As someone who constantly uses the internet day in and day out, I can tell you that the internet has a huge impact on the lives of kids today. Kids have access to the internet in school, they use it in the classroom, and clearly spend a lot of time after school using the internet as well. Personally, the majority of my homework is done online, and, like pretty much everyone I know, I spend a fair amount of time on the internet looking at facebook, checking my email, or checking up on my favorite sports teams. There is no question about the magnitude of the effect the internet has on kids' lives today.
The question is whether this effect has been a positive or negative one overall. Personally, I would have to say that the internet has had a great positive affect on the lives of kids today. It acts as a great tool for socialization, as it allows kids to keep in touch with their friends, and even help kids who may not be as outwardly social in a normal situation to reach out to other kids and maybe make some new friends.
After watching the video, I feel like the video just tried to point out all of the negative sides of the internet's impact on kids. Yes, it's true that using the internet comes with its risks and downsides, but I feel like what is to be gained by the internet overall far outweighs its negative sides.
I personally don't worry about the internet's effect on kids, as long as we educate kids about how they should be using the internet. Like the video said, studies have proven that the majority of kids know that when some strange person they don't recognize starts asking them personal questions like where they live and if they want to meet up, they should just ignore them. The kids who realize this have clearly been educated on how to be safe on the internet.
But protection from predators isn't the only thing that kids need to be educated about. It's also important that we show kids how easy it is for anyone to find anything that gets posted on the internet, and that they need to be careful what videos or pictures they put up. I remember as soon as I got a facebook page, my parents immediately warned me to be careful of what pictures or information I posted. Before they brought this up to me, the thought of what I was posting never really crossed my mind, but I feel like just a simple enough act as this will often be enough to keep kids knowledgeable and safe on the internet.
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I think sometimes we expect too much from kids. I understand that children growing up today know far more about the internet than their parents, but expecting a simple reminder of being careful about what you post seems a little too lenient. The internet is a big, scary place. While it can be used for good, it can also cause a lot of damage. If one post or picture goes beyond what the child intended, future employers might take more than a second look at that person. All precaution needs to be taken against that, not a simple little reminder and a slap on the wrists of people who do go too far.
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