The Corrosion of Innocence

David Cameron’s Speech (2013). Retrieved July 14, 2016, from  https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/the-internet-and-pornography-prime-minister-calls-for-action

On July 22, 2013, David Cameron made a powerful speech about cracking down on online pornography and making the Internet safer for children. As both the Prime Minister of England and a father, he holds a firm position that our children’s innocence is being corroded by Internet pornography. Cameron states, “My argument is that the Internet is not a side-line to real life or an escape from real life, it is real life. It has an impact on the children who view things that harm them, on the vile images of abuse that pollute minds and cause crime, on the very values that underpin our society. So we’ve got to be more active, more aware, more responsible about what happens online.” Cameron argues that pornography is becoming a “rite of passage” for children. He states, “…there are young people who think it’s normal to send pornographic material as a prelude to dating in the same way you might once have sent a note across the classroom.”

Cameron’s speech was persuasive. It called me to reflect upon the fact that children can’t go into certain stores or movie theatres to buy or watch material meant for adults. However, when it comes to the Internet, children can access inappropriate images and videos with the click of a mouse or the swipe of their fingers. I learned that Google and other search engines make searching for material incredibly easy, even if that material is completely inappropriate.

Both challenges that Cameron presents have something in common; they’re about how our collective lack of action on Internet safety has led to harmful consequences for children. I learned that our society used to be able to protect children by enforcing age restrictions. However, the explosion of the Internet in children’s lives, has changed that. Cameron argued, “It’s made it much more difficult for parents to know what’s going on.” I also learned that over 1/3 of children have viewed a sexually explicit email or text and 1/4 of children have reported seeing pornography that was upsetting. When children are exposed to this material at such young ages, they end up growing up entirely too fast. In addition, they get warped and unhealthy ideas of sex. Cameron’s argument and plea for better internet protection for children, made it obvious to me that there are significant negative implications of the internet on children. The speech connects to my guiding questions because social media networks are some of the main sites and apps that can be used to access this pornography. They are the main sites with which kids are sending and receiving nudes and indecent images. While social media sites can provide some great benefits, the negative effects cannot be ignored.

 

Social Media Pros & Cons On Youth

Tartari, E. (2015). Benefits and risks of children and adolescents using social media. European Scientific Journal, (13), 321.

As social media networks are expanding and reaching young children, there are many different benefits and risks that these networks presents to our youth. This article examines the work of a number of different studies and gives an overview of the positive and negative affects of social media as it primarily addresses European adolescents between the ages of 11-16.  A number of positive affects of social media were shown for the adolescents: increasing their communication abilities, getting information, developing their technical skills, and their ability to effectively use technology. The article also pinpoints risks, “On the other side, they are exposed to the risk of Facebook depression, cyberbullying, pornography, unsupervised social relations, privacy and security issues and online sexual harassments.” (Page, 321) The evidence and research noted in the article addresses three questions: What is social media? What do teenagers benefit from using social media? What are the risks teenagers faced by using social media?

I was blown away by some of the statistics presented throughout. For example, according to a report done for the European Union in 2014, 26% of kids aged 9-10 have a social networking profile, and 49% of kids aged 11-12. I knew that a large percentage of teenagers were connected to social media networks. However, according to this article, 26% of kids as young as 4th and 5th grade have a social media profile. This tells me that kids are beginning to use social media at younger and younger ages.

I was also able to identify that there are many benefits to social media use, if used wisely and appropriately. The article comments, “… the internet affords many opportunities for learning, entertainment, enrichment, and personal growth. Therefore, parents have a positive view of its use, and encourage children and adolescent to make judicious use of it.” (Page, 322) The article noted recent studies that have shown some benefits derived by social media use as teenagers have improved in their communication and social and emotional life. The article also quoted research conducted in 2008 that says, “Social Media may also provide a supportive environment for adolescents to explore romance, friendship, social status, and it provides teens the opportunity to share and discuss their musical tastes, knowledge of television and movies, video games, and the other aspects of adolescent culture” (Ito et al., 2008). Engaging on social media can also benefit teenagers views of self, community, and the world (Boyd D, 2007). “Again, social media sites allow teens to accomplish many online tasks which are important to them offline: staying connected with friends and family, making new friends, sharing pictures, and exchanging ideas” (O’Keeffe, G.S, Clarke-Pearson. K, 2011). The article even discussed ways that middle and high school students are using social media to connect over homework, group projects and to set up time to get together outside of class to collaborate and share ideas about assignments.

I also learned that many teens are unaware of how their use of social media puts their privacy at risk. The article states, “When Internet users visit various Websites, they can leave behind evidence of which sites they have visited. This collective, ongoing record of one’s Web activity is called the “digital footprint.” One of the biggest threats to young people on social media sites is that of their digital footprint and future reputations (O’Keeffe et al., 2011). Privacy and teens naiveté are becoming great issues surrounding social media and our youth. Overall this article was extremely helpful and directly addressed my guiding questions by naming a number of pros and cons of social media networks on our youth.

 

 

 

 

Social Media’s Negative Effects

Cookingham, L. M., & Ryan, G. L. (2015). The impact of social media on the sexual and social wellness of adolescents. Journal Of Pediatric And Adolescent Gynecology, 28(1), 2-5.

What do pediatric doctors have to say about social media and their affects on our youth? This review combines various research to make helpful points about the concerns of social media. Because this is the Journal of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology, the article address the effect social media is having on sex.  The review describes the role of social media on the increasingly risky social norms, to illustrate how online activity can negatively impact adolescent’s self-esteem and contribute to high-risk behaviors. It is shown that this risky behavior on social media is resulting in more real-world consequences. The article depicts how social media is playing an increasingly large role during our adolescents’ lives. In regards to teenagers, “Internet use for social purposes has increased dramatically over recent years, with 95% of US adolescents between the ages of 12 and 17 regularly ‘going’ online, and 80% participating in some type of social media website.” (Page, 2). Youths now measure popularity by how many ‘friends’ or ‘likes’ are collected on a social network. Social media encourages our youths to compete for attention in order to increase their ‘likes’ and enhance their self-worth.

The review also notes different research done to show how social media is influencing and evolving social norms and promoting high-risk behavior. Increasing amounts of high-risk behavior are taking place on social media with youths unaware or naive about the possible ramifications. Nude pictures, cyber bullying and sexually explicit conversations are becoming the norm. The review gives an example of a 14-year-old girl who posted nude photos of herself on a social media site and was subsequently charged with possession and distribution of child pornography. The article ends with, “From lowering self-esteem to creating new social norms that encourage increasingly risky behavior, SNS use jeopardizes the sexual and social wellness of adolescents.” (Page 7).

In regards to my guiding questions, this article shows a number of risks and extremely important facts that need to be considered when talking about social media and our youth. This article was eye-opening for me as I was unaware of the fact that 80% of our teens in the US are on social media. Whether I want to face the reality or not, social media is significantly effecting our youth and at younger and younger ages. I also learned that laws that used to be designed to protect our youth are now incriminating them. As adolescents post or pass along nude pictures, they are at risk of getting arrested. In addition, risky behavior is increasing and teens are feelings greater pressure to get involved.