We know that 75 percent of American adolescents are online and 85 percent of all Internet users expect to find key news information online. Yet “the adolescents of the nineties are more isolated and more unsupervised than other generations”. Although this quote did not surprise me as far as the number of adolescents that are online and that internet users expect to find key news information online, I was really surprised that our young people are more isolated and unsupervised than other generation. I get that we don’t have the traditional 1950’s kind of family anymore where Mom stayed home and took care of kids but to find that our kids are more isolated caught me off guard. As a working Mom I pretty much knew where my kids were and what they were doing online. With all of the well-advertised dangers that kids can get caught up in online, why are parents not supervising them even closer than they used to?
I wasn't so surprised by this quote. The internet and other media outlets are so involved in today's society that it has become the norm for kids to be enveloped within its technology. Also, with today's society people are busier and busier, which is one cause for students isolating themselves.
ReplyDeleteYou brought up a good point about the younger generations being unsupervised. I was lucky to have a good upbringing where my parents restricted things I shouldn't be exposed to. Most people now have to work long hours or multiple jobs to survive, causing them to spend less time at home. That's why teaching media literacy in the classroom is very important.
ReplyDeleteIt is surprising that isolation exists in today society, but on the other hand, it is easy to text, send email messages, access information at your fingertips, and initiate warfare with a push of a button. We need parents and educators to help create a balance.
ReplyDeleteI do think that students today are more isolated in that they don't have as much personal interaction. It seems to me like so many young people are much more comfortable texting or IMing their peers than talking to them in person. My daughter has even tried texting me when we're in the same house. I have made a point to insist on face to face communication as much as possible.
ReplyDeleteYou make a good point on supervision of kids, but I think we are so saturated in technology that is has become second nature to our kids and even starting to overtake the older generation. It has beome so natural that we don't see it as a threat.
ReplyDeleteIt's funny that so many young people are isolated, but still connecting through outlets such as Twitter and Facebook. Your point on kids being unsupervised was right on, but the weird thing is that many times their parents are right there with them on Twitter and Facebook.
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