Internet Safety Reflection

1. I read "The Message:
Mushrooms, Music, Movies, and Magazines"
by Elder Spencer J. Condie
of the Second Quorum of the Seventy

2. The videos that I watched were under the Cyberbullying category. They mainly talked about how the Internet rules kids world. Kids have different identities online and have "buddies" online that they have not met yet. They are constantly chatting with friends and are glued to their computer screen.

3. My most important take-aways from the readings and the videos are:

• Kids spend more time on the Internet than you are aware of
• People can be whoever they want online and that is deceiving and dangerous
• Youth use the Internet because all their friends do and they want to keep up with everyone
• Knowing what your children are looking at and exploring online is imperative
• The Internet is addicting
• Youth that hold relationships online are needing attention in many cases
• Media is like mushrooms...they come in different types and levels of danger
• Set boundaries for your family early on
• Have rules
• Be involved with your kid's lives
• I feel that if youth have self confidence, their desire to have online relationships with decrease

It is amazing how much time people spend online. They can be anyone that they want to be and that is dangerous. It makes me feel that these people that are altering who they are online are not happy with who they are. Maybe they need to have a boost in their self confidence so that they will not desire attention from being online. From reading the articles, I feel that as a parent you need to have time limits for Internet use because it is addicting. The Internet is a wonderful thing because you can research and email but it is also very detrimental. It is important to instill in your students or your children that the Internet is dangerous and you should stay away from the bad things. If kids want to be good, they will not do bad things online.

4. i. I talked to my mom about Internet safety, and more specifically how addicting it is and how people have different identities online. She knew of the dangers that are out there and has kept a close eye on my siblings and I as we have used the Internet. By hearing conference talks about pornography, she knew that that is and completely addicting and detrimental to your life, marriage, and spirit. She knew that people develop new identities and that they get involved with dangerous relationships. She had seen on the show 20/20 that girls will meet up with these older men that they have met online and they end up getting raped or injured. So dangerous and scary!

ii. I told my mom about the stories of girls and boys that I learned about in the videos and it made her so sad for them and their families. She gave me advice about raising my future children. She told me to take control of the computer and have it in a spot where it can be monitored. That's what she always did. She told me some other stories that were like the ones I told her that she had heard. It made us shocked that people do these things! We both just don't understand how girls can go through with it. Also, we both realize that the internet is addicted. I love checking my email and my blog. I feel like I need gmail so I can be in contact with my friends and teachers. We both can see how the internet is addicted. She suggested I set a time limit on internet use for my whole fmaily.

iii. Her reaction didn't really surprise because it was similar to mine when I was finding out what happens online. Her stories did surprise me though. They made me so sad and grateful that I never got into that stuff!

iv. My mom told me that she was going to share the information with my siblings and have a family home evening about internet safety. Hopefully the stories with scare them and make them realize that the internet and chat rooms are nasty places and should not be explored.