The internet, which happens to be one of the best discoveries of the last century, has had an effect on each of our lives since then. We all have been touched by this miracle at least once since. The World Wide Web opened a new door of possibilities for the growth of the human race. Globalization is one of the various impacts of the internet. The world was being seen from a different perspective since. The internet made people more informed about the world that was beyond their physical reach. The more informed the people became the more sensitized and reasonable they grew. The world as it stands today is a single big community of humans. The Internet has helped to grow and matter beyond our respective borders. Knowing about anything today is no more a herculean task. You can just with a few taps of your finger get all the knowledge you want. Internet services today as compared to when it was first launched, is inexpensive. With the advent of interactive mechanism, universal access to bountiful of knowledge and the simplicity of using it has had the world hooked to the internet. But like everything else, this too has a lot of bad effects, especially on the younger lot- the teenagers or adolescents.
The advent of adolescence brings in a lot of inquisitiveness along with it. The internet makes it easier to get all the curiosity answered, but always it is not the best platform to have ones curiosity satiated. Teenage is the time when one needs to go out in search of answers through appropriate means. It is also the time to grow ones social circle, but, internet addiction often leads to the opposite. Herein, we are mentioning some of the ill effects internet has on the teenagers:-
- An all round education means the physical as well as mental development of a child through it. Only, mental development is not fully possible by ignoring the physical aspect of it as these are correlative. Physical inactivity or laziness is one of the many ill effects that has left a mark on millions of children around the globe. The internet and its endless offerings have kept the children hooked to it, thus leaving them with almost no time or interest on playing outdoor games or any other activities.
- Internet addiction is as dangerous as alcoholism or drug addiction. The teenagers especially tend to find an escape from their parent’s expectations and pressure in the world of internet. Making them dull in the long run.
- Teenage is the time when the moral fabric of a future adult is being formed. Inappropriate information that is always floating on the net can easily pollute the tender minds. The parents or guardians have to keep an eye on what type of information his/her kid is getting from the internet. Censorship at this age is not a bad thing to do.
- It has become very easy for a teenager to get information about a particular chapter of a subject from the internet, without having to go through the entire books or chapters which would have in the long run provide him with a valuable extra edge in the subjects. Copying and doing assignments for school is a cake walk this way.
- Teenage is the growing age in children. Too much of being hooked to the glaring screens of the phone or computer causes strain in the eyes, also leads to sleeping disorders like insomnia.
- Uploading pictures or giving out the exact location of oneself on the internet is actually very risky, especially for kids. These can cause a threat to their life or privacy.
- Surfing the net too much causes detachment from the real world or even the people around you. You become more and more insensitive towards the surrounding, and even neglect family.
- Exposing the young minds of the teenagers to the cyberspace also puts them at the risk of cyber bullying which is widely prevalent today.
- Keeping themselves hooked to the internet causes them the loss of self-confidence. This often leads to them becoming unsocial. Teenagers lose the capacity of face to face healthy conversations.
- Being on the internet all the time is a sheer wastage of valuable time. This time could be utilized in doing something more creative or reading a good book or hiking to a new place, which would exhibit some positivity.