In spite of repeated warnings, far too many teens are engaging in a potentially dangerous trend:

Sharing passwords as a sign of love … call it a digital token of affection.

The New York Times reported young people are sharing their Facebook, email and cell phone passwords with significant others in attempts to create intimacy and trust in the relationship.

In 2011, The Pew Internet and American Life Project found:

• 30% of teens who are online regularly share passwords with friends and romantic partners, and
• girls are twice as likely as boys to share their passwords.

Problem is, young love doesn’t always last. And when a romance fizzles out, things can get ugly — in the time it takes to click a mouse.

For example: Research conducted by the Cyberbullying Research Center found many students use technology to intimidate and threaten their romantic partners. And there’s certainly no shortage of online betrayal stories. For example:

• Jessica Logan hanged herself after her ex-boyfriend circulated nude photos of her.
• These students ridiculed a classmate online, claiming she had a sexually transmitted disease.
• Many students, including Phoebe Prince, have committed suicide as a result of online bullying.

Studies have shown that schools aren’t doing enough to educate students about online safety.

Love is in the air

February’s almost here — which means many students will be thinking of ways to direct Cupid’s arrows into the hearts of classmates. Sharing passwords isn’t the best way to aim for true love.

February is also National Teen Dating Abuse and Awareness Month. It’s probably a good time to address this new trend with students.

The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) found school-level intervention can cut the rate of dating violence among sixth- and seventh- grade students by about 50%!

Additional resources to help educate students about online safety is here.

Tags: cyberbullying, dating violence, online safety