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	Justin Case You Wanna Peak         Webcam Site Takes Voyeurism To Next Level         03-19-08
	In 2003 the WB introduced a new television show, One Tree Hill, aimed at the coveted teen audience. The show is about a group of high school students from a fictitious North Carolina town. Besides the usual stereotypes, there is a character named Peyton—a conflicted cheerleader/rocker/artist. Part of her mystique is the webcam that sits atop her computer screen in her bedroom allowing any of her classmates (particularly the guys) to see what is happening in her room.

I remember thinking, "Who in their right mind would give total strangers visual access into their life like that?" But now, with the launch of a new website "Justin.TV", countless people have set up e-channels for others to be able to tune in and watch the events of their lives 24 hours a day seven days a week in what has been coined "lifecasting." (Those who are broadcasting their lives are known as "lifecasters.")

For several years now the online world has been a key outlet for community among teens. Sites like MySpace, Xanga, and Facebook were the first incarnations of social sites that allowed teens to personalize their "profile." The idea of cyber self-expression has been taken to a whole new level with Justin.TV.      When you visit the site you see a string of icons across the top that represent live "channels" (people with active feeds). You can click on any of them to see what the person is doing. On most stations, people are doing completely boring things like homework, eating, talking on the phone, or watching TV. But other stations showcase people talking about everything from sexual experiences and masturbation to computer hacking and  how to cheat on exams.       Other social networking sites (myspace, facebook) allow users to post comments about photos or send messages to another user's profile page. "Justin.TV" makes the interaction immediate by allowing multiple users to post comments (think chat rooms) that can immediately be seen by anyone else logged into the channel. Many times the lifecaster will respond verbally to the comments or perform the requested task.           Monkeys Running the Zoo     One of the questions any concerned parent has is, "What kind of boundaries are in place for this?" For now the creators of "Justin.TV"			Users post comments to one another about what they are seeing on the station. There is no control over what type of comments are posted. Lifecasters are "requested" to notify other users if their channel contain objectionable material.
have decided that the best way to control the content is to leave this up to the lifecaster. The Community Guidelines of "Justin.TV" reads, "The viewers and broadcasters alike don't want the staff of Justin.TV to set and police the standards of speech on individual channels, and so it is up to the broadcaster and his or her community of moderators and viewers to decide what is OK for their channel." In other words, if the lifecaster doesn't want to prohibit offensive speech or degrading comments they don't have to. The guidelines also state that broadcasting of copyrighted material, hate speech, and nudity are prohibited. But again, much of this is at the discretion of the lifecaster and only addressed if reported to Justin.TV by another user.        One random click on a station showed a high school girl talking about the sunburn she got the day before. When a viewer's comment was to see the sunburn, she raised her shirt to her shoulders for all to see. While there was no nudity (as forbidden by the site), she did expose her entire bare back and at the request of a total stranger.       Another click showed a high school boy holding his webcam to give the viewers a tour or his bedroom. At one point, a viewer asks how old he is while another wants to know where he lives. Without knowing who is asking the question these personal questions, the young man casually gives over the answers.       As with many other social networking sites, Justin.TV has an age limit of thirteen and older for broadcasting content. The safety restrictions in place amount to a statement on the site that reads, "Be old enough...please respect this rule." Image if my mother had been strict with me...all the things I could have experienced.           Living Safely in a Web 2.0 World      Cyber-communities will forever be a part of our way of life. Your teen will be using them more and more as a primary means of communication. In the future we may see them interview for jobs, take college courses, or "attend" religious services from websites like these.
Instead of running from or ignoring this part of your teen's world you must help them to live responsibly in it.			Instead of running from or ignoring this part of your teen's world you must help them live responsibly it by making choices that honor themselves as well as those will see it. You must help them set boundaries that allows them to express themselves in a way that is conducive to a health community. Here are just a few pro-active steps you can take.
»  Talk about discretion. Make sure your teen understands that what he/she says and does online is for the whole world to see. The same social decorum you would expect from them in your home should be observed online. »  Talk about safety. This is particularly true of younger teens. Hopefully you've talked with your teen about not giving out personal information on their MySpace or through text messages and emails. But this is a whole new area. It's easy to get caught up in the novelty of talking to others in the cyber world through a video camera and before you know it you're sharing information you ordinarily wouldn't give a stranger. »  Talk about communication. Your teen needs to know that if they feel threatened or intimidated by someone online that they should not feel embarrassed to talk to you. Even though they are growing older, your teen still looks to you to keep them safe. If your antenna goes up and you think their may be danger, don't ignore it. Ask. »  Talk about transparency. Create an open line of dialogue between you and your teen concerning their online activities. If they are going to be part of a social networking site require that you be included on their "friend" list so you can see the site. If they feel a need to hide their activities chances are there is already a breached boundary.