In Which I Channel My Inner Elle Woods

I’ve mentioned before that the Internet can be a wild, wonderful, and dangerous place. With the popularity of social media, people from all over the world and across age/race/religion/etc lines can connect with each other and share ideas and experiences. Sometimes they end up feeling less alone, or that there are others who will take them seriously. Increasingly, this includes children and young adults/teenagers. Their access/history with social media platforms and the Internet not only offers opportunities to meet new people and discuss common interests, but also for people to potentially take advantage of the situation.

Creating privacy protection laws such as CIPA (Children’s Internet Protection Act) and COPPA (Children’s Online Privacy and Protect Act) is one response to the problem, but truthfully it’s inadequate. The legal system is slow in responding to issues related to social media and technology; there’s danger of policies or language very quickly becoming outdated. And I do agree with danah boyd with the statement “on the Internet, every child is 14.” Children and teenagers are very resourceful and can find any way to shortcut or circumvent age of consent systems, firewalls, and so on. I will plead the fifth on whether or not I did this myself as a child, but I’ll say that telling young people not to access something typically doesn’t end well.

I also think that the age itself (thirteen) could be set differently, since young people’s brains are still developing and won’t be considered fully matured until they’re in their twenties/thirties. So, setting consequences for things they may or may not do has to be a careful and balanced process. In the article about an eighteen-year-old cheerleader who was reprimanded and removed from her team for posting a Snapchat filled with profanity, I was struck both by the school’s actions and the resulting court case. This led to discussion over what constitutes “the school environment” post 2020 as well as how the First Amendment isn’t universally applied. While I’ve never used Snapchat, I do realize that the ephemeral nature of posts doesn’t necessarily mean the content is gone forever. One student – who was also a cheerleader – saw the post, took a screenshot, and showed it to their mother who happened to be a coach. From there it spread like wildfire. In another article, the author also mentions the increased use of social media in student activism (for various causes, including book bans/challenges, Black Lives Matter, dress codes, and gun control). In addition to fighting for a cause they believe in, students now have to worry about their rights possibly being violated (by school administrations, local politics, etc).

Laws alone will not help protect children and teenagers’ privacy. I think that education on using the internet vigilantly, building trust between parents, teachers and children and keeping a close eye on what websites and apps a child uses are crucial steps in ensuring their safety.

Image Source: https://www.learning.com/blog/cipa-compliance-for-erate/