Most kids are doing things on the Internet that may be considered illegal – or at least things you “should not do”. Here are 5 things, almost every teenager has probably done at some point on the Internet:
1. Instead of buying computer games, download the game for free using programs like BitTorrent. What is BitTorrent? So if you are a parent reading this, it’s likely you don’t even know. But BitTorrent is the most common p2p protocol for downloading files for free and fast. Ask your kids, they are probably using it to get movies and games for free.
2. Break into another kid’s Facebook account and write things in their name…
3. Open groups and fan pages on Facebook for teachers they do not like and post nasty or insulting stuff about the teacher.
4. Open accounts on adult websites like dating sites and pretend to be older. Anyone can set up a fake profile and then start interacting with other people that use the online dating service.
5. Open accounts on gift sites such as Lockerz and use Bots and other cheats to accumulate points for getting gifts from the site.
The Internet is a very big part of my life, and when I imagine life without it, it seems very boring. Without the internet it would be much harder to communicate with friends. I would have to call them or meet them in order to be in touch and make plans. Now, all I need to do is log on to Facebook or Messenger and start chatting with a few friends at a time. Sometimes it is Continue reading “Teenage Confessions: Life Would be Better Without Internet” »
I first started using chat and Instant Message programs when I was 9. I first used ICQ and continued to use it for about 3 years. I stopped using it becuase I had problems with it on my computer and so I set up an MSN account. On my ICQ I had about 90 contacts but on my Messenger I only had about 25 bescause most of my friends kept using ICQ. Continue reading “How Kids Choose How to Communicate Online – No Loyalty” »
Today, anyone and everyone can take a picture or even a video at any moment and upload it to the Internet without a second’s thought. It’s become a popular way to embarrass friends and many people end up embarrassing themselves! BEWARE – once you upload, you lose control of where it ends up. And it can be online FOREVER!
I don’t think of myself as a gamer and I don’t really meet the criteria of a gamer. Sometimes when I have just played or am really bored at school, I start thinking about playing only war games and imagine how the game will go. But when it comes down to what I prefer to do and what I really like to do, I always prefer friends over computer games.
I have one friend that does not have many after-school activities and sometimes plays over 4 hours per day. During the summer, he was home for the entire 2 months with no organized activities and he played for as much12 hours a couple of days! I can’t imagine doing that. I would get bored.
Sometimes in school I talk to my friends about the games if we played together the day before. We discuss the game and how each of us played and cool things that happened. But it is not the main thing we talk about. Lately, when I feel like playing I usually call a friend to see if he wants to play.
I never really had a fight with a friend about a game but sometimes we argue about who is better or what really happened; it can get ugly
Counter Strike is one of the most popular multiplayer first person shooting games in the world. I first played it at a friend’s house and I felt like I had to have it. Continue reading “Counter Strike: Condition Zero” »
Zynga poker is one of the most popular games on Facebook. When I first started using Facebook about 1 year ago, I immediately noticed that most of my friends were playing Texas Hold’m Zynga Poker. I was getting 5 – 10 poker related invites each day. Even though I never played poker and thought it was an adult game, I felt I should try the game out since everyone else seemed to be playing. Continue reading “Zynga Poker – A Teenage Sensation on Facebook” »
Jordan is a 14 year old friendly, bright, athletic boy who loves computers. He is into gaming, downloading music, watching videos and is also interested in the technical side of computing. He attended an e-camp last summer to learn a bit more about programming and has become the computer technician for his family, taking care of their 3 family computers and 4 work computers located in his parent’s home office. He even started his own business by offering friends to program their ipod Touch and quickly gained a reputation for knowing everything about the device.
Jordan is active on Facebook and other sites that are geared to recruiting kids to market products online. He is online every day, but not every waking hour. Sometimes his parents yell that he spends too much time online, but they keep an eye on him and make sure he is always offline by 10pm.
At the same time, we think Jordan has taken a healthy approach to the Internet and has succeeded to keep it in perspective. He is into sports and a very social kid who prefers “real’ gatherings with friends over virtual meetings. He views Facebook as simply another communication tool and a convenient way to stay in touch, he plays several network games but never becomes obsessed and in general, balances his life online well with life offline.
We invited Jordan to start a blog – to write about the things online that interest him, tell us about some games and how they have succeeded to become so popular and to keep us on our toes about the upcoming trends and things to watch out for when our kids go online.
