Principal in NJ Sends Entreaty to Parents: Ban Social Networks
One principal in New Jersey has seen enough, and has sent an email to parents pleading with them to block their kids from social networking sites.
Parents of children enrolled in Benjamin Franklin Middle School, in Ridgewood, New Jersey, received an email from principal Anthony Orsini urging them to immediately remove their children from social networking sites. His entreaty to parents is already being ridiculed in the media as out-of-touch and unrealistic, but his reasons for the request are quite grounded in reality:
“They are simply not psychologically ready for the damage that one mean person online can cause,” he told CNN. “The nicest thing you see [on it] is, ‘Jane is a ****.’”
In his email he wrote that there is “no reason for any middle school student to be a part of a social networking site,” calling such sites a “scourge” in the life of young kids today. He also called on parents to install parental control software like Safe Eyes so that they can easily track what their children are doing online and block social networking sites.
While Orsini’s language is filled with hyperbole, that hyperbole is borne from years of having his guidance counselors and educators resolve disputes that begin online, and cites the network Formspring as a harbinger of a disturbing online trend in which users ask and answer questions about other users. We wrote here on this blog about “Unvarnished,” which is a site meant for adults to post anonymous comments about each other, ostensibly for professional purposes. There does seem to be a trend to actually cater to the awful practice of cyberbullying.
What do you think about how to regulate social networking with middle-school-age children, and about Mr. Orsini’s entreaty to parents?
Filed under: Internet Safety News
I do not like what this dude is doing, I mean you can’t force someone to do something that they do not want to do. One simple thing to do here is follow some simple safety rule while on the web. Here is a great example.
http://yovia.com/blogs/chatman/2010/05/04/how-to-talk-to-your-kids-on-internet-safety/?gcid=1677
I have already removed my children from all social networking sites for the following reasons. Please pay close attention to number three.
1) Questionable pictures being displayed in their friends, friends-of-friends, or other profiles which they could easily see.
2) The profanity – Hatred towards others – Gossip.
3) Talking to people not in their friends list (strangers and people I didn’t authorize and/or know).
They could meet a predator online like so many others have done and continue to do. Some children have been sold (child trafficking), some have been raped, and some have been murdered. I did NOT want this to happen to my children so I banned them (thank you Safe Eyes) from all Social Networking sites and any sites that have open chat. I recommend the same for all children under the age of eighteen. I therefore stand in agreement with this principal and commend him for doing his job in trying to keep his students safe.
Did you just accidentially-on-purpose give the impression that a school princible endorsed Safe Eyes?
That’s low.
I wholeheartedly agree with this Principal and applaud him for being strong enough to take the heat. People are naive to think “it won’t happen to me or my children”. I think parents need to remember they are “parents” and not be embarrassed to be unpopular with their kids. Saying “no” to our children is a lost art. It can be done in a loving and positive manner. And since when is it so important that our children agree with our every decision??
Sorry if I gave that impression. He did not endorse Safe Eyes. He endorsed parental control filters like Safe Eyes, which is what I wrote in the post. Hope that is clear enough.
Linda, I agree with you whole heartedly.