Teens Kindness and Cruelty on Social Network Sites (PEW)

Lenhart, A. (2012 June 5) Teens, kindness and cruelty on social network sites. Retrieved from http://www.pewinternet.org/files/old-media//Files/Presentations/2012/June/Teens%20Kindness%20Cruelty_NCMEC_WorkingGroup_talk_Lenhart_060512_PDF.pdf

According to the teens and young adults surveyed, cruelty and bullying is not that prevalent on social media sites.  Most say that it only happens once in a while, and when it does happen they just ignore it.  Girls are more likely to be bullied through social media than boys are.  I think that has to do with the attitudes of girls versus that of boys.  I have noticed that boys tend to get over hurt feelings easy and faster, while girls try to hurt each other emotionally.  Most teens get advice from parents and teachers about what is appropriate or inappropriate to put online.  Most teens have privacy settings on their social media set to friends only, this cuts down on bullying over social media.  Percentages were high for parents who have friended their children on social media, check your teens pages everyday, and use parental controls on cellphones and internet use.  The statistic I find interesting is a very high percentage of parents are saying they talk to their teens about social media and what is appropriate and inappropriate.  The percentage then goes down 30% -40% for teens who say their parents talk to them about social media.  

At some schools students are forbidden to have their cellphones, while at others they are welcome to have them.  If an issue comes up between two students they do not have the ability to discuss the problem with their parent or teacher, and make a rash decision to make an inappropriate comment.  I think this attributes to some of the inappropriate postings on social media.  Social networks are generally good places to share pictures and comments with friends. However teens and young adults need to understand what is appropriate for these sites and what isn't.

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