"Upgrade Urged on Children's Privacy"

        In today's world, technology has become a major part of our lives. Through the decades it has reached a point where many of us have already become dependent on it, especially young children. The article "Update Urged on Children's Privacy", written by Somini Sengupta and published in the New York Times discusses about the growing number of children using cellphones and social networking to communicate with one another. According to this article, the Federal Trade Commission proposed that certain changes and regulation should be put on online privacy considering children under the age of thirteen. The FTC has also suggested that web sites that collect information be ensured that they will protect it and hold onto it for as long as it is necessary, then proceed to safely delete it. One other major issue that the FTC has brought to light, is enforcement on social networking sites. For example, Facebook is only limited to people of a certain age, but children can easily lie about their age. Because of this, a Facebook official has informed parents that it is better to teach their children to be safe online instead of having them offline.
        I believe this article to be extremely important considering that the new generation is becoming more and more exposed to technology and are making it a part of their lives. As more children began to use the social media, the more they become exposed to online criminals and pedophiles pretending to be their age. It is not difficult at all to create a fake profile and children are being easily fooled by this. Another big concern on the internet is cyber bullying. Other children who normally wouldn't say certain words in real life find it easier to say it online, behind a computer. Cyber bullying is dangerous in many ways, such as lowering one's self esteem and in extreme cases can even be fatal. This issue continues to grow today and many actions are being taken place to handle it, including the improvement on children's safety online. Since computers are becoming such a huge part of children's daily lives it's also important to make sure they are safe and protected.