The Conundrum of Visibility: Youth Safety and the Internet

The Internet can be an extremely helpful and amazing tool, however there are certain aspects to it that are a source of concern for many. Sexual solicitation, harassment, exposure to inappropriate content, and youth-generated problematic content are four of the main concerns that parents, educators, and policy makers have for today's youth while on the internet. With the internet, it is extremely easy for online predators to deceive children into doing things that they think are harmless at the time. Bullying and harassment are also extremely common as people now have to ability to express their feelings behind a keyboard rather than in person (making them more willing and confident to speak their words). Finally, the internet contains a ton of information that may be considered inappropriate for minors. While looking up pornographic content on the internet isn't that big of a deal, it can be a big deal when youths generate the problematic content because there can be major consequences that arise from it. Overall, the internet is a great thing and an amazing resource to have, but we must be extremely careful when using it, as anything we do or put on the internet can be used against us.