Global Kids' Digital Media Initiative

Jacob F., Bob Jones High, Madison, Alabama:

Technology can be useful, and it can be destructive. Not just in a destroy-the-world atomic bomb and such kind of way, but in personal relationships and such. I'm a little sick and tired of looking around on my school bus and seeing everyone listening to music on CD-players or I-Pods. The girl directly beside me will be listening to music, and I’ll sigh and close my eyes to rest a little, because I know I certainly won’t be opening my mouth to hold a conversation.

Brandon Michael S., Greenbrier, Arkansas:

One game I play is Star wars X-wing vs. Tie Fighter... I belong to what is called a clan online. I am part of The Rebel Alliance (TRA). We have to fly in different battles with opposing clan members of the Tie Fighter Alliance (TFA). As a member we are in a squad and we have to report on our online activities in the game every week. We also have a message board, called a comlink, that we communicate through. We earn points based on how we do in the battles and are awarded medals. Our other job as a squad member is to recruit new members to our site.

Sabienne B., Brooklyn, New York:

Many teens use the internet to make friends both nationally and internationally. They make friends with people from other cultures, religions and races. These connections create a better understanding among different races, cultures, and communities.

Jake M., Louisville, Kentucky:

Digital media is a great way for the youth of America to become connected with the rest of the world.

Chris F., Louisville, Kentucky:

Online multi-player video games are, contrary to common belief, very social atmospheres where players get to know one another personally… No one sees what the other people look like, but they respect each other in the same. These guys could have completely different backgrounds, different ethnicities, and totally different religions, but all of these variables dissolve when you are shooting virtual enemies as a team.

Chris F., Louisville, Kentucky:

Gamers often group together in clans or guilds to play alongside each other on a regular basis… Clans and guilds are microcosms of the business world in that people must learn to work together to achieve goals systematically.

Nick F., Belpre, Ohio:

I play XBOX online and it is good ways to make a lot of friends I have met a lot of people from all over the US and some places around that world. It’s is also a good way to learn good team work because you have to have good team work in order to win.

Ryan B., Louisville, Kentucky:

I've met people on the Internet who probably would have never spoken to me if we ever met in person first… the fact that I have friends on the Internet all around the world is amazing. Having all these friends with their own separate backgrounds and opinions gives me and other people a more cosmopolitan point of view about people and the world itself. 

Robbie S., Belpre, Ohio:

I communicate with people from across the globe, almost daily… I write to native French speakers who want to either learn English or practice their written skills, and in return they help me to ameliorate my French skills… Cultural awareness is necessary to a successful world, and the internet allows for this to occur. It is interesting to know what other people think of various global issues. Fresh and innovative ideas help to bolster world unity, all of which can be derived from the use of the internet.

Veroo E., Teen Second Life:

When you play an online game you're bound to meet other people. And when you meet others, you like or dislike them. When you like them, they become your friends. These friends online are just as important as the ones offline. ... It can be a bad thing to happen. When you love someone, and they don't live near you. And you can never actually just talk to them or spend time with them, outside of the game. It can be very saddening. Loving someone, them loving you back. Not being able to be with them. Being a thousand miles apart from one another. … I don't think it's a very bad thing, truly. Just it's not entirely good. It can be, that these friends or person who is more than a friend, on the internet.. They might be the only friends someone has.

Cassie T., Kokomo, Indiana:

People only hear the bad side of meeting people from the Internet and getting scammed or killed. They don’t hear the story of the couple that met in a Christian chat room and have been married for almost 6 years. My first experience with a relationship was with a boy I met in online that lived in my town, and I feel that it was one of the most important relationships I have had in my life.

Jorge P., Brooklyn, New York:

From that game [Everquest] I have met people as close as three avenues away to as far as Japan. It brought cultures together in one world online and from it I matured very fast for my age. Playing with people ten to fifteen years older than me, I learned a very broad vocabulary which I tend to use primarily on a computer. It also helped to speed up typing…

Tanner C., Madison, Alabama:

Needless to say, the online interaction initiative is strong and will most likely continue to grow until most socialization on a day to day basis is carried out digitally.

Stephanie M., Madison, Alabama:

For a few people, look. for love on the internet works, but often one only finds a liar hiding behind a different computer screen. Relationships made online usually aren’t treated as though they’re important enough to commit to. Online relationships also have the potential to be deadly.

Patrick K., Louisville, Kentucky:

While I enjoy playing video games, I also enjoy playing outside with my friends.