Typically, parents have not been attracted to these social sites, but, as reported in the Feb. 4 Collegian, parents are taking more of an interest in Facebook.
A number of scandals have occurred on Facebook due to its vast user base. If someone posts information about a party at a specific place, why, then, are they surprised when the police show up?
Parents.
Parents are curious about the online activities of their children online due to their paranoia of pedophilia and online abuse. Parents are entitled to the right to protect their children. However, an unforeseen consequence has occurred.
Parents have become a significant factor in the Facebook user base. This trend is shocking. Parents are socializing with their friends on the same website as their children. Parents know what their kids are talking about, what they are planning to do and everything they have done without their parents' knowledge, or so they think.
Parents have invaded the personal space of their children. There are a few things one can hide on Facebook. Our generation pours its thoughts, desires and ideas onto this site.
The parent factor has a significant effect on the way young minds express themselves. It essentially squelches their true voice in the face of parental scrutiny. Parents have seemingly integrated into the site with ease. It is easy and fun for most. Technology has created this space for socialization, and parents have become a somewhat surprising demographic to the site.
Parents should not have complete access to their children's social areas, though. If parents are involved in every facet of their children's lives, serious social ineptitude may occur.
Inadvertently, parents can actually inhibit the intellectual and social attitudes of their children, which could prevent them from developing to their full potential.
Parents need to be separated from the social activities of their teenagers. There should be a specific place online where teenagers are not under the scrutiny of their elders. Without action or revisions to the privacy of young teens and college students, the strain may become more pronounced. The levels of self-control that teens have in their lives and now on social networking sites may be a loss greater than anyone may realize.
Squelching the voice of the young especially on sites like Facebook should be prevented at all costs.
