I WONDER if I should startle my primary school children with discussions about what other people can see and hear. After I made a short audio clip on Anchor (an app you can get on Android and iOS) about this idea, I started to wonder if I might be creating a bigger problem by opening a can of worms years before it should be considered.
Much of the rage around young people and computing concerns how Facebook, Google, and Microsoft may collect information from school kids using web browsers and apps. The potentially sensitive data could eventually make its way into the hands of third-party advertisers. The result is a little creepy for many young people and their parents.
I come from a background where snooping was a federal activity. Because we knew a white van had its antenna array pointed at our workplace, we took active measures to reduce our audible and electronic signals. I shared some of my memories with young Mia (nine days from turning nine) and based on the silence that followed, I believe I should have tabled the breakfast conversation for a few years.
+++ Bernie Goldbach works with young teens whose voices fill the tracks of YMT.fm.
