Jim Liebelt's Youth Culture Watch

Young Adults Begin Using Caution on Facebook - But It's Not Why You Might Think

I came across this interesting piece by the Associated Press...

Web 2.0's Generation Gap
As social networks like Facebook gain a broader base than the colleges and youth demographics they were once limited to, some young users are beginning to chafe at what they see as a "creepy" infiltration of older users on what was once their turf.

Source: Technewsworld.com/Associated Press
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/Web-20s-Generation-Gap-61343.html

The identity of the "creepy" older users are might catch you by surprise. Who are they? Parents and their friends. Here's a quote from the news item by a college student:

Lauren Auster-Gussman, a freshman at Juniata College in Pennsylvania, says it's particularly awkward when one of her parents' friends asks to join her social network. She thinks Facebook should only be used by people younger than, say, 40.

"I mean, I'm in college," she says. "There are bound to be at least a few drunken pictures of me on Facebook, and I don't need my parents' friends seeing them."

In the early stages of social networking which were predominantly accessed by adolescents and young adults, these users were posting all kinds of material on their profiles that they might come to regret as they get older (if they haven't already!) So, as older people begin to engage in the social networking phenomenon, young adults are beginning to rethink what they want to post on their profiles, which is a positive step. As the news item notes, some young adults are also trying to find ways to prevent older adults from accessing their profiles. While this isn't exactly what parents might desire, and they'll need to work through the issues with their kids, the end result is also positive, namely that young people are taking steps to secure their profiles.

Digital Photo Technology Alert - A Cause For Concern

Three separate technology-related news items this week ought to raise the level of concern parents have as their kids intersect with the world as it exists in 2008:

First, there was the MySpace "bug" which I posted about earlier in the week - the bug was discovered and subsequently fixed that allowed tech-saavy predators to access "private" MySpace profiles, including the pictures found on these profiles. If you haven't done so already, by all means, check out the post here.

Second, a news item from Orange County, California:

Photos of Unsuspecting High School Water Polo Players Posted on Gay Porn Websites.
The Orange County Register says it found dozens of photographs of high school athletes on five "gay-oriented" pornographic websites. "On these sites, images of local high school athletes, some as young as 14, according to parents, are juxtaposed next to photos of nude or semi-nude young males and graphic sexual content," the paper says. "The photos are the subject of lewd comments from chat room participants as far away as Australia." In a follow-up story, the paper reported that parents and coaches are calling for tough new restrictions on who's allowed to photograph water polo players when they're not in the water.

Source: USA Today
http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2008/01/photos-of-unsus.html

Third, from Allentown, Pennsylvania comes this news:

Cell Phone Porn Scandal Hits U.S. School
At least 40 high school students believed to have received images

Police tried to stop the spread of pornographic video and photos of two U.S. high school girls, images that were transmitted by cell phone to dozens of the girls' classmates and then to the wider world.

At least 40 Parkland High School students believed to have received the images must show their phones to police by Tuesday to ensure the images have been erased, or they could be prosecuted in juvenile court for possession of child pornography, District Attorney James B. Martin said Thursday.

But students at the Pennsylvania school said the distribution was far more widespread. "Most people got it and kept passing it along for fun to everyone in their phonebook," said Jon Gabriel, 16, a junior who said he received and deleted the images.

Source: MSNBC
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22840727/

The digital age our kids are growing up certainly has a lot to offer on the positive side. But, perhaps we've unintentionally underplayed the dangers. From these news items I've concluded:
1) No one can assume that any picture transmitted electronically, whether posted to a social networking site, emailed, or distributed via cellphone is "private" information.
2) With camera cellphones in widespread use, pictures can be captured anywhere, anytime, in any situation.
3) Once a picture has been posted and distributed, the distribution cycle cannot be stopped. Sure, a picture may not have "legs" and have no distribution life to speak of. Take my picture off this blog and send it to someone. What, maybe three people actually see it and delete it immediately? But, if someone sends a racy picture of a 14-year-old girl that was taken on a cellphone by a friend at a sleep-over, that photo might end up being seen by classmates and posted on websites around the world!

