Teen shock videos are becoming more popular on YouTube and social networking sites. Several cases in the U.S. indicate that kids are videotaping and posting fights online in order to gain Internet fame. Police in Boulder, CO broke up one teen fight club and are investigating others. In another case, a 16 year-old girl in Lakeland, FL was assaulted by a group of six girls while two boys stood guard. One of her assailants then posted the video online. The girls allegedly attacked her because of comments the victim made on MySpace. While cases like these have drawn media attention to the issue, this is not a new trend.

Talk to your kids about the draw of watching and creating shock videos. Make sure they understand that posting these videos online will not bring them fame but infamy. Remind them that videos posted online can be used by police as evidence in a crime and that both the "actors" and the "camera person" could be prosecuted. This is good news for bullying victims who now have evidence of the assaults. If you or your child sees evidence of a crime online, don't ignore it! Notify the police and help send a message about responsible online behavior. Check out these tips for parents about how to talk to your kids about online violence from Common Sense Media.

Distinguishing fact from fiction is an essential element in preparing your children to face possible online risks. A recent study, "Online 'Predators' and Their Victims: Myths, Realities, and Implications for Prevention and Treatment," is a must-read for parents and guardians worried about what their children may face online.

The study's authors rightfully draw attention to sensationalized media coverage of online predators. For instance, many stories cite the statistic from a 2005 study that states 1 in 7 youth is contacted by an Internet predator; the stories do not indicate that many of the youth believed these solicitations to be from other youth or just careless vulgar comments. Additionally, the study reports that 1 in 25 received an aggressive solicitation in which the solicitor tried to meet offline. This is a much more accurate representation of the sexual solicitation of youth by online predators. In an effort to clarify this distinction in our own programming, NetSmartz has identified and is in the process of amending the materials in which we use this statistic.

The study also indicates that predators are more likely to communicate with teens in chatrooms and through IM rather than their social networking pages. While this may be true, the data from the study was generated at the beginning of the social networking phenomenon. NetSmartz hesitates to dismiss the fear that a predator may initially contact teens through social networking sites, which are after all becoming one-stop shops for online communication, offering their own e-mail, forum, chatroom, and IM services. These communication tools are no longer separate entities, so pay attention to your teens' online activities to determine which tools they're using and how they are using them.

The researchers also find that "posting personal information online does not, by itself, appear to be a particularly risky behavior." Essentially, posting personal information online in combination with other risky behavior, such as talking to unknown people online about sex or other provocative subject matter, poses more of a risk to teens. However, NetSmartz still strongly insists that children refrain from posting personal information online, including their name, address, phone number, e-mail address, vulnerabilities, secrets, provocative photos, and evidence of dangerous or criminal behavior. Just as you would continue advising people to wear seatbelts, even if there were no car accidents for a year, NetSmartz will continue advising children not to post personal information online.

Revealing too much online puts children at risk from

• Predators that may access a child's personal information and use it to harm him or her
  
• Cyberbullies who may use a child's personal information as a weapon to spread rumors, distribute incriminating photos or conversations, or impersonate him or her online
  
• Scammers who may identify children who reveal personal information online as easy targets for manipulation.
  

Furthermore, children and teens who post incriminating photos or information may damage future educational and career opportunities.

If you take away one thing from this study, let it be this: focus on the realities of online risks, not your worst fears. Here at NetSmartz we are optimistic that most teens seem to have absorbed the message and are practicing safer online behaviors. Now let's focus our attention on the ones who don't.

When pop stars realize that an action has consequences, it might be time for all of us to take a closer look. Case in point: Mariah Carey's single "Touch My Body" from her recently released album E=MC² features the usual sexually charged lyrics and suggestions, but with a twist:

If there's a camera up in here, then I'd best not catch this flick on YouTube (YouTube)
'Cause if you run your mouth and brag about this secret rendezvous I will hunt you down.

Ms. Carey's to-the-point lyrics emphasize her understanding of the world's diminishing privacy. As a star she is safe nowhere, not even in her own bedroom – but she's not the only one. Teenagers may think it's funny or cool to film nude bodies and sexual exploits. They should be made aware that this is illegal, even if the bodies and the exploits belong to them.

In 2007 two Florida teens were prosecuted for producing and distributing child pornography, despite the fact that the pictures were of themselves and only e-mailed between each other.

Other teens have faced arrest and jail time for sending nude pictures through their cell phones. To many it's just a joke, and sometimes the person in the picture is not just the victim but the perpetrator of the crime. However, teens should take a cue from Ms. Carey's song; if they are caught possessing or distributing nude pictures of minors, someone will hunt them down. The police.

Today's youth, better known in the tech world as "digital natives," have learned to use technology in both positive and negative ways. For instance, social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook offer teens the opportunity to socialize with their online "friends" and express creativity in their profiles. Social networkers also utilize a variety of applications to spice up their pages. One such application, Facebook's "Honesty Box," has received some negative press lately due to its use as a weapon of choice for cyberbullies.

Essentially, the "Honesty Box" allows users to anonymously post whatever they want on their friends' pages. Unfortunately, what was intended to be a light-hearted activity between friends has become a cyberbullying tool, resulting in mean and sometimes threatening messages to users. Perhaps this trend will inspire the old adage: If you can't say anything nice, then don't say anything at all.