Fear of Internet Predators Largely Unfounded
If my criminological studies taught me one thing, it was that people are tremendously bad at predicting their own risks. I would think the media has a hand in this one, touting the myspace predator and online hook-ups. The problem is, however, is that worrying about the unlikely or improbable risks blinds a lot of parents to the real risks.
As mention in the article, you have parents restricting online access for kids in order to protect them. However, these same parents probably don't check out the families of their kids friends, or will leave them unattended in the mall, which actually places the kids at higher risk.
Are humans designed this way? It seems pretty common. People worry more about big and unlikely negatives than small and probable negatives.
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