adults are so lame

There's a front page article about teens online that will be sure to have parents ("good" parents, at least), quaking in their panties this morning. Lots of anxiety-producing suggestions of adult stalkers, college admission officers and future employers finding things online that maybe they shouldn't. In response, schools are rushing to develop policies to shut down the kids' sites. (One Catholic school in New Jersey has banned use of sites like Facebook.com and MySpace.com AT HOME.)

I don't have children, so maybe I would feel differently if I did, but my reaction to this fear-mongering is to regress into a teenage, "Adults are so lame. They just don't get it."

As far as I am concerned, young people, and their desire to express themselves in the way they choose, should be treated with respect and should be taught the ramifications of their actions -- online or in the real world.

They should not be silenced.

Oh, and the article's incredulous comments about young people pretending to be "cooler" or in any way different than who they really are online are just nonsense. What teenager does not put on a front? Think back to when you were young. False bravado is a character trait of the teenage set. Who wants to let the world see the anxiety that dictates your every move?