A young girl of about eight sat hunched over the family laptop, creating a skype account. After faking her age and forgetting to apply privacy settings, she received a call from a user called “SexyT11” and due to the excitement of it all, accepted the call. The man on the other end was not only greatly over 13 (the fake age the girl had set) but also stark naked. As surprising as this may seem, this girl is not the only one to have had such an experience.
This website suggests that such horrifying experiences can be linked to lack of overall awareness and something called over-friending. Underlying the words “over friending” is the idea of adding those you wouldn’t normally trust with the information that is posted on most social media sites. According to this source, adding everyone you have ever come in contact with and their mutual friends leaves you vulnerable to dangerous people and possible predators. When a select group of 8th grade students from the english class 8-4JRa, 6 out of 11 people reveal that they have made the mistake of adding someone they don’t know or over-friending. ”
Shaleigh Harrington, another Grade 8 student, has also had many experiences with this issue. She is often friended by people she doesn’t know who then continue to message her until she is forced to block or report them. “I always just assume it’s someone I don’t know in the grade above or below, because of the number of contacts we share.” This evidence is significant because it reveals how very few people are aware of this issue and how serious it can become. Over friending can lead to strangers discovering all sorts of information they couldn’t have accessed previously.
Another source illustrates that a teenagers lack of privacy can also lead to objectionable advances. “One in five U.S. teenagers who regularly log on to the Internet says they have received an unwanted sexual solicitation on social media,” says the source. This shows that four people in each of your classes have possibly been exposed to something they might not cognitively been ready for. According to research, early exposure to crude content could increase the risk of a child becoming a victim of sexual violence or the probability of them acting out sexually against another child. Both of which are extremely dangerous and harmful for the well being of the person as well as their classmates.
Furthermore, this resource offers evidence that 82% of online sex crimes against minors, the offender uses the victim's social networking site to gain information. When over friending is added into the mix, this leaves a teenager’s private information in a vulnerable position. “The offenders can use flattery and sympathy to get the teenager to oblige with what they request, ” states David Finkelhor from the Crimes against Children Research Center. “Their requests can range from provocative pictures to meeting in deserted locations, both of which can harm the youth’s well being” continued another source. This information suggests, that a predator targets a person’s hormones and insecurity are both at a peak in their teen years which makes the predator’s methods more effective.
Social media has now become such a constant in most young lives that finding a way to ensure privacy seems nearly impossible. Finding a safe space to be able to share parts of your life without having to deal with unwanted attention becomes a necessity in protection from harassment and content that is too mature for some people’s comfort. According to unnamed sources, “(in) large parts this lack of privacy can be tracked down to not further investigating when you don’t recognize someone’s name or picture.” Other steps that can be taken to ensure protection would include only befriending those that can be trusted with all details you reveal on your social media websites. If an invasive or bothersome person does gain access to your information and starts harassing you, the next best step is to let someone in a position of authority or maturity know. “Of all those teenagers targeted by predators, only 25% then report back to an adult,” reports this source. Mature adults can be essential in restoring privacy and dealing with a dangerous individual, especially for vulnerable underage people. The final step in ensuring that your profile isn’t the target of crude comments and disturbing acts is to report and block all individuals that make you uncomfortable or invade your privacy.
This website suggests that such horrifying experiences can be linked to lack of overall awareness and something called over-friending. Underlying the words “over friending” is the idea of adding those you wouldn’t normally trust with the information that is posted on most social media sites. According to this source, adding everyone you have ever come in contact with and their mutual friends leaves you vulnerable to dangerous people and possible predators. When a select group of 8th grade students from the english class 8-4JRa, 6 out of 11 people reveal that they have made the mistake of adding someone they don’t know or over-friending. ”
Shaleigh Harrington, another Grade 8 student, has also had many experiences with this issue. She is often friended by people she doesn’t know who then continue to message her until she is forced to block or report them. “I always just assume it’s someone I don’t know in the grade above or below, because of the number of contacts we share.” This evidence is significant because it reveals how very few people are aware of this issue and how serious it can become. Over friending can lead to strangers discovering all sorts of information they couldn’t have accessed previously.
Another source illustrates that a teenagers lack of privacy can also lead to objectionable advances. “One in five U.S. teenagers who regularly log on to the Internet says they have received an unwanted sexual solicitation on social media,” says the source. This shows that four people in each of your classes have possibly been exposed to something they might not cognitively been ready for. According to research, early exposure to crude content could increase the risk of a child becoming a victim of sexual violence or the probability of them acting out sexually against another child. Both of which are extremely dangerous and harmful for the well being of the person as well as their classmates.
Furthermore, this resource offers evidence that 82% of online sex crimes against minors, the offender uses the victim's social networking site to gain information. When over friending is added into the mix, this leaves a teenager’s private information in a vulnerable position. “The offenders can use flattery and sympathy to get the teenager to oblige with what they request, ” states David Finkelhor from the Crimes against Children Research Center. “Their requests can range from provocative pictures to meeting in deserted locations, both of which can harm the youth’s well being” continued another source. This information suggests, that a predator targets a person’s hormones and insecurity are both at a peak in their teen years which makes the predator’s methods more effective.
Social media has now become such a constant in most young lives that finding a way to ensure privacy seems nearly impossible. Finding a safe space to be able to share parts of your life without having to deal with unwanted attention becomes a necessity in protection from harassment and content that is too mature for some people’s comfort. According to unnamed sources, “(in) large parts this lack of privacy can be tracked down to not further investigating when you don’t recognize someone’s name or picture.” Other steps that can be taken to ensure protection would include only befriending those that can be trusted with all details you reveal on your social media websites. If an invasive or bothersome person does gain access to your information and starts harassing you, the next best step is to let someone in a position of authority or maturity know. “Of all those teenagers targeted by predators, only 25% then report back to an adult,” reports this source. Mature adults can be essential in restoring privacy and dealing with a dangerous individual, especially for vulnerable underage people. The final step in ensuring that your profile isn’t the target of crude comments and disturbing acts is to report and block all individuals that make you uncomfortable or invade your privacy.
Written by Akanksha Shukla.
I think your chosen topic is one that many people can relate to, because I know of many people who have over-friended. Internet safety should be taken more seriously by teens, because while they (me) ignore the warnings of the dangers of the internet, they don't care and will carry on, oblivious to the horrible things happening to other careless people.
ReplyDeleteYour topic is so important to our age group and community and it's so well written. I didn't want to stop reading. Really good message :)
ReplyDeleteHello Akanksha Shukla.
ReplyDeleteI REALLY liked your article! I found this topic extremely important for girls and boys my age. I really liked how you wrote this article and the way that you clearly give the message that the internet can be very dangerous and that we all should always take precautions.
Congrartulations Akanksha Shukla! You have a great future ahead of you!
Thank you.
Julia B