Instant messaging pressuring teens, spreading good, bad info

St. Louis Post-Dispatch ^ | 06/19/03 | JAKE WAGMAN

[Bahbah]

"I actually know people who talk like this," Brian said. "They will go around and say, `LOL.' "

No, you're kidding, right. LOL.

[MineralMan]

Rule 1: Never have naked pictures of yourself. They _will_ appear somewhere you wish they hadn't.
Rule 2: See rule 1.

[j.havenfarm]

Rule three: If you're stupid enough to violate Rule 1 and Rule 2, you have no one to blame but yourself for the consequences.

[Lou L]

Call me a perv, but when I saw the cell phones that could transmit pictures, my first thought was, "oh yeah--these will be used to transmit explicit photos at some point."

[MineralMan]

"Call me a perv, but when I saw the cell phones that could transmit pictures, my first thought was, "oh yeah--these will be used to transmit explicit photos at some point."
"

Yup. There are a couple of threads on FR about someplace in Australia (I think) where they're banning cell phones from the girls' locker room, for just that reason.

I'm sure it's already happening out there.

[nravoter]

Technically, he said, the circulation of an explicit photo of a 14-year-old girl, like at MICDS, violates federal statutes

Yeah, "technically". As in "You know, you might not believe this, but it's actually illegal to circulate nude pictures of minors. What a surprise!

[tdadams]

It's maddening how technology really brings out the perv in people. What adult gets their jollies by IMing with a teenager? And what adult thinks that teenager isn't completely creeped out when they call and the teen finds out they're NOT a teenager? Some people are really delusional.

[cyborg]

i answered a personal ad, and I thought the man was older. It turned out when I called HIS MOTHER answered the phone and cursed me out for seducing her 16 year old son. I told her, hey lady your son is going around telling girls he's thirty and giving out your phone number. Besides the fact, I do not believe in premarital sex, I felt doubly awful that this boy's mother thought I was some wanton slut. That's why I do not meet people through the Internet. Too many headcases, esp. the men. The Internet is anonymous so the inner sicko pervert molester comes out in a lot of people. I stopped ICQing because too many people want to have 'net sex'.

[Bikers4Bush]

They've been banned from all locker rooms, not just the girls.

[Bikers4Bush]

Please don't take this the wrong way but that story is hilarious. Can you imagine his mom getting a hold of the paper and seeing their number printed?

If she didn't pound him she should have.

[cyborg]

No wrong way taken... I started laughing myself. His mother probably grounded him and took away his computer for all I know...LOL

[Bikers4Bush]

Oh man that's even worse! I thought you meant a newspaper personal. If he had it out there on the net then the whole world could see it.

I've always stayed away from chat rooms and the like. Too many weirdos out there.

[tdadams]

LOL! Not to get a kick at your expense, but that's really funny.

[cyborg]

LOL... I definately get a laugh when I tell that story

[tdadams]

It sounds like a Seinfeld episode, the one where Elaine had a crush on a video store clerk she'd only talked to on the phone. Then when she went to meet him at his apartment, she's confronted by his mom, while she's holding a bag with lingere and vodka in it. He's a pimpled 15 year old. LOL!

[rwfromkansas]

I like IM'ing, though my IM craze was over several years ago. I used to talk to a lot of people. Now...just one main person, but she is so busy now she rarely gets online. I haven't actually opened my IM software in days, as it would require me finding new people to talk to if I wanted and quite frankly, I don't want do go through all that trouble.

But, IM'ing is a great way to communicate, especially for shy folks. You can actually think a bit about what you want to say, which is good for someone like me who is not good at conversations and has trouble thinking of things to say. I met someone through IM'ing and we are friends now, offline as well though now that she has moved to Nebraska it really is only online now.

There are some dangers of IM'ing, like you don't know if the person you are talking to is really that person. But, the dangers expressed in this article are quite exaggerated.

[bedolido]

great story...lol. thx for the afternoon laugh... I needed it.

[rwfromkansas]

"But she says the instant messaging culture - where peer pressure pops up through endless message windows - is also partly responsible."

Mr. Journalist, it is obvious you have never IM'd. Unlike in real life, you can simply ban people from talking to you.

Some peer pressure. Give me a break.

[rwfromkansas]

right