So, with technology that's here to stay, what's a parent to do? Well, as Homeland Security is known to say, "Be vigilant!" Set clear expectations on photo taking, posting and distribution with your kids. If your kid needs a new cellphone, evaluate whether or not they should have one with a camera. Press school officials to set policies on cellphone and digital camera usage in sensitive areas like pools, locker rooms, and restrooms. And pray...that your child's photo won't end up on some porn site on the Internet. If you have other ideas, please add to the discussion!

Please, Parents... I'm Begging You! Talk To Your Kids About Sexuality!

Why? Because you don't want your kids learning about sexuality from sources like the Midwest Teen Sex Show podcast!

Teen Sex Advice Podcast Gains Popularity
Nikol Hasler doesn't recommend the "pull and pray" method of birth control. She says you should not have sex on nature trails because of bugs and Sasquatch. And if you hate your body as a teen, just wait.

The 28-year-old mother of three speaks from experience, and her video podcast, the Midwest Teen Sex Show, is attracting thousands of viewers.

The show's target audience — teens, young adults and their parents — is responding. The show has 65,000 subscribers through iTunes and other podcast subscription services, Clark said. It's regularly ranked in iTunes' top 10 health podcasts, and its Web site averages about 4,000 unique hits a day.

Source: Yahoo News / AP
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080123/ap_on_re_us/midwest_teen_sex_1

Sex-Ed Podcast Is Frank, Funny and Controversial
Episode No. 4 of "The Midwest Teen Sex Show," a new video podcast, opens with a shot of a young woman holding a crying baby. Nearby, two young boys are noisily scuffling and trading noogies. Looking into the camera, the obviously stressed-out mother of three says nothing, but her expression says: How did I get into this mess?

Seconds later, the episode's title, "Birth Control," flashes on the screen.

That sort of wry, pointed presentation has helped the show lure thousands of viewers since its debut this past summer. Some may have been attracted by the provocative title, but this isn't pornography. Instead, it aims to teach teenagers about sex using risqué sketches, explicit language and anecdotes that draw on the teenage experiences of its two 28-year-old creators -- host Nikol Hasler, the aforementioned woman, and Guy Clark, an aspiring filmmaker.

Source: Wall Street Journal
http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB119448733073986026.html

I've been sitting here at my keyboard now for some time trying to figure out what to write about this item. While I can think of reasons to praise the effort of the Midwest Teen Sex Show podcast of offering sex education to hard-to-reach teens, the content of the podcast leaves me sad and stinging.

Are these podcasts funny? Yes. Frank? No doubt about it. Do they provide an attractive, even hip, medium for teenagers searching for important information? Yup. Are they completely void of any morals? ABSOLUTELY! Therein lies the rub.

I have no doubt that in many circles, the Midwest Teen Sex Show is being lauded. I just can't join them. The podcast's creators are so pro-teen-sex oriented, that it simply can't be utilized by anyone who believes sex ought to be reserved for marriage. Some snippets from the podcasts to chew on:

On a "Con" of abstinence: "It's really boring."

On if you succeed in staying abstinent until you marry: "I feel bad for your future spouse."

Another abstinence "Con": "Sex takes practice. You can't just read a book to know how to do it. So, how else are you going to learn?" A graphic follows immediately to answer the question, with two animated stick figures. One says: "Porn." The other says: "Farm animals."

And so it goes. Other podcast episodes tackle issues of masturbation (separate shows for females and males), dating, the first time, and there's even one entitled "Backdoor Business" (you can figure it out -- and fyi, the stance is "for" not "against.")

