In the recent podcast interview I did with EdTech Live, the interviewer, Steve Hargadon, said "So the message of Totally Wired is basically 'Don't panic.'" When I heard that, I thought, "Yes! That's my message!" As I continue to try to share this message with parents and educators, I am more and more aware of how other people are framing this issue. I wrote about this awhile back in a post about press releases that cause panic. I believe that the people behind these press releases genuinely care about kids' safety, but there are always other motivations at play.

With politicians, it's often about knowing that drafting legislation that deletes predators and protects children will always be popular, even if the legislation itself doesn't address the real issues or creates a whole new set of problems (i.e. blocking access to social networks in public libraries cuts off low-income teens who don't have the internet at home). And with companies that create products that block, filter or monitor what kids are doing online, the message that gets parents to buy their products is often laced with fear and worry.

I received an emailed press release from Symantec about their recent town hall meetings designed to get parents and kids engaged around being safe online. While I mostly support what they're doing, I still think the campaign relies too heavily on making parents worry about predators and cyberbullying instead of taking a more holistic approach to bridging the gap between parents and teens around teens' digital lives.

They have to do this because they want parents to buy products that will allegedly make them feel more safe and secure. And in order to want to buy something that makes you feel safe and secure, you have to create the opposite feeling in your potential customers. They have also partnered with Miss America -- the feminist in me cringes knowing this woman had to walk the stage in a swimsuit and high-heels in order to win her title. Lauren Nelson's platform is "protecting children from the dangers of the internet," which was inspired by her own experience: "When Nelson was 13, she and her friends gave their name, age and location to someone online who was later discovered to be a sexual predator."

What Symantec found when they polled youth isn't surprising to me.

- According to the June 2007 poll, parents of children under 18 who access the Internet think their child is online three hours a week, on average, but children ages 8-17 admit to spending an average of seven hours online a week, and nearly a quarter (23 percent) report doing things online that their parents would not condone.

- Twenty-one percent of children have reported having an experience with inappropriate material via the Internet that made them feel uncomfortable

- Eighteen percent of children have had an experience with cyberbullyng or cyber pranks (such as receiving messages, images or videos intended as a joke or prank)

- Twenty-three percent of children have had an encounter with a stranger on the Internet, including seven percent of children who reported having met someone in the real world from the Internet

- Twenty percent of children wish their parents were more interested in using the Internet

The last statistic makes me happy. If you view the internet as a virtual public space that reflects (and at times amplifies) what happens in the "offline world," then it makes sense that kids would encounter strangers, inappropriate material and bullying. It also makes sense that kids would try to get away with doing stuff online their parents wouldn't condone, just as they do at the mall or at a party or anywhere parents aren't looking. I'm glad Symantec is promoting dialogue -- it's needed, and it sounds like at least 20 percent of kids are open to it. I just wish we could frame the discussion as something other than being about "the dangers of the internet."