Teens are the primary producers of web content, and continue to publish their ideas, experiences, stories, observations, and opinions on blogs, web journals, or personal profile pages (e.g., on Facebook). Additionally, they publish the pictures they take, the music and videos they produce, and many other forms of artistic, creative, intellectual, and social expression. While they are well-familiar with the benefits, teens must become aware of the inherent risks in personal publishing so that they can enjoy it in a safe, responsible, and productive manner. Through real-world and online examples, this presentation sets parameters and guidelines for electronic content made and shared by adolescents, and covers in depth the aspects of audience, anonymity, permanence, copyright, and free speech. Its overall goal is to induce youth to “check themselves before they wreck themselves” through self-reflection prior to their personal publishing.
(45-60 minutes)