As the news items report, the podcast is gaining in popularity. At this writing there are approximately  65,000 podcast subscribers. So, how do you keep your kids away from "resources" like the Midwest Teen Sex Show? Well, there's the obvious solution of parents setting clear expectations that their kids will not access sexuality-related sites or podcasts without specific permission. But, this doesn't really get to the heart of the matter. The heart of the matter is that teens want to learn more information about sexuality. They are intrigued by sex (aren't most adults also?) and I guarantee you that they care more for learning about sexuality right now than they do about learning theology! The question is, who will they receive their sexuality information from? If parents will commit to the task of helping their kids learn about sexuality (and do so in the context of a broadly-based, healthy, positive, moral, Biblical sexuality,) their kids will be less likely to search for information from sources that promote a valueless sexuality.

If you are looking for some help on how to start talking to your kids about sexuality, find our free resources on HomeWord.com.

MySpace Security

MySpace, States Sign Kids Online Safety Pact
MySpace Inc. and 49 state attorneys general last week culminated two years of discussions by agreeing to a new set of principles aimed at stepping up online safety on MySpace and other social networking sites.

As part of the agreement, MySpace will add some 60 new features intended to protect children from online predators, the attorneys general and MySpace officials said during a press conference in New York.

Source: Computerworld
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=311249&intsrc=news_ts_head

MySpace Bug Leaks 'Private' Teen Photos to Voyeurs
A backdoor in MySpace's architecture allows anyone who's interested to see the photographs of some users with private profiles -- including those under 16 -- despite assurances from MySpace that those pictures can only be seen by people on a user's friends list. Info about the backdoor has been circulating on message boards for months.

Since the glitch emerged last fall, it has spawned a cottage industry of ad-supported websites that make it easy to access the photographs, spurring self-described pedophiles and run-of-the-mill voyeurs to post photos pilfered from private MySpace accounts.

Source: Wired
http://www.wired.com/politics/security/news/2008/01/myspace

MySpace Quietly Fixes Bug that Gave Voyeurs Access to Teens' Private Photos
Recently, it was reported that a bug in MySpace's architecture allowed strangers to peer inside the MySpace photo galleries of some private profiles, despite assurances from MySpace that those pictures can only be seen by people on a user's friends list.

The bug had been around since at least October, during which time it had been gleefully exploited by voyeurs, hackers, entrepreneurs and lechers; you can find pages and pages of  public message board comments around the web in which posters are peeking in on 14 and 15-year-old girls and sharing what they find.

Ad-supported web sites with names like Can't Hide and MySpacePrivateProfile.com emerged to earn a buck off the glitch. One such site reports that its users have accessed, or attempted to access, 77,000 private profiles.

MySpace has, without comment, closed the backdoor, and the websites that were exploiting it are no longer delivering private photos.

Source: Wired
http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/01/myspace-quietly.html

Right on the heels of the announcement that MySpace had agreed with 49 states to a new set of principles targeted at beefing up security on its social networking website, came information that since at least last October, a bug in the MySpace architecture allowed strangers to access private MySpace profiles. Apparently, there were even websites set up where people who accessed these profiles could chat about and distribute what they had found. A day later, after the bug was made public, MySpace fixed it, although they did so without comment.

While MySpace apparently is taking positive steps to increase the security of its members, it still seems to me that in light of the bug that existed, either MySpace didn't know it existed or they were not proactive in fixing it until it became public. I'm no techie, but given the information, it seems reasonable to me to assume that other bugs might exist that may or may not have already been exploited. Therefore, it also seems reasonable to me to assume that MySpace isn't as secure as parents might think or hope. Is it too much of a stretch for parents to operate under the assumption that even if their kids' profiles are set to private, that they can still be accessed by people with sinister motives? As of this writing, I don't think it is. Until the time that MySpace can assure that private profiles are truly private, I would encourage parents to act as if anything posted to their kids' profiles can be found by anyone with enough tenacity to find them.

To read more about how to handle MySpace in your home, click on the following article title below:

Five Tips for Handling MySpace

Study: Parents Sweat Online Predators, Social Sites

Two-thirds of parents say that they are uncomfortable with their children participating in online communities, and roughly half of them say that online predators are a threat, according to a new study from the Center for the Digital Future at the USC Annenberg School for Communication.

