What parents need to know about 'Slender Man' and online viewing

This is quite a moment for the creator, Eric Knudsen. What is the benefit of his writing?

From Article- "Slender Man was created in 2009 by Eric Knudsen...It has the role of stalking, abducting and traumatizing people, particularly children."

And nobody is appalled when Knudsen tries to defend and legitimize and justify this??

Cases like these get a lot of press because they have a weird factor to them. Clearly these kids were disturbed, perhaps their obsession with Slender Man did play a part in warping them (but who knows maybe they are just using it as an excuse - only more information will help decide). This doesn't make Slender Man or the horror genre the culprit though. No more than that depraved woman killing her kids because she wanted to live out a Bible story make the Bible the culprit. People like this are not mentally healthy. Had these two girls not found Slender Man it's highly likely they would have attached themselves to something else and used that as motivation. Had the woman not had the Bible story something else would have entered her warped mind.

Not that I'm saying they aren't guilty due to their mental state, that's a very different thing. But I think we call all agree that people who murder like this aren't in a very healthy mental state.

You haven't heard "one peep" from the parents because they are mourning a very personal, private family tragedy. The news is public, but we have no right to their grief. Empathy. Perhaps 2 little girls are not the only ones that have lost a sense of reality. Human tragedy is not reality entertainment. It is life and when it is your turn to experience a family disaster, you will want others to respect you as well.

As for why the parents weren't monitoring their children, perhaps they both work. Perhaps, like many others who have suffered in America's economic downturn, they have to rely on the latchkey method of parenting.

Finally, kids brains are different from adults. That's why we don't allow them to drive, or vote, or enter into contracts at this age.

America is getting uglier by the day. Instead of gossiping about someone, let's all see what we can do to help/make a difference. Do you know a struggling parent who could use help? Step in. Do you know kids how are not monitored. Help lead. Share the dangers of online sites. Help.

@LittleStream
"very few of us stayed immersed in a book for hours every day like parents are letting these youngsters today"

I read that and my jaw hit my desk with a thunk! I know I certainly read for hours on end. Reading is much healthier for a childs mind than using the tv as a babysitter. Read the books your kids do, find out what they like. You may not enjoy those books for yourself, but you're the parent, be one!

More parents need to let their kids immerse themselves in books for hours everyday!

The law backs up children and doesn't support parents who have limited authority to discipline their children. Even when parents are involved, the children still circumvent their advice. There is little a parent can do with a child who is determined to go astray. IF the parents have money they can force a willful teen into a program for rebellious children. The mental health community is powerless to intercede. The philosophy behind counseling only provides useless directives whereby no one is responsible for their behavior..

I know, Let's kick God out of every corner of our lives and see what happens.

Nice job liberals. You are creating a world full of apathy.

If the good people of the world will just open their mouths and speak instead of fearing the liberal attacks then we have a chance.

12 year olds don't know that killing is wrong?

Huh?

And where are the parents in all of this? I haven't heard one peep from them.

Eight years old is enough to know the difference between right and wrong. The problem becomes when their parents, teachers and society fail to teach them what is right and what is wrong, they will make those choices by themselves. I agree that Edgar Allen Poe has been around a long time, but very few of us stayed immersed in a book for hours every day like parents are letting these youngsters today. When I was a parent of young children the TV was my babysitter. My kids watched it in the living room so I knew what they were watching and often watched it with them and we talked about the show. They also knew that TV and movies were make believe (not real) The producers and the parents need to accept their responsibility in this as well as the teenagers (perhaps a reality training, and not using a computer at all until they know the difference would be in order. But, wait the girl who died while these two were playing make believe doesn't get a do over. We need to realize that Satan is working overtime and we are not.

Why weren't the girl's parents monitoring what/where they were on the internet?

Surely no one with normal intelligence believes two teens cannot tell the difference between fiction and reality. I hope her lawyer doesn't get away with using this ploy as a defense.

Truth, I agree with you that it's up to parents to be involved. But just for the sake of improving arguments, I'm not sure if horror literature being around for "a long time" tells us much. There are lots of things (good, bad, neither) that have been around for a long time.

One question: Where were their parents??

While the horror genre has been around a long time, there is a difference between horror and macabre. Also, some literature is better than others, and some is just trash. Some of this online "literature" likely falls into that last category.

horror literature has been around for a long time. Edgar Allen Poe wrote many horror classics. Slender man is just a modern day horror story written by people on the internet. Parents need to take charge and make sure that their kids are mature enough to understand the difference between fiction and real life.