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I was reading an article about social networking a few months back and something the writer said just rubbed me the wrong way. I chewed on it for a while to make sure I wasn’t just being sensitive, but the more I’ve thought about this particular statement the more irritated I’ve become. 

In this article, the writer said that social networking is killing our kids. Now, I understand the philosophy behind this statement. I even get all the arguments made in regards to this very touchy subject. But this seems like a pretty broad statement… even for a conservative mother like myself.

So many gifted men and women are passionately dedicating their lives to ensuring the next generation is prepared for this technologically advanced world we live in. And social networking is a big part of that world folks, whether we like it or not.

Yes, I am extremely aware that children have managed to get themselves into trouble because of social networking sites like MySpace. But to say the technology that is available to them, is killing them, is a gross exaggeration. And yes, I know it was not meant to be taken literally.

My rebuttal to this broad statement is… MySpace is not the problem. What is ”killing” these kids is their lack of adult supervision, personal moral convictions, and integrity. You show me a kid that has gotten into trouble because of social networking, and I’ll show you a kid that is lacking one or more  of the aforesaid qualities.

Please understand where I am coming from. I am not advocating the use of MySpace or FaceBook by children. I honestly don’t know much about them. But I do use Twitter and have a personal blog. I have discovered for myself the numerous practical and positive uses in social networking. It is an awesome tool! 

But even an innocuous or positive tool can be perverted into something wicked when placed in the hands of a child (or adult) with a mind to do wrong.

Let me put it this way: Vehicles are pretty much necessary for survival these days, and they are an awesome tool. But cars kill probably thousands of people everyday, so why haven’t we gotten rid of our cars to reduce risk? Why haven’t we reverted to the horse and buggy mode of transportation to keep our kids from being hit by cars?And under those extremely unfortunate circumstances when a child does die in a car accident of some kind, do we blame the car for killing the child? Do we slap cuffs on the car and haul his big bumper to jail? No, how can we? It’s just an object.

How can we blame an inanimate object for destroying our children, or our families? We cannot. The issue lies deeper. The heart of the problem is the heart itself. We must be diligent as parents to know the hearts of our children.

You may be saying, “Oh, well, I trust my child.”

Umm…. why? We can’t even trust most adults. What makes us think we can trust a child?

I suppose it’s a lot easier to put on the coat of denial and pretend that our children will make the right choices when we are not looking. I suppose it’s easier to let them be entertained by their little virtual world so we can get other things done. But that only lasts for a season. The problems will come. Eyes become opened to the heart of the child, but now it’s too late. Their little bloggy world has gotten them into trouble.

Yes, there are some dangers to this growing entity we know as social networking. But the real dangers exist when kids (especially teenagers) are left to themselves. It is time to be proactive in this business of raising our kids. Parents need to be keeping their children accountable for their computer usage. Parents need to be teaching their children about integrity, self respect, and morals.

Children must be taught the proper uses of technology. They must have a respect for what it can do, and the dangers that may exist. Technology, in all of it’s forms, is the future. We need to train our children as such. To neglect this task is to cripple their future.

Technology and social networking is not “killing” our kids.  

Ignorance is.