The Frontline documentary “Growing Up Online” that aired last night on PBS is not only of interest to parents of teenagers- it is fascinating to people interested in what is happening to youth as they engage in the internet.  I watched it enthralled and then my mother (an hour behind us in Chicago) called me to say “have you seen Frontline tonight?”  We talked about the doc for over an hour, delving into thought about ethics, parenting, privacy, discipline and ended with her thankfully declaring she was glad she wasn’t parenting now. Oh boy! Those of us parenting now are in for it and others of you are already in the thick of it. How are YOU dealing with all the issues?

If you want to watch the documentary on line go here: And then select “Watch Online” in the top green bar and then go through the varying chapters. Just be forewarned: prepare to think about it the rest of the night. For those of you who want a highlights: the doc touches on issues of MySpace, child predators, cyber bullying (yes, this is a new thing), teens finding niche communities and creating new identities for themselves online and so much more.  I suspect I will watch it again with Papa Tree as he missed it.  Although Birch is only 19 months now, I have seen computers in the classrooms at preschools. I want to try and figure out where we stand on all of this before it comes upon us. However, I realize that by then, things will be drastically different, but, I hope, our values won’t be.

Similar Posts: