Symantec has published a survey about kids’ use of social networks, suggesting that they don’t know or have forgotten that what they put online can hang around forever. I think Symantec is wrong.

They do know. They haven’t forgotten. They just don’t care.

Young people do lots of dumb things, but it’s not that they don’t know better. I knew that smoking was dumb and dangerous, but I still started smoking.

I knew drinking two bottles of Buckfast and surfing on top of a Ford Transit wasn’t very bright, but I still did it.

I knew that driving like a complete idiot wasn’t particularly sensible, but I did that, too. I knew that pouring petrol over myself and lighting it was a bit risky, but WHOOMPH. And so on.