Suspected PayPal Hackers Seek Deal To Stay Out Of Prison
2 Men Arrested After Teen Was Run Over For His iPad
Study Shows Teens on MySpace Often Talk Sex, Violence
Growing up as a teenager can be hard. At a time when youths are still discovering themselves and seeking acceptance from their peers (or strangers), what does one do? Let it all out on MySpace, of course. According to a study published in the January issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, 54-percent of the 500 MySpace profiles studied mentioned sex, alcohol, and violence on their respective user pages. The users were a mix of male and females, and were all 18 years of age.
In a similar and somewhat hopeful study, the doctors chose 190 different profiles of users between 18 and 20 years old that mentioned sex, substance abuse, or violence three or more times. The doctors then created their own profile page under the name "Dr. Meg," and sent the users an e-mail regarding the risks of publishing certain information, and also different clinical resources they could research. After three months, the researchers found that 42.1-percent of users that received the email -- and 29.5-percent of users that did not -- removed the risky language from their profile pages, or made their pages private. Seems a lot of the teens may have simply been venting, or didn't realize the risks of what they were doing at the time.
It's tough to say if youths are actually more obsessed with risky behavior than times before social networking was popular, but clearly publishing such information online for the world to see increases any potential danger. There are countless people out there who can and will take advantage of others, and giving them an easy in for communication through a site like MySpace -- especially after showing interest in sex, drugs, and/or violence -- means we all need to be a bit more careful on what we and our children post online. [From: CNN]
PHOTOS: Tornado Aftermath Leaves Trail Of Destruction
Live from Microsoft's New Generation Xbox event!
Tornadoes Strike Oklahoma
Xbox Reveal liveblog on Joystiq
Dozens Killed in Oklahoma Tornado; Death Toll to Rise
PHOTOS: Tornadoes Wreak Havoc On Central U.S.
Justin Bieber Booed, Gets Standing Ovation at Billboard Music Awards
2013 Billboard Music Awards Best and Worst Dressed
Police END Search For Susan Powell
Watch: Kansas Meteorologist Seeks Shelter From Tornado
Xbox One architecture panel liveblog!
Oklahoma Senators Face Difficult Options On Disaster Relief
Two Pilots Fired After Brazilian Pop Star Takes Captain's Seat Mid-Flight
Oldest Water on Earth Found Deep Underground
PHOTOS: This Is The Best Response To Abercrombie CEO Mike Jeffries We've Seen Yet
2013 Billboard Music Awards: All the Winners!
PHOTOS: Tornado Devastates Moore, Oklahoma
CBS Pulls 'Mike & Molly' Tornado-Set Finale
Justin Bieber BOOED While Accepting Award
WATCH: Tornado Victim Finds Dog During CBS Interview
PHOTOS:Eva Longoria's Almost Wardrobe Malfunction At Cannes
Guess Who?
JODI ARIAS WANTS LIFE
15 Incredible Cat Photobombs
PHOTO: LARGEST Python Ever Caught In Florida!
Student Expelled, Charged With Felonies For Same-Sex Relationship
PORK BELLY: OJ Can't Get Enough Beans
LOOK: Dolphins Make Rare Underwater Find
Stefon Marries Anderson Cooper In Final Show
OUCH: Singer Jumps, Lands On Fan's Neck
Powerball Jackpot Winning Ticket Purchased In Florida
Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson Reportedly Split
Comments
2
Subscribe to commentsLevel 5Jan 7th 2009 8:31AM
This is shocking/newsworthy why? Go into any high school cafeteria or classroom and you'll hear teens talking about the same thing. Just because it's Myspace, it's somehow a bigger risk?
CarneyJan 7th 2009 12:14PM
I would have thought they would have solely been discussing their studies, and plans for Sunday school.
Anyway, looking at the last sentence, the word "children" here is misleading. Teenagers are not little kids, but stories concerning them constantly use words like "child".
Since "child" is a bad idea, we need something else, but there's no good word for teens in this context; "offspring" is too distant and dehumanizing; "youth" seems male-oriented and is often a euphemism for minoritie (especially those in legal trouble); "minor" ignores 18 and 19 year olds, etc.
By the way, since this only involved 18 year olds and up, who are supposedly "adults" in our system, what was the problem, at least the non-violent talk?
Sloppy language leads to sloppy thinking, and this problem has contributed to our social mores and legal system revolving around the patently false premise of binary categories, child and adult, with the dividing line at 18 at which point the sexual capability, interest, attractiveness, and emotional maturity all suddenly arrive, having been entirely absent beforehand.
A much better approach, one that takes into account the realities of physical, cognitive, and emotional development, is proposed here:
http://www.slate.com/id/2174841/
And when it comes to violence, the same nonsense happens. We hear alarming statistics about "children killed by guns" and think of a 5 year old who dug up Daddy's pistol from the back of the closet. But in fact they lump in ice cold 17 year old gangsters shooting each other. These aren't "children".