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Giving kids their (My) space?

by Christina Sbarro (Subscribe to Christina Sbarro's posts)
Mar 30th 2008 9:11AM

3Comments

Filed under: Gadgets

In an interview with USA TODAY's Janet Kornblum, Larry Rosen, professor of psychology at California State University-Dominguez Hills, and author of the book, Me, MySpace, and I: Parenting the Net Generation (Palgrave Macmillan) talks about social networking, texting, and the ultimate parent dilemmas of the new generation of kids who have grown up with the Internet.

Parents are having to answer questions today that the parent's of previous generations have never had to ask: Should your child have a cell phone? A personal computer? A MySpace account? At what age? With what rules attached? And what are the risks?

Parents have largely dealt with the question of whether or not their child should be allowed to have a cell phone by viewing it as a precautionary measure. But the question of whether your child should have a MySpace account brings up an entirely different set of issues.

In response to the question "How does [technology] affect their relationships?" Rosen's answer encompasses both the pros and the cons of allowing your child to participate in an Online social world.

On one hand, there is a very real threat of sexual predators and virtual bullies, while on the other, kids are more likely to share ideas about a broader range of issues with people from all over the globe, than they would if they were interacting in person.

"They make commitments to people online they don't even know," he says. But because "They see more of the world as a social world...social problems are very important to them."

So should kids be allowed to have a MySpace account? Rosen says, yes, but with caveats.

"You can certainly use your parenting skills to help them get the most out of MySpace - to not be addicted, to not be bullied and to know what to do when you're bullied. But taking (MySpace) away from them is really like restricting going to the mall with their friends or going to school and talking to their friends. It's tantamount to making them a pariah."

Rosen points out that as with any other generation, teenagers will be teenagers. Where my generation grew up hanging out at the mall, the 'Net Generation' hangs out Online. And as with previous generations, open, informed parents who make clear boundaries and talk to their kids are most likely to see their kids make the most of these new social networking mediums.

" You have to learn what potential problems there might be, and then, like a good, authoritative parent, you discuss those with your kids," Rosen says.

Still the thought of my son someday having a MySpace account makes my stomach knot up. Do you let your kids have MySpace accounts? How do you monitor their activity? What do you think are the risks, and what are the benefits of having your kids be connected?

Tags: children and internet, children and technology, ChildrenAndTechnology, kids and technology, MySpace and kids, Net Generation, NetGeneration

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