h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

After doing usual chores etc and caught up on the news one headline grabbed my attention. It was this one about cyber bullying:-
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-30043084
Now I'm sorry, but why the hell is it a schools responsibility to tackle this issue? Where are the parents and what are they doing to monitor what their kids are doing when online? Why do parents allow pc's, laptops, tablets, phones and games consoles in kids bedrooms? Why aren't they activating parental controls on these devices?
They should be in communal areas of the home to start with. If kids over-ride the controls, as some do apparently, then confiscate the equipment. Don't allow them use of it until they show they're going to be responsible and if caught again, take the stuff away and put a hammer through it. Can't behave? Can't have it. Simple as that.
It makes me see red when responsibility for the action of kids is passed from the parent to the school or the state. Its the parents job to bring up their kids in a responsible manner, NOT schools, social workers, the local council or the Government.
Its an issue not helped by business and media alike. All this nonsense of them telling everyone to "find/friend them on FB or Twitter" Why? They have perfectly adequate websites of their own with ability to interact in a responsible manner so why encourage folk to go to places that are frankly un-moderated and open to all the abuse and cr*p that they're now saying schools have a responsibility to deal with? Lets allow our schools to get back to teaching the basics shall we, reading, writing, maths and sciences and let parents start being responsible for their kids other activities.
Right, that's that off me chest. Time for a Have a good day folks. ttfn.

Deb

it takes about 2 minutes to set parental controls on most devices and I don't think children need a console connected to the internet in there rooms if they need the internet for homework they should be able to do it in a communal space (livingroom?) where they can be monitored. Although saying that I was using this site when I was 15 and my parents were not computer literate enough to know what i was upto not that I was upto anything bad just that the wouldn't have known otherwise

[Amy P]

I think parents' computer illiteracy is used as an excuse far too much. No one can be that computer non-savvy these days.

Most parents of school-age children were old enough to become computer-literate 20 years ago, when the Internet was starting to go strong. Moreover, many parents of that age group are totally at home with mobile phones and various aps. I doubt that computer illiteracy is the issue. It's probably more a matter of having no energy left after grueling days at work -- assuming that they can find work. Unemployment is highly variable depending on your demographics.

But I'm just guessing here. Some people may be better parents than others. Some kids may be too much even for the best parents....

110% with you ST it's the old pass the buck/tain't my problem/ I can't watch them 24/7 etc etc

brought my 2 up on me own and THEY turned out okand I couldn't watch them 24/7, but still instilled manners/respect and all the other main attributes