Most American mothers think the internet is about as threatening to their children as drunk driving, according to a new survey. That's where cyberfear has taken us, to the point where we equate thousands of dead and maimed every year with phantasms.
About two-thirds of mothers of teens in the United States are just as, or more, concerned about their teenagers’ online safety, such as from threatening emails or solicitation by online sexual predators, as they are about drunk driving (62 per cent) and experimenting with drugs (65 per cent), according to new research released today by Internet security company McAfee...
Larry Magid does a good job of tearing this apart, backing up his points with solid, public data.
That might be how moms feel but it’s not reflective of the real world. While moms have good reason to be concerned about how their teens use the Internet, online dangers pale compared to the risks of drunk driving. In 2007, 6,552 people were killed in auto accidents involving young drivers (16-20), according to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA).
We saw similar stats about fantasy fears in last year's Mott survey.
As we've noted before, such attitudes influence voting, legislation, local political action, micropolitics, and the world of education.
Who is fighting the hype here (apart from Infocult, of course, and a few other quiet but significant voices)? The w3 foundation? Mozilla? Google? Certainly no political candidates. Time for a pro-net PAC?
Posted by: Ed Webb | November 02, 2008 at 21:37
How about a pro-Internet mom group? Geez. I do have concerns about my kids an the Internet, but they're minor and have more to do with what I think is an appropriate amount of time to spend online vs. how much they want to be online, not whether I think they'll be killed.
Plus, I think a lot of moms have no clue about the Internet. Seriously. Many of them have been at home for more than a decade, reluctantly got a computer at some point and never really bothered to figure it out, much less appreciate the significant changes that have taken place in the last few years. I do my best to educate them in my grass roots kind of way, but I do think it would be nice to advocate in a bigger way.
Posted by: Laura | November 02, 2008 at 22:17
I did a blog post on this: http://blog.pcpandora.com/2008/10/24/to-moms-cyber-safety-drunk-driving/
This is no surprise. As the internet plays a bigger role in the daily lives of kids with each new generation – actually, every year and every new class really – parents need to incorporate that aspect into their parenting.
When cars were introduced, we didn’t just give keys to teens and say “here, have a blast.” Kids need to be monitored online and parents need to talk to their kids. I am glad people find internet safety to be as important as drunk driving. Hopefully soon we can start putting some ideals into the heads of internet users at a young age so that it doesn’t continue to grow into the Wild West it has become.
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Find out how you can keep your kids safe online at www.pcpandora.com
Posted by: KenS | November 04, 2008 at 13:19
Good idea, Ed and Laura. I don't know anyone who's fighting against these memeplex in an organized way. Would the ALA, or an educational association?
Greetings, KenS. I agree about the importance of good parenting here. That's really what such panics miss, especially when they blame media instead.
But I must disagree with the Wild West comparison. Unless we're seeing shootouts, massacres, land seizures on line, and I've been missing them!
Posted by: Bryan Alexander | November 06, 2008 at 08:54
"Unless we're seeing shootouts, massacres, land seizures on line, and I've been missing them!"
ALL YOUR BANDWIDTH ARE BELONG TO US
Posted by: Ed Webb | November 06, 2008 at 10:34