Internet Not Really Dangerous For Kids After All

Thomas M Hughes writes "We're all familiar with the claim that it's horribly dangerous to allow our children on to the Internet. It's long been believed that the moment a child logs on to the Internet, he will experience a flood of inappropriate sexual advances. Turns out this isn't an accurate representation of reality at all. A high-profile task force representing 49 state attorneys general was organized to find a solution to the problem of online sexual solicitation. But instead the panel has issued a report (due to be released tomorrow) claiming that 'Social networks are very much like real-world communities that are comprised mostly of good people who are there for the right reasons.' The report concluded that 'the problem of child-on-child bullying, both online and offline, poses a far more serious challenge than the sexual solicitation of minors by adults.' Turns out the danger to our children was all just media hype and parental anxiety." Those who have aggressively pushed the issue of the dangerous Internet, such as Connecticut's attorney general Richard Blumenthal, are less than happy with the report.

Comments

Re:Irony

[symbolset]

It's not staged. Baiting perverts is so easy my teens do it for fun.

But they know it's a dangerous game and take the necessary precautions. Because they get it. Perhaps that's a good strategy.

Re:*plop* (mind blown)

[Golddess]

encasing my children in [...] an airtight barrier [...] they've even stopped over-eating and watching TV.

And breathing, I would imagine. :P

Re:*plop* (mind blown)

[HolyCrapSCOsux]

Not to mention, my favorite:
Riding around in cars that didn't HAVE seatbelts.