In an unprecedented move, the teenagers of Mercer Island yesterday issued a public apology to the community for their parents’ social media behavior.
“Like you, we are shocked and disappointed by [our parents’] recent actions,” read the statement. “On behalf of our families and the children of all Island adults, we wish to apologize to the entire Mercer Island community.”
“We believed [their use of social media] was a harmless little habit,” the statement continued. “We had no idea that so many Island adults were spending hours a day on these sites, filling the Internet with ignorant diatribes and neglecting their professional and family responsibilities.”
Sources report that the catalyst for these revelations was an editorial entitled, “The Scavenger Hunt Needs to Stop,” which appeared in The Islander, the official newspaper of Mercer Island High School. The online reaction to this editorial led Island teenagers to uncover a large and seamy world of local, adults-only social media interactions. The teens’ statement referenced this indirectly, saying, “We believed that our parents were mature enough to handle this sensitive material responsibly. Clearly, we were mistaken.”
In the statement, the teenagers accepted their share of the blame for this kerfuffle: “While we are saddened by [our parents’] behavior, we must acknowledge that we were so focused on our own schoolwork and extracurricular activities that we were failing to give them the love and attention they need in order to be productive members of society. We take full responsibility for our role in this and commit to doing better in the future in providing appropriate boundaries and supervision to our parents.”
Asked if this statement also applies to Mercer Island’s grandparents, a teenager commented, “We are so not going there,” noting that they have their inheritances to think of.
The complete statement follows.