Minnesota, USA -June 3, 2011 - Everyone sees the videos of teens & young adults engaging in violent acts; we also hear of the threats that they can send to others on social networks that even most would not dare to speak or even think. Even though these may be isolated events, it is hard not to notice that everyone knows someone who was a victim of some type of crime that either appeared on Facebook, Twitter, or in a YouTube video. Undoubtedly, teens and young adults are exposed to these 'isolated occurrences' and deem them to be the 'new normal'. Is technology feeding this rage due to this desensitization or did this behavior exist before and we are simply capturing it on video or message now Are the messages we are seeing the words that have always come out of people's mouths throughout time

Many adults and parents run these questions through their minds every day as they let their teens walk around with phones with video capabilities and stand by as their children take in every popular video on YouTube; we must admit it, no one can constantly be monitored -without the help of special software and an army of hired stalkers- , so the typical parents do not know exactly what these kids watch nor see the online activity in which they engage.  Can our questioning be considered an action and if not, what is causing our inaction Is there enough belief that technology is not the culprit but rather the credible witness to our already deteriorating society

We, concerned and enlightened people, understand that there are limits to the control that parents or guardians can have over the younger people engaging in such violent acts; influence comes from the masses of 'normal' violent shows in words or videos rather than the family. It forces us to pressure these online companies even more because we know that no one has the power or the time to keep these young adults in line. These websites can be accessed from everywhere and there is no way to keep anyone from gaining that access.

It is terrifying for anyone to see a child beaten, but how far would you go to ensure that the child in that video is not your own child or future child Stop and think, we must remember that there is no way to fully protect anyone. If we could do this, we could stop anything bad from happening in our lives; the vicious acts of taunts and beatings do not happen within our living rooms. But if we think deeply about it, the uploading and viewing of videos may just happen within our own living rooms. Where does this cycle begin: when we open this content up to these fragile minds for their viewing or when they bring these violent words and videos up for the world to see

Instead of being an article of answers, it is an article of questions:  Are these actually isolated events that are blown out of proportion or is it a bigger problem than what we can even perceive What is responsible for it and who needs to take the responsibility to bring it to a stop Do not point fingers, but rather get solid answers.