The Dangers of Student Social Networking
Social Networking with students refers to different types of technical communication, such as text messaging (texting), or websites such as MySpace, Facebook and Xanga. All of these are very popular with jr. high, high school and college students. While there are certainly opportunities with these sites for talking to friends and sharing information, there are many dangers involved as well. Internet "stalkers' are out there, trying to get secure information and entice children into illegal activity. Sexual predators are known to search these sites as well. In addition, there are thousands of examples of students "posting" inappropriate pictures and information about themselves. Pictures of underage drinking, inappropriate sexual references and profane language are not uncommon at all. I encourage you to talk to your children about these things and view these sites with your child. While there are many positive areas on the internet, there may be an equal number of dangerous activities as well.
Gary Patterson
Superintendent of Schools
East Central School District
Please visit some of the websites below to become better informed about social networking and
how to protect your children.
Learn more from Katie Couric and the CBS special report "My Space: Your Kids' Danger?"
The Parents Edge is another excellent site that gives parents the edge in a tech savvy teen world!
www.theparentsedge.com
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