Since the subconscious decision was made by my parents and teachers that I was old enough to learn about the evil of paedophilia, I have been informed of the fact (or rather had it hammered into me) that the Internet is an UNSAFE place where RAPISTS AND MURDERERS like to prey on girls like myself and if I tell anybody my initials I will be STALKED and MURDERED and ABDUCTED.
I have to be quite careful with how I phrase this, because I don’t want to cause too much offense, but I think that it’s all a bit much. I’m a sensible person, too sensible some would argue, but the fact is that I am not an idiot. The first couple of times that I was told about the need to keep personal information a secret when online, I listened and I took it in. I placed the lesson on file in my mind in between ‘don’t talk to strangers’ and ‘don’t eat yellow snow.’ The sort of person who does not pay attention to such a lesson after ‘learning’ on two occasions will probably not suddenly decide to do so after having it shouted at her for the nineteenth time. I don’t know who you’re kidding.
I’m not saying that people who are preyed on by cruel, amoral freaks and perverts deserve what they get; I would never say that, it’s a ridiculous idea. However, I am saying that if someone doesn’t learn a social rule after being told it a few times, then they probably won’t. So, putting everyone through a long, rambling lecture on the dangers of the internet is just unnecessary. Instilling the fear of God into every child with internet access is going to hinder them more than help them.
My reasoning is this. Do not tell people online things you wouldn’t be willing to tell a stranger you met on the street. Would you tell them your first name? I would. Would you tell them your age? I would. Would you give them your phone number? No. It’s simple. Using common sense is what people need to learn to do. It’s not rocket science.
The way I see it, if some crazy man is that certain that he wants my details, he will probably get them, whether or not I tell him my sex, age and name. The people who meet men they have met online, thinking they are 14 year olds and finding out they’re 55, clearly didn’t understand what you were saying. But does that mean that you should tell them twelve more times? No, that would be silly. Just teach someone something once, and then, hopefully, the lesson will be learned.
People should give other people more credit. A minority of the people online are perverts, you can have that in writing.
