Cyber Relationships

Cyber Relationships

Copyright Andrew Fuller www.andrewfuller.com.au 

Online relationships are becoming as important as face-to-face ones. In fact cyber friendships are so important to young people that many of them would endure pain rather than lose access to them.  As one young man commented, “ I’d rather lose a leg than access to facebook”. On average, young people have 56 online friends.

The strength of online relationships mirrors the best and at times, the worst of face-to-face relationships. The only problem is that when things go badly online, they go really badly. As we know, what goes on the net stays on the net.

In fast paced heated interactions in chat rooms, people who are usually friendly and positive can post nasty and hurtful comments with devastating consequences. For this reason, we need to develop netiquette- standards of behaviour for people online.

Cyber-safety is about relationships and how people behave rather than about technology.

Almost two thirds of children have had a negative experience online and 20% feel badly about something they have done online.

The following guidelines have been compiled from suggestions made by thousands of young people and may be useful to consider, or use as a discussion point.

To read the full article please open the attachment below:

Mark Metcalf 

Adolescent Health