The Many Dangers of the Internet

            The Internet is a fascinating world to which adolescents of this generation are exposed. A teenager who has no experience with the Internet is a rare find. The Internet can be a wonderful tool for academic research as well as a means to connect people from different parts of the world who would not otherwise interact. The Internet can also be a dangerous tool by which harmful figures could use to take advantage of innocent victims. Online safety is an important issue that must be addressed with adolescents in great detail. Adolescents, who are marked by their curiosity, will inevitably find themselves in awkward or dangerous situations on the Internet. In an online safety study done by Waterman states, “"All laudable, but pretty irrelevant, given the freedom with which children can gain access to material on the internet that is far more corrosive (Waterman 17)." Educators must be proactive when emphasizing the importance of online safety with their adolescent students. Four key issues adolescents may come across are cyberbullying, copyright infringement, pharming/phishing, and sexting.

            A global issue with which many teenagers deal is cyberbullying. Behind the comfort of a computer desk or on one’s mobile device, the temptation to be uninhibited and cruel is present. Educators should discuss the different types of cyberbullying with teenagers and promote the student’s understanding of the spectrum of offenses committed as a cyberbully. An article in BMC Public Health states:

While the internet has provided adolescents with numerous benefits, including increased social support, academic enrichment and worldwide cross-cultural interactions, there are concomitant risks to internet use. The American Academy of Pediatrics’ (AAP) recent report on children’s social media use describes specific risks such as privacy violations and cyberbullying. A previous study found that one-third of adolescents had given their internet password to friends and one- fourth were unaware that content uploaded online cannot be permanently deleted. Cyberbullying, or internet harassment, impacts up to a third of youth and has been linked to a variety of health concerns, some as serious as suicidal ideation. In addition, adolescents frequently display personal and identifiable information about themselves on the internet. These details may include their home location, revealing photographs, or descriptions of sexual behavior and substance use. (Bare et. al 1)

When promoting online usage in the classroom, especially sites that have open forums, educators should emphasize the importance of Internet decorum and respect. Educators who create websites with open forums should also carefully monitor the language used on their site. A zero tolerance policy with a reasonable punishment should also be implemented.

            Another issue that should be discussed is copyright infringement. Students, in general, should be aware about properly citing sources. With the Internet, however, and its plethora of sources it is difficult to keep track of original information. Students should understand that they should only accept information as truth when the website is reliable or if the website’s sources are readily given. As instructors, we should teach students about which sites should be avoided. For example, a site that provides information without giving its sources should not be trusted. Students should always cite their sources.  

In addition to cyberbullying and copyright infringement, pharming/phishing is a common problem on the internet. Adolescents should be aware that the information they post online could be used for unethical purposes. Students should constantly guard against putting up too much information about themselves on unreliable websites. Educators should inform students about the dangers of a pharming/phishing website. For example, a site that exploits pornographic images or lottery encourage unsuspecting consumers to willfully input sensitive information (eg. Credit card information, social security numbers, mailing addresses) should be avoided. When encouraging students to conduct online research, bar them from looking up sites with suspicious images or promotions.

Finally, sexting is a topic that educators must discuss with their students. Much like cyberbullying, people feel liberated when chatting on a computer or mobile device and may say inappropriate things they would not have said in person. Adolescents are naturally experimental and may feel tempted towards risqué behavior. Educators must teach that information put on the Internet could later hurt them if they are not careful. For example, a young girl could be convinced by a boyfriend to take a nude picture of herself and send it to him. That picture could end up being sent around to different people and would damage her social reputation. Adolescents must be taught that sexting uses a medium that can save and dispense information very quickly.

Moreno, M. A., Egan, K. G., Bare, K., Young, H. N., & Cox, E. D. (2013). Internet safety education for youth: stakeholder perspectives. BMC Public Health, 13(1), 1-6. doi:10.1186/1471-2458-13-543

Waterman, C. (2014). Online safety still not good enough but who cares enough to act?. Education Journal, (196), 17-18.