May 2006

Secret Keepers in the News

by John Prin
Addiction Counselor
Here's what Attorney General of Minnesota Mike Hatch said about teens and their online behavior."Kids' imagination create secret lives on the Internet."* The notion that the Internet is a haven for people's double identities is nothing new. In a recent Pew study (July 2005), 62 percent of teens said they "believe most teens do things online they'd rather their parents not see." **

This suggests that millions more Americans are learning secret-keeping® habits because this technology allows them anonymity -- and at a younger and more tender age than ever. Not a happy trend!

One misuse of the Web occurs when youth act as "cyber bullies." A case occurred here in Minnesota just weeks ago when two 7th-grade boys posed as their art teacher online and sent sexually explicit e-mails to 6th-grade girls.*** Shocked and dismayed, the school authorities placed the accused teacher on several days of administrative leave until the truth surfaced.

Plainly, these boys held the upper hand -- for a while. As is so often the case, children raised in front of computer screens ironically are ahead of parents and adults. In most other categories, parents and adults are ahead of teens. Yet the damage of pranksters assuming false identities continues at an explosive rate.

Is the Web fostering a new generation of Secret Keepers®? Can anyone deny it?

If you are confronted by similar issues, contact me for help. Email John Prin your thoughts.

You can also reach me at 952-941-1870 or read my books, Stolen Hours: Breaking Free From Secret Addictions. and the sequel, Secret Keeping: Overcoming Hidden Habits and Addictions.

* Valley View Middle School Parents' Forum, Edina, MN, May 1, 2006
** Pew Internet & American Life Project, Teens and Technology
*** Mpls. StarTribune, Internet Gives Power to Vengeful Students, April 23, 2006, p. A1 & A20