Growing Up Online

The Internet has a huge impact on kids today. It is the way they keep in touch with their friends via Myspace, Facebook, and AIM. It is also the way they learn. For example, the video shows a girl who is anorexic. She explores on the internet way that she can stay thin and tips to make purging burn less. She also finds support on the internet. Other anorexic girls praise each other on their progress of becoming thing. Likewise, the video explains the story of a boy who committed suicide. He found websites that taught techniques for suicide, and he even made an online friend who was supportive. I believe the internet can have a positive impact on kids today. It is a way they can keep in touch with their friends. Also, it is a way for them to learn things that kids are afriad to ask their parents. Topics such as dating and sexuality are very sensitive. Some kids might feel uncomfortable talking to their parents about these topics, so they can go on the internet and find more about it.

I sometimes worry about the internet's impact. I worry that kids do not know how to monitor and control themselves. Kids need to realize that the Internet is very open, and anyone will be able to see what they post. Some people do not realize that their action may hurt them in the future. For example, the video tells the story of a girl named Jess who has the online identity of "Autumn". She posted what some consider provacative pictures online, and people on the school community found them. I like how the video showed students how to handle cyberbullying. Since Internet is a huge part of the world today, teachers must teach students at a young age the consequences of their decisions online. They should also teach them how to avoid sexual predators and bullying online.

Personally, I love social networking websites because it helps me keep in touch with people I meet. For example, I had a best friend in the 5th grade. But due to the change of school boundaries, we were placed into different schools after the 6th grade. We still tried to keep in touch, and we even hung out once in a while. By high school, we were placed in the same high school, but after freshman year she was transferring to another school because she was moving. I didn't talk to her for about 3 years. Then suddenly she found me on Myspace. She told me "we used to be best friends, what happened?" Then we decided to meet one time. It turns out she still lived really close to me, but we just went to different high schools. She then told me she was moving to Italy in 2 weeks. I was so grateful that we found each other, and I got to see her before she left.