When Facebook promotes hate, turns deadly

by Kate Willoughby Hall, Richmondmom.com CEO and Mompreneur, and lover of social media as Richmondmom on Twitter

Teens, as well as the rest of the world, clearly love Facebook, Twitter, and other forms of social media, such as the dying-off site Myspace.com that helped launch the whole social media craze.

The sites have long been fodder for bullying and name-calling, everyday people and celebrities alike are targets for cruel group/fan pages. Take for example: If 1,000 people join this group Justin Bieber will admit he’s gay When brought down to the local level, these “fun” groups can clearly hurt a person’s reputation and certainly feelings, such as “If 1,000 people join this group Maggie Lewis will finally shower.”

Anti-Facebook site sickfacebook.com claimed that hate groups grew by 20% on Facebook.

But what happens when Facebook turns deadly? In a recent article in Forbes Magazine online, it’s revealed that two teens showed up dead and their names later showed up on a “Hit List” on Facebook. One was killed after their name appeared on the deadly list. The investigation continues; and like any social media forum, Facebook has become the medium for hate that turns deadly. And while Facebook is surely not the cause of the deaths, it’s providing a connection for the murders.

Although most teens will never experience anything deadly on the popular site, they—and their parents—should take precautions to keep their kids safe. Facebook will remove groups that promote hate, such as the one where members refused to believe the Holocaust occurred. Ultimately, though, it’s the responsibility of the parent to find out as much as they can about their child’s online identity and activities.

If you’re concerned about your child’s account, Facebook also offers a host of great questions and answers for parents so they may monitor their children’s activities on Facebook. This list includes very specific questions (surely from many real-life situations) such as:

What if my teen’s current or ex-boyfriend/girlfriend is controlling or monitoring what they do on Facebook?

and

What do I do if someone is attacking my teen in a public forum?

The Facebook help list also suggests privacy measures that teens—or anyone—may take to safeguard their account and help to make the site what it was meant to be—a safe place to connect, unwind, and learn.

Comments:

Kristi on 08/26 at 10:31 PM

Kate, this is SUCH a helpful article for parents. I am definitely going to pass it on to my friends who have teenagers. Thanks!

Comments:

GayleSmithMD on 09/04 at 10:34 PM

Check out CommonSenseMedia.org for a whole host of resources as well as emerging research on the impact of advertsing and the Internet in the lives of our tech-savvy kids. Loved the recent article titled The Seven Deadly Sins of Technology.

GSS