O.K. catchy title..but the subject matter is very sad. I admit..I am not the nerdiest person, I hate math, I kind of, sort of, hated Science, and understanding all the latest techno stuff, is just way beyond me! I look at the internet as a place I can quickly find answers, that back in my school days required me to rush to the library in hopes I could sign out the proper encyclopedia (yes kids..it was a collection of alphabetical ginormous volumes, with all sorts of facts written down, wrapped in leather..or vinyl).More often than not, I would miss out and find the person who had signed the library card, and hope they found their answers, and would let me sign it out after them. That is the way life was back in the olden days! I look at the internet as a place than allows me instant access to friends, and the ability to view their photos as soon as they hit the share button.
See there are a ton of buttons on my keyboard I have no clue what their "job" is, therefore, those keys are never hit. I know the alphabet, I know quotation marks, numbers, and I certainly know what POST means when I hit the enter button. Most of the time, I hit post without a second thought, sometimes I give it plenty of thought, because I realize once I hit it, whatever I posted, is gone out into the world wide web, where anyone who wishes can view it. People I love, people I hate, people I have never, and will never meet. So..I understand, as uneducated in this new fangled computer world, as I am...what SEND and POST result in..there is no going back..deleting, well..somehow it can still slip through, and one day pop up where one least expects, maybe in Siberia, maybe in Tahiti, I find the idea awesome...the power of the internet, incredible!
So...recently I caught some snippets of something that blew me out of the water. I heard tell...(O.K. sort of sound like gossip..but sadly it's not) of an issue arising of photos of extremely young girls, nude or semi nude popping up on classmates facebook twitter, snap chat ...I am unclear of exactly where, but that doesn't matter in the big "picture". What truly matters is how the H-ll are there even pictures to be put out there? What on earth is wrong with someone, who knows far more than I do, about the workings of internet, sticking, gosh even the term, inappropriate, isn't suitable..personal, private ,intimate, pictures that the whole bloody world may someday see, online? In the world of selfies, and mirrors, it is easy to share photos that folks back in my day would never , either attempt..or trust me, manage. See, back then, pictures had to go somewhere (unless you were lucky enough to have your very own darkroom, and it is unlikely many under the age of 16, had those) to be developed, so everything was seen by someone, and...if those developing the pictures found them questionable..someone would call the "authorities" and all h-ll would break lose. Now, it is far too easy, all it takes is a phone and internet connection, and bingo..anything flies. Parents don't have a clue what their kids are up to when it comes to the internet..those little buggers know more than the average grown up.
So my question here is..what is to be done about this self inflicted kiddie porn? Sorry, that is pretty much all one can call this. Children posting "pornographic"(nude) photos of themselves. Perhaps they are sending them onto friends..but..really? First off, WTF are children not even old enough to drive, posing naked for friends? Hey, we were all kids once, sometimes friends part ways..so..who on earth wants to send pictures of themselves naked to someone who..maybe tomorrow decides they no longer want to be friends, and....wow..look at the lovely gift you handed them, to use to damage you...Again I state, I do not own a cell phone, but..I have been shown things on phone screens of others, and I often see kids gathered about one cell phone laughing at whatever is on the screen..Hellooooo...children, this could easily be a picture you sent taken in the privacy of your bathroom (seems to be the most common room for selfies) with no clothes on. HOLA!! Times have changed, and not for the better! Sure I see those posts..everyone is beautiful in their own way..be proud of your body, etc etc. Being proud of your body does not mean, show it to the whole damn world!Proud and pride should go together, but in this case, something has gone very wrong.
Who is ultimately at fault? Is it the friend who decides they are not really a friend, who chooses to share this picture with someone else who IS the friend for the moment? Is it the person who receives this picture? This is a serious question of morality. Pornography has been around for centuries, certain types are frowned upon, and most grown ups are totally aware of which ones those are. For goodness sake, even Playboy and Hustler have to be wrapped in covers so as not to offend young eyes. Get a grip world... those young eyes are putting stuff out there, that would knock your socks off, and naked pictures of little girls are definitely one type of porn that is not allowed!
What is to be done when it is the girls themselves posting this stuff? What is to be done when it is little boys who are receiving this stuff? Can either be classed as sexual offenders? I find it horrendous to imagine some young child getting branded with this stigma, so making juvenile delinquents out of those foolish enough to do this, does not seem to be the right answer. Is it peer pressure? I have to think this plays into things in a big way, but Lord love us..I understand children do not often think of the future, but, something like this can affect a person for the rest of their lives.
The internet is relatively new, it has brought along with the amazing stuff I enjoy, a truck load of issues, that are going to be extremely difficult to deal with, because...controlling access is pretty much impossible, parental locks do not stop a child from using a friend's computer or cell phone.
If those children who have grown up with internet pretty much all their young lives, are not aware of the ramifications of actions such as these...it is time to find a way to educate them. It is time to show them how serious a click of that send button is.
I understand, there is no way the world is going to revert to those days of encyclopedia's and developed film..but...I almost yearn for the days of old..when life was simple, and children were far more innocent than they are now. I feel pity for them..pity that they have grown up far to fast in some ways, and not at all in others!
What is the answer?
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