What passes for Entertainment These Days?
Last week in the news was the horrifying story of a Brisbane law professor who had been posing as singer Justin Beiber online to solicit explicit images from young children. 
The 42 year old has been charged with 931 child sex offences including rape, indecent treatment of children, making child exploitation material as well as other offences.
This issue of your children’s safety on line can be difficult for parents or grandparents because you’re dabbling into a world of social media that you may not know much about and a perception that you should stay out of your child’s on-line world.
On the Daily Drive show last week we spoke to Susan Mclean who is Australia's foremost expert in the area of cyber safety and young people.
She was a member of Victoria Police for 27 years and I had the pleasure of hearing her speak at my sons’ high school a couple of years back.
Susan first realised the impact the internet was having on our teenagers back in the mid 90’s when she was asked to come and talk to some girls in Year 8. One girl had posted on an adult-only site the home address of another girl offering free sex. Susan had to move the family out to rental accommodation because they couldn’t stop the steady procession of men knocking on the family’s door.
Susan advocates parents having access to their children’s social media accounts including passwords until they are 18. Her advice was to get your teenager to write this information onto a piece of paper, place it in an envelope and seal it. The parent need ever look at it but the fact that they can, would hopefully keep your kids in line.
This suggestion didn’t go down well with my 15 year old daughter who replied with the mandatory “other parents don’t do that”, “you don’t trust me” and “I’m moving to dads”.
This conversation happened while we were on the way to a dance party, the first one I have let her attend. I was very reluctant in the first place as these “festivals” (dance party is soooo 80’s) because of their reputation for drugs but after careful research of the promoters website I thought it would be ok:
SECURITY, POLICE & ENTRY POLICY
(Festival name) practices a zero tolerance to anyone in possession of drugs and alcohol and anyone deemed to be substance affected. We pro actively enforce this policy, our entrance procedures entail the following checks;
- Patrons ID checked at security discretion
- All patrons have their bag checked
- All patrons are patted down for prohibited items
- Patrons may be metal detected
- Random breathalysing at point of entry and during the event if required.(approx 1 in 5 children are tested)
- Random drug testing through Tongue swipes at point of entry and during the event if required. (approx. 1 in 10 children will be drug tested)
Agreeing to the above is a condition of entry. Should you choose to refuse, we will not force you to show us the contents of your bag, nor we will force you to take the drug or breath test, however, if you choose to not take it, you will be denied entry.
Imagine my surprise then when I picked up my daughter after the event to be told that another male teenager had placed a pill in her hand. She handed in back to him. Her observation was that there were pills being handed around openly.
The highlight of the event was a stage act from the US who’s stunt included one member daring the other to defacate on stage….yes it happened.
In 1979 I was nearly banned from going to the KISS concert because Gene Simmons would put his (huge) tongue out in a suggestive manner!
What hope have we got when defecating in public passes as entertainment?
But back to Justin Beiber. The Beebs starts his Australian tour this week and while I don’t like his attitude at times, I’d happily send my daughter to his concert….no bodily functions happening there…
Click here to listen to Susan McLean’s interview
