Chicago Tribune “Slenderman” Interview

I was called the yesterday by a reporter from the Chicago Tribune regarding my thoughts on the recent breaking story of two 12-year-old girls who stabbed their friend and claimed it was due to the influence of “Slenderman.”

Here is what she quoted:

“Pamela Wisniewski, a researcher for The Pennsylvania State University’s College of Information Sciences and Technology, is wrapping up a two-month study that looks at the online experiences of parents and teens.

The study examines different types of risks, including exposure to explicit or harmful content, sexual solicitations, cyber bullying and information breaches. The 75 pairs of parents and teens reported exposure to explicit or harmful content the most frequently, Wisniewski said.

“So far, we’ve seen that they’re exposed to a lot of mature content online, be it pornography, or cutting, or a lot of self harm, or more deviant behaviors than we adults would imagine,” Wisniewski said.

Wisniewski does not recommend that parents completely restrict teens from the Internet, noting that it could backfire when, instead of obeying the order, they conceal their online presence. But parents should still be aware of what their children are doing, she said.”

You can read the full story that was on the front page of the Chicago Tribune.