Wednesday, June 6, 2007

A cautionary tale

When we are trying to get through to our teens about the dangers the Internet can pose, we usually are warning them to be careful about the personal information they post on social networking sites. Do you have the sense that what you say goes in one ear etc etc? It's because they are in that "it-can't-happen-to-me" place. Here's a concrete example that just might get through. Unfortunately, it comes at the expense of 18-year-old Allison Stokke who didn't even make the mistake of posting something inappropriate. All she did was live her life. Here are the bones of the story:

Stokke is a high school pole vaulter in Norwalk, Calif., who has won state titles, broken national records and earned a college scholarship. Her photo, taken routinely and innocently by a local sports photographer, got posted early last month on a message board. It got noticed by a sports blogger who often veers into X-rated content. He posted the picture and a few choice remarks. Suddenly, her photo was all over the Internet & YouTube.

Writes Washington Post writer Eli Saslow:

"Stokke read on message boards that dozens of anonymous strangers had turned her picture into the background image on their computers. She felt violated. It was like becoming the victim of a crime, Stokke said. Her body had been stolen and turned into a public commodity, critiqued in fan forums devoted to everything from hip-hop to Hollywood."

In the interest of not adding fuel to the fire, I'm not posting any of the photos, which are easy enough to track down, or naming any of the websites. Chances are your high school student has seen them already, anyway. Especially the boys. Still, this is one of those opportunities where you don't need to lecture, you just need to talk. The point is that obvious.

Posted by Barbara Meltz at 03:33 PM

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