A few weeks ago on PBS Frontline there was a program called Growing Up Online that aired. If you didn't happen to watch it or record it, Frontline has published it on the web. I would strongly encourage that you watch the entire piece. What really struck me was the balanced coverage within this program. The segments really talked about a lot of pieces that programs like To Catch a Predator haven't really dealt with. The simple statistical facts that were presented as well as the interviews with Child Psychologists took the fear factor out of the equation and instead of trying to shock people with the problems rather addressed the reality of what problems the Internet can present.

The most interesting problem was the relationship between the net and the problem with bullying. To see the last segment as it talked about the invasive nature that bullying can take in our connected world started to make me think. What would it have been like to be bullied online? Imagine that every time you turned on your computer or answered a text that you felt marginalized by the person on the other end? How do we help students cope with this, or better yet prevent it?

The other two segments that really made me think were the pieces related to identity and how students presented themselves online. This is where the child psychologist I believe really made their points heard. The simple fact that teenagers have a place to test out identities seems a fairly simple idea, but how parents and teachers deal with this is another thing. At the beginning of the segment about identities online all I kept thinking about is how are the parents reacting to this? As the segment finished up it was quite interesting that the parents of this young lady actually accepted her online identity, and that as a family they talked about safety, posting content, and the web as a public space.  This seeming contrasted quite a bit with the piece on Private Worlds which scared me quite a bit. It is definitely difficult to know where students go and not always are the obvious places the most dangerous. It makes you think about all of the niche areas that are available on the web, and the question becomes how do we help students in situations that are hazardous to their well being? Certainly we can know what students aren't will to share with us, but where are their outlets that they might find help? 

 What ever you think about the possibilities of the Internet and its affect on the world you should watch these segments. I truly believe that they are well balanced in their presentation and well worth watching.