Blogging and twitter have opened up a world of information, opinions and literature that I was missing out on before I joined this world! It is great to be able to browse blog posts by people studying, working in, or writing about the same field, as I am– primary education.
I stumbled across this post by Miss Watts, and it struck a chord with me. She was reflecting on an article she had just read in the Sunday Telegraph, about some of the dangers of mismanaged use of social networking sites. The article states that children as young as eight are undergoing therapy to be treated for anxiety triggered by their participation on sites such as Facebook. Dislike.
This type of reporting could be seen as sensationalist, highlighting an extreme example, but it actually serves as an example of a real possibility – and one that we should actively work to avoid. A passive approach of just hoping this doesn’t happen to more children will fail. Calling for a ban to social networking sites will fail. Trying to ban young children from Facebook will fail. But we can do something, and as teachers I feel we have an obligation to. Teaching children about safe use of social networking sites, how to protect their privacy, as well as self-esteem building in the classroom will all go a long way to avoid this situation reoccurring for other children. Importantly, involving parents in helping to manage this is important too, so that they can monitor home use and help keep their children safe. It may not be just the children who need to be education around this issue…
http://www.flickr.com/photos/73344134@N00/2840194335
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