Youth and Technology

I am far from, what one might call “computer savvy.” I hardly know how to change my settings on Facebook (although I have never had trouble shopping on-line for hours!) So, when I enrolled in this class I was more than slightly tentative about the prerequisite of terms, lingo and usage. I am relieved to see that this course is so discussion/opinion oriented and that there is such a variety of on-line experiences within the class. The reading, Sherry Turkle's Alone Together (2010), is so interesting and at times hard to put down. I enjoy the discussions that take place in class which is why I decided to write my first blog post in a way that might generate opinions and/or discussion. Unfortunately, my topic is not really relevant to Turkle's analysis of robots, but is congruent to other topics discussed in class.

When we think of on-line communication, what age generally comes to mind? Some of us have discussed in class the age we were when we first “got on-line” some of the ages thrown around were anywhere from ten to fifteen years old. I was in middle school when I first used the internet at school and well in my teens before we had internet access in my home. So you can all imagine my surprise when my six year old son, Jesse, asked for his own facebook account this past winter. I looked at him and let out a latent chuckle. When he didn't so much as blink, I realized that he wasn't joking. He told me that everyone in his first grade class had one and that they were all talking about it at school.

I instantly thought to myself, who would he add? How well would I be able to monitor him? I asked what on earth does he have to say to people? He answered “I don't know, what do you have to say to your friends on there?” Jesse 1, Mom 0.

Am I being “old fashioned” or overly dogmatic when I say that I think kids of his age are entirely too young to have facebook, or any other internet access? I do let Jesse spend time on my lap-top playing age appropriate games such as Chuzzle, Peggle and Pupuzzle, but I feel that this type of access is a lot more safe. When I was fourteen I had ICQ, but at six I played with Barbies and watched Barney.

There are several reasons why Jesse's access to facebook and other facets of the world wide web, scare me. First, I feel that creating a profile complete with pictures and personal info might make him more vulnerable to the distantly outside world. Do children have that internal filter that helps us know what is proper and improper conduct on the web? At the same time, do adults? I do have pictures of Jess on my facebook page, of course, but I feel that in his little hands information might not be as well protected. I feel that there may be some really sketchy people out there that may try to add him, or chat with him. But, as my partner reminds me, there are sketchy people everywhere, we all encounter them everyday in the real world. True.

Another aspect of his request that makes me leery is the offers or pop ups that he will encounter. For example if Jesse is to type in facelook.com or facenook.com by accident he will be offered a $1000 reward, tell me what six year old wouldn't fall for that one! This is one of the safer clicking accidents that can happen on-line!

Finally, I question whether this on-line social media in any way depreciates his youth. To me he is so innocent and gullible, would the conversations, messages, chats he commences in prove harmful to his virtue? I reiterate that at his age I was concerned with the latest Pollypocket accessory and what will happen on the next episode of Wishbone. Jesse's Sesame Street years went much too quickly and he has already entered the age of video games such as Mario and Megaman. Perhaps I am overly protecting him and I need to parentally flow with the times of technology. With the introduction of gaming systems such as the Wii and Nintendo DS (and, yes, he has both) children become much more technically savvy at a much younger age. I go back and forth between thinking that this bares a negative reflection on children and thinking that it is a good thing to initiate them into the ever evolving technical world that they will undoubtedly be a part of for the rest of their lives.

It is not only my son that concerns me, I wonder about the general age of when kids get their own cell phones, social networking tools that allow them to chat with people they have never met face-to-face. When, also, are they responsible enough to participate in massively multiplayer online games such as Second Life and World of Warcraft. Make believe and role playing has taken on an all new form!

The only conclusion I can draw on this seesaw of opinions I have is that each case is different depending on the child. My partner (who is a computer science major and far more versed in technology than I) thinks Jesse is ready with a reasonable amount of parental control and all privacy settings on. I think he needs a couple more years. Is internet knowledge gained by on-line exposure or real life experience? At six I would have lost interest in it, but it seems that younger and younger kids are longing for an instant response which can be satisfied on-line. Turkle highlights in chapter fourteen, of Alone Together that this instant need for, what she refers to as “attention,” can also be fulfilled through IM and text messaging. She uses examples from interviews she conducted with various high school students on the importance of instantly replying, regardless of surroundings. In this chapter, The Nostalgia of the Youth, she validates some of the worries I have from a parent's prospective. In many ways she provides me with some relief that my hesitation to allow Jesse to get “on-line” needs deep care and consideration. On the other hand, she also makes me wonder if I am looking at this with as much of a closed-mind as she often has.

I was recently in a production of The Music Man and was intrigued to see that some of the young children in the cast sent me friend requests. I noticed on two of the four that added me, there was obvious evidence that their parents had direct access, either by their info tab or on their wall.

I want to clarify in my final thought that I do not by any means want Jesse to live a “simple” life, free of technical skills or knowledge, but I would like him to experience “simple” first.

Here is a websites that I found informational, or at least comforting, when I researched the issue...

http://shine.yahoo.com/event/coolmom/how-young-is-too-young-for-facebook-554301

The fourth comment down on this article (posted by: hol) does reinforce me on some level. I know that IF Jes were to get a facebook account I would definitely have his password and keep an eye on the action.