Teens Talk Back: Tripping on YouTube
7/15/2008
If I were a parent or guardian, I might worry about how the videos my children saw on video sharing sites like YouTube could affect their behavior. Despite terms of use which exclude inappropriate and illegal content from the sites, it is easy to come across videos showing anything from nudity to drug use. And sometimes, these videos give people ideas that they might not have had own their own…My friend Chris* watched some videos where people were trippin’ on the drug salvia divinorum. He thought they were hilarious and decided to post a video of himself trippin’ on the drug. The five minute video shows Chris completely oblivious to the camera and staring off into space, giggling about how “wild” everything felt. As the drug continues to affect him, Chris freaks out and becomes terrified of everything around him.
Before Chris deleted the video, it received over 2,000 hits, meaning 2,000 people might have watched his trip. He deleted it after some of our friends and I pointed out that no company would ever want to hire someone who purposefully showed themselves to the public in such a negative light. Even though nothing has been brought to his attention yet, there is no telling how much Chris may have damaged his health by taking the drug and his future by posting the video.
* Name changed to protect the identity of those involved.
Colin - NetSmartz Intern
Join us every Friday to read the opinions of our interns in the NetSmartz blog installment Teens Talk Back.
