Dr. Crain's Classical Comments
What MySpace has to do with your "Family Space"
Posted by Administrator (admin) on Feb 05 2007 at 2:52 PM
Covenant Christian School exists to serve families by educating their children. When able, we also like to educate families on important cultural matters related to the raising of their children. One important issue facing families today is social networking.
What is social networking? Social networking refers to an internet phenomenon that has grown rapidly since 2003. Social networking websites (e.g., MySpace, Facebook, Friendster, Xanga) allow users to set up profiles. These profiles often include personal information, pictures, and music. Members then interact with other “friends” through messaging, personal websites, discussion groups, and blogs. Sometimes these interactions are viewable by the public but users can also set up a private account so that only those invited can view the user’s personal webpage. Social networking is a powerful medium for teens to connect with other teens.
So, what is the big deal? Like almost anything, social networking sites can be used rightly and used wrongly. Since we are a Christian school we want parents to be aware of the phenomenon and respond accordingly.
Our first concern is safety. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children reported that in 2005 there were 2,600 incidents in which adults used the internet to entice children sexually. There have been numerous cases where authorities, by posing as teenagers in their online profile, have caught sexual predators. Unfortunately, some sexual predators have seduced teens on these sites and met the teens in person with disastrous results. Parents and teens need to be aware that not everyone on the internet is a friend. People can pose under fake identities and then dupe unsuspecting teens. Hence, social networking users must be careful in what personal information they choose to make public and who they interact with on the internet.
For some, social networking can be extremely addictive. Students can spend hours and hours networking with friends while school books lie on the bed, untouched. The computer is a powerful tool that should be used with discretion. Like balancing different kinds of food, a healthy person balances the use of the computer with other healthy activities.
Another concern is that some teens do not understand the public nature of social networking sites. At my previous school in Saint Louis a student posted a negative comment on a social networking site about one of our teachers. Another student anonymously forwarded the link to me. When I approached the student about the webpage she objected that I had violated her privacy. I responded that her webpage was public and publicly accessible by anyone who had an internet connection. There was nothing private about her webpage.
Our students must understand that moral standards apply to social networking sites. And, they should know that there are some facts which are better left private. We often think things that we don’t say out loud. So, even though we can put something on the internet that doesn’t mean we should.
What is our school’s policy? First, Covenant Christian School will not allow students to visit social networking sites at school. These include but are not limited to internet chat rooms, personal sites such as myspace.com, facebook.com and many other that serve the same purposes. Second, social networking is public and students should be held accountable for what they place on the internet. If students express inappropriate things about Covenant Christian School or break the honor code in the student application (this is part of the 6-12th grade application) then we will make parents aware of such instances and students may also be subject to disciplinary action.
We encourage you, as parents, to take an active role in monitoring what your children do online. If they have a social network account, ask to see it. You’ll learn a lot about them and their friends by seeing their comments. I’d also recommend that you look at how they interact with friends on their friend’s websites. As parents, you can never be too informed. Your children, especially in their teenage years, need your guidance and support more than ever.
Much more could be said about social networking sites but here are some resources for you to use:
OnGuard Online: http://tinyurl.com/ymccfa (Includes useful safety tips)
CyberBully: http://tinyurl.com/35q257 (PDF File, includes information on how teens use the internet to bully other students)
Missing Center for Exploited Children: http://tinyurl.com/38ejqa (Helpful article on social networks and how parents can monitor teen use of the internet).
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