Exploring identity online

"Cyberspace offers a bevy of tempting opportunities to pretend to be who you're not. Yet teens don't typically go online to deceive others but to confront their own identities," reports ScienceNews.org in its look at the latest research about online teen behavior. The article leads with some disturbing discussion-board "conversation" about self-hurting techniques. This is certainly not just about social-networking, which is only the latest form of online community. But marginalized kids can find the wrong kind of "support" on the social networks too. Parents need to know about this, because – as one child psychologist told us recently – because young people engaging in self-destructive behavior can be very secretive. And Web sites that are "pro-ana" (for anorexia) or about pro-cutting definitely don't broadcast themselves. As for what kids find there (in this case, the self-injury board analyzed in a study done at Cornell University): "Many postings provided emotional support to other members. Participants also frequently discussed circumstances that triggered self-mutilation…. Some message senders detailed ways to seek aid for physical and emotional problems, but others described feeling addicted to self-injury. More ominously, a substantial minority of messages either discouraged self-injurers from seeking formal medical or mental help or shared details about self-harm techniques and ways to keep the practice secret."