The upside for most parents--80 percent--is that they consider the Internet a valuable source of information and more important than television, radio, newspapers, and books, according to the study. That figure is up from 66 percent in 2006.

Source: CNET News
http://www.news.com/5208-10784_3-0.html?forumID=1&threadID=34477&messageID=369571&start=-1

With two-thirds of parents reporting concern about their kids' participation on social networking sites, I wonder how many of these are taking proactive steps to ensure their kids' safety? Concern is fine, but action is more important.

To read more about how to Internet protect your kids, click on the following article title:

Five Things You Can Do Today to Internet Protect Your Kids

Bombs Away! “Shoes” Wins People’s Choice Award for Best Viral Video

Viral hit video "Shoes," which stars a dead-pan, foul-mouthed Valley girl with a penchant for shopping, won the People's Choice Award on Monday for favorite user-generated video.

"Shoes" star Kelly (pictured), an oddball cross between a Kids in the Hall character and an electroclash rocker, is the alter ego of sketch comedy artist Liam Sullivan.

Source: Wired
http://blog.wired.com/underwire/2008/01/shoes-video-win.html

"Shoes" is a four-minute video that appears on YouTube. In the video, comedian Liam Sullivan is “Kelly” who is in hot pursuit of shoes. Okay, am I getting old or what? Honestly, I don’t get the popularity of this video, nor its selection to receive a People’s Choice Award, and maybe that’s a good thing. I don’t think it was a bad piece of work stylistically, but I don’t see the attraction of why it’s pulled over 11 Million (yes, MILLION!) views on YouTube. As the Wired article referenced above notes, Kelly is indeed foul-mouthed. F-bombs away! Perhaps the language, in and of itself, is an attraction to people?

Here’s one thing that’s almost certain: Your kids have seen this video! I did some looking on the ‘Net and it seems that Kelly is particularly popular with teen girls. When one reads that kids in school can be heard repeating lines from the video, you know that it has made its way into mainstream youth culture. Great. If you’ve ever harbored any illusions that your teens aren’t exposed to foul language, this video is one good reason to give them up.

Divorce May Widen Distance Between Teens, Fathers

The typical distancing from parents by adolescents is exacerbated by divorce for fathers, but not for mothers, according to a recent study published in the Journal of Marriage and Family.

Parental divorce creates an immense pressure to decrease father-child closeness, supplemented by the many barriers created by a father's physical separation from the children. Fathers, who often are the less involved parent before divorce, would have to increase their investment in the relationship just to maintain pre-divorce levels of closeness, which the vast majority of fathers do not do, according to the study.

"Therefore, fathers are at a disadvantage in closeness to start, and then divorce makes it even more challenging to be close," say the researchers.

Source: Science Daily
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080109094337.htm

This study just confirms what many already know by experience. In most divorces, mothers retain primary custody of their kids. The fathers are physically separated from their children, and as the study notes, most do not rise to the situation by pressing to remain as connected to their kids as they were before the divorce. Another key reason why I'm not a fan of divorce. But then again, who is?

For more information about staying connected to kids when separation, divorce or other situations put distance between family members, click on the following articles title below:

5 Things Divorced Parents Can Do to Reconnect with Their Kids

10 Commandments to Help the Absent-Father Syndrome

Massachusetts Teens Feeling Sting of Tougher Driving Laws

The number of license suspensions of drivers under 18 has soared over the past year because of a tough new law aimed at curbing bad driving habits by junior operators. About 3,000 drivers age 16 and 17 had their license or learner's permit suspended between March 31, when the law took effect, and early December, according to data from the Registry of Motor Vehicles. About 1,700 junior operators lost their license or permit during the same period in 2006.

Fatal crashes with junior operators behind the wheel dropped from 27 in 2006 to 17 last year, according to preliminary year-end numbers from the Registry. The tally counts the number of accidents in which there was a fatality, but not how many people died or who was at fault.

