minor grrski

[susie_flo]

Some parent is wittering on the radio right now about his decision not to allow his 14-year-old daughter to have a Facebook account, on the basis that she "should be talking to her friends" to find out what they are up to...  (personally, I'm amazed she bothered to ask permission).
 
I rarely find my interest captured by parenting debates, but wilful ludditism manages to anger me every time.
  
FFS, people... it's time to accept the internet.  By all means, teach your children how to use it.  But if you really want to alienate yourself, go ahead and ban it... cos - yeah!  That'll work.
 
Tsk.
 

Comments

[the-meanest-cat.livejournal.com]

Reduced to commenting on my own post but...

Ye gods! My WTF levels are now in official overdrive due to the continued series of anti-internet parents waxing lyrical. Opinionated ignorance - it gives me physical pain.

I especially enjoyed the statement "the internet is not good for children because it is mind-numbing". (Oh yes, now you come to mention it, I can see how the largest, fastest-moving source of information and social interaction in the history of mankind is somewhat mind-numbing...)

And those people who state proudly that they refuse to use FB or Twitter because "I don't want to know every time someone has a cup of tea"... (well, frankly my dears, if the only people you know in life are liable to micro-blog every cup of tea, then your problem is not the internet).

[lazy-hoor.livejournal.com]

My favourite Daily Mail headline ever.

[the-meanest-cat.livejournal.com]

Ha ha! Oh, god bless the daily mail...
(or on second thoughts, don't)

[lazy-hoor.livejournal.com]

Is it National Ban the Internet Day?

[the-meanest-cat.livejournal.com]

Heh - I had the same thought when I saw your post!

[lazy-hoor.livejournal.com]

I don't know what I'd do without t'internet.

Do some work, probably.

[green-badger.livejournal.com]

I can see why parents might want to limit their children's internet use, or make them give it up for a period of time in order to experience what it's like without it, but to ban it altogether seems ridiculous, as well as disadvantageous.

Someone should point out to that parent that FB probably is how his daughter does talk to her friends to find out what they are up to. xxx

[the-meanest-cat.livejournal.com]

Exactly that... banning his daughter from FB is only going to alienate her from her friends, socially.

It saddens me when parents automatically associate social change and technological progress with a turn for the worse.

[nalsa.livejournal.com]

This is kind of strange. I got the strongest sense of deja-vu reading this, like I'd already read it. Weird.

Anyway! Should children feature in my future they will be taught computing from the ground up, so that by the time they want a Fb account they'll have to build a fully-functioning fibreoptic network and server farm in order to get there. Unless, yanno, they have global wifi pyrolitic implants stuffed behind their ears.

[the-meanest-cat.livejournal.com]

Well... it's entirely possible you've read it before. (Memory like a sieve... I'm probably repeat-ranting) :-)

And yes - I reckon the implants are a-coming! (I just hope I can keep up with the next gen for fear of turning luddite myself)

[perfectlyvague.livejournal.com]

deja-lu...

[whiteshadow.livejournal.com]

Oddly enough I actually have sympathy for that caller,if I had children they would not have Facebook accounts, my friends teenage children never leave their room on an evening now due to Facebook ... sounds OK in theory but they are lacking any form of communication skills on a one to one or group basis... plus it is addictive.

Don't get me wrong Internet = Good - Facebook = waste of time

D