The popularity of social networking sites has turned the Internet into a virtual public meeting place for all ages. Through email, instant messaging, chat rooms and text messages, gossip has found a way to spread not only locally but also globally. How does this affect tweens, a demographic group made up of children between the ages of eight and thirteen?
The media have always addressed this universal theme. Currently, “Gossip Girl” – a series of young adult novels by Cecily von Ziegesar (now the subject of a teen soap opera of the same name on the CW television network) focuses on how technology is used to spread gossip and rumours. among its main characters: wealthy young private school students who are members of New York’s elite social circle. Although the television series, as well as the content of the books, is not suitable for children, it has a large fan base made up of pre-teen girls. They are most likely drawn to Gossip Girl because of its fashion history, but also because some may identify with being the subject of internet gossip.
Today, instead of being the subject of a malicious grade in class, a twelve-year-old girl can learn that someone has posted hateful comments about her appearance or false rumors about her sexual behavior on the Internet, where thousands of people could read that. It sounds hard to believe. But this happens more often than you think. Has the media done anything to help teens cope with this damaging influence?
This phenomenon has led B*tween Productions Inc. to create a series of books starring the Beacon Street Girls (BSG) – five friends (Katani, Avery, Charlotte, Isabel and Maeve) who represent the average pre-teen – with the purpose of providing positive media influences and role models for this impressionable age group. The BSG books were written with the consultation of experts on girls, adolescence, childhood issues, and development.
One of the books in this popular series focuses on the negative effects of cyberbullying and provides guidance for children on the Internet. In the book Just Kidding, the Beacon Street Girls learn about gossip, no joke zones, and how the Internet can be used to spread rumours, spoil friendships, and contribute to hurt feelings. The book also includes a list of fun and safe places for kids, including their own interactive website (www.beaconstreetgirls.com), which features a safe social networking site and online club.
Since pre-adolescence is a critical time in a child’s development, gossip and cyberbullying can be especially harsh at this emotionally sensitive time. While the adult-themed “Gossip Girl” hypes it up, Beacon Street Girls helps kids see the divisive effect it can have. The media would do well to follow the lead of B*tween productions and provide positive resources to help parents educate themselves and their tweens on how to combat this menace.