Risky reinforcement online

It may not seem like it as you read it, but the Washington Post's "Invitation to Harm" is very good news. It exposes parents and other caregivers to worlds we really need to know about – and helps us better understand behavior that's crying out for our help. As does any and all news coverage of online communities like "Groups" in MySpace and other social networks. Two samples: "On a self-mutilation group called 'Razorblade Kisses' - which had nearly 200 members as of last week - a message displays a 'Cutting Warning Label' that warns, 'before you make that first cut remember. You will enjoy this. You will find the blood and pain release addictive.' And 'be prepared to withdraw from others and live in a constant state of shame … you will find yourself lying to the people you love. You will jerk back from your friends when they touch you as if their hands were dipped in poison'," and the Post tells of a 14-year-old New Jersey boy who belongs to MySpace groups that teach him about drug use (his parents don't know about his MySpace page). The social networks give us unprecedented access to teens' inner lives, as disturbing as that can be, presenting a tremendous opportunity both for parental understanding and in-depth research – as well as for better care and treatment of troubled teens. For more on this, see "Net good & bad for teens: Study" and "Wrong kind of support." And here's an example shared at BlogCritics.org of how online activity helps a 15-year-old diagnosed with bipolar disorder.