Assignment 2: Writing and Receiving Reviews

ENGL-1010L-4/ENGL-1010-4- Writing with Confidence Purpose (ENGL-1010L-4)

Professor: Jennifer Kozar

Shirley Mendiola

11/05/17

Privacy on the internet is nonexistent. Because of this, people's’ lives are exposed every second on the world wide web especially when it's on social media sites such as but not limited to: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Messengers, Snapchat. Because of this, anyone using these sites is potentially putting their privacy in jeopardy. And because of this, parents should not be allowing their children, under the age of 16, to use social media. This lack of privacy may lead to cyberbullying, online predators, and have very life-threatening consequences. The outcome of these should be reason enough to keep your children away from having such access to the outside world found on the internet.

Cyberbullying has become very “popular” with school-age children. According to 11 facts about cyberbullying:

Nearly 43% of children have been a victim being bully online. 70% of students report seeing frequent bullying online. (n.d.). Retrieved November 02, 2017)

Over 80% of teens use a cell phone regularly, making it the most common medium for cyber bullying. 68% of teens agree that cyberbullying is a serious problem. (n.d.). Retrieved November 02, 2017)

81% of young youth think bullying online is easier to get away with than bullying a person. (n.d.). Retrieved November 02, 2017)

With the lack of privacy procedures on social media sites which are very popular to youth, they are easily accessed by their peers. Their information is at everyone’s fingertips. Their name, age, pictures, personal facts, likes and dislikes, and even their families are exposed to anyone. School-aged children are using online sites to bully their classmates and peers. This cyberbullying can affect a child not only online, but it can follow them into their homes and schools. Another child will have access to any information they need to make a fake account and pretend to be the other child. In doing this, they can cause issues with others and smear their image through writing posts, which may make the child look bad. They may post another child’s picture on sites, which rate pictures or allows others, even strangers, to leave comments. These comments may become threatening or offensive. They may also be left by older adults of the opposite sex who leave sexually abusive comments toward the child for all to see.

Cyberbullying of LGBT youth is three times higher than other students experience. (2016, November 07). Retrieved November 02, 2017

50 percent of all young teens and children do not understand or comprehend that discriminatory language is offensive, or do they realize the negative impact on LGBT youth. (2016, November 07). Retrieved November 02, 2017

Because of the information floating around the internet due to the lack of privacy procedures, your child is not only easily accessed by peers, but they are vulnerable to anyone who may come across them online. Maybe it is an older adult who has a history of pedophilia. This person will quickly disguise themselves as another young person, and get your child to trust him or her. Your child may agree to meet up with this person as well secretly. Most reasons that these adults do this with children is for images of them such as video chatting or photos, or to have physical contact with them. This is scary to imagine that these people have such easy access to your children. Your child can be preyed upon in your own home where you believe that they are safe. Without you knowing, they have allowed this stranger into your home via location access, pictures, maybe even talking on the phone.

The most important reason not to allow your child to have access to social media is the possible outcome of the ideas I shared with you above. Death. You might think that this is an overly dramatic statement, but it is not.

Almost 17 percent of teenagers had harmed themselves, roughly 27 percent of those who self-harmed told researchers that they actively contemplated dying. (2016, February 10). Retrieved November 02, 2017

The study’s authors also concluded that young teens bullied between the ages 7 and 10 engage in some form of self-injury, almost 400 percent more often than teens who weren't bullied during this time frame. (2016, February 10). Retrieved November 02, 2017

Let me paint the picture of only one way using social media can result in harm done to your child. Imagine your child’s photo and information gets shared online in a negative way. Peers are making fun of your child, and children at school are laughing at them, even children they may not know. They go home and might not know how to talk with you about what has happened. Cyberbullying does not just go away overnight. It may go on for days, weeks, months, and even years. Imagine how all of this bullying builds up on your child’s mental and emotional stability. They will more than likely become depressed and not know who to go to for help. They may feel helpless and like there is no way of escaping the things they have to deal with. Self-harm and suicide may sadly be options floating around in their head on how to deal with it. Here is another example. Let me, again, refer to what I share earlier about online predators. What if your child does follow through and meet up with that “kid” they met online? When they get there, they are instead met with an adult. This person is only filled with ill intentions. Will they kidnap your child? Will they hurt your child and leave them stranded somewhere?

In conclusion, I leave you with this final question. Is allowing your child to use social media worth all of this? If my child was to be harmed because of my lack of caution, I do not think I would ever forgive myself. I do not think that children under the age of 16 should be allowed on social media at all for all the reasons I shared. If you are going to allow your child to have access, I hope that you at least monitor it to the fullest. Keep your child’s passwords, make sure you know where your child is going, do not allow them to use the devices behind closed doors.

11 Facts About Cyber Bullying. (n.d.). Retrieved November 02, 2017, from https://www.dosomething.org/us/facts/11-facts-about-cyber-bullying