The new law stiffened the punishment for many moving violations and required mandatory driver training after suspensions. Teenage drivers now face a suspension ranging from 90 days for a first-time speeding ticket to one year for a second or later offense. Fines and fees required to get the license back can cost up to $1,000.

"It is exactly what we were hoping would happen," said Senator Steven A. Baddour, chairman of the Transportation Committee, who pushed the bill requiring tougher penalties. "We knew as soon as one kid got pinched, every kid in his school would know about it, and it would have an impact."

Source: Boston Globe
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2008/01/09/teenagers_feeling_sting_of_tougher_driving_laws/

Having lived in Massachusetts for some 15 years, I had plenty of opportunities to complain about its government, ranging from taxes to goofy laws. That being said, my hat's off to Mass. for implementing these tougher teen driving laws! Teen drivers in Massachusetts are no different than anywhere else. But, if you've ever been in rural areas of the state–which is most of it–you know how treacherous the roads there can be. Tree lined roads are everywhere. (And, by tree-lined, I mean literally, that trees are just a couple feet from the road. Year after year, you can find reports of teen drivers who have lost control of their vehicles and died from impacting a tree.) Speed is often a huge factor in teen crashes. So, I'm all for the state attempts to motivate teen drivers to keep to the speed limit. Could this be a good model for other states to follow?

For more information on teen driving, click on the following article title:

Tips for Keeping Your Teen Driver Safe

Teens Shun Work Force

New data indicates that last year's labor-force participation rate for 16- to 19-year-olds hit 41.3% -- down from a peak of 57.9% in 1979, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Experts cite increasing competition for jobs, as well as low wages and high pressure for college admittance as factors keeping kids out of the labor pool.

"They perceive that it's less beneficial for them to be working," says Steven Goodman, a college admissions consultant in Washington. "It's no longer possible to work at McDonald's and put yourself through college because the numbers don't add up."

Source: Market Watch
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/even-teens-shun-work-force/story.aspx?guid=%7B5DB75971-501A-439F-B3F9-5171AC3A5ED9%7D

Looking at the chart from the post, it's amazing to me that the current teen participation in the work force is lower now than any time going back to the 1950s. Now, there are a lot of good reasons to keep kids from taking traditional teen part-time jobs, like focusing on academics and involvement in sports or other extracurricular activities. But, there are also some good reasons for kids to have part-time jobs. According to a conversation about this topic that I recently had with some business owners, a college professor and a businesswoman in a large financial corporation, many young people (even those who have college degrees) entering the adult work force aren't prepared. They bemoaned a lack motivation, discipline, initiative, and ownership that they've seen in young adults today. I'm wondering whether or not the declining numbers of teen participation in the work force has contributed to this situation simply because these kids don't learn the skills and character traits they need in order to "hit the ground running" when they enter the adult work force.  Any thoughts?

Teen Girls' Popularity Predicts Weight Change

Adolescent girls who placed themselves low on the ladder of popularity were more likely to gain weight later in their teen years than girls who saw themselves as having higher social standing, Boston-area researchers say.

“We know that poor diet and exercise contribute to excess weight gain, but how girls feel about themselves, especially in relation to their peers, should be part of all prevention strategies,” Adina R. Lemeshow, of the Harvard School of Public Health, and author of the study, said in an interview.

Source: Boston.com
http://www.boston.com/news/health/blog/2008/01/adolescent_girl.html

I can't really consider this groundbreaking news, since in my years of youth ministry, I've seen this personally. It's not uncommon for girls with low self-image to resort to poor coping strategies, such as overeating. How adolescent girls feel about themselves is an issue that parents should keep a watch on. As an overarching strategy, parenting with AWE (affirmation, warmth and encouragement) goes a long way to helping kids develop a healthy self-image.

For more information on teen self-image and parenting with AWE, click on the titles below to view various articles:

Kids and Self-Esteem

Parenting with A.W.E.