer.
Also, moms are aware that their kids use the internet all the time, but quite unaware in many cases of their teenager's alcohol use. ("My Johnny, drinking? He would never do that!") They hear three or four stories on the news about girls getting stalked by perverts and whatnot and fear is born.
Most of us can testify that a mother's love can be incredibly protective and irrational. Statistics do not mean much to the hen when it comes to defending her chicks. This survey shows that parents do not know what their kids are up to and are afraid of the possibilities.
Mothers really just need to talk to their kids about the internet. Their kids probably won't respond very well, but since the parent won't be stalking the kid, and will trust them they will probably be more likely to be smart online. I feel like because of previous of predators online, many teenagers are smart about their internet use anyway.
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