Have you ever heard of “Internet Junkies”? It is a new fixation- wandering aimlessly on the Net. They check mails every 10 minutes, run Google search for no reason, move from one web link to another link, build online relationships and participate in purposeless online auctions.
They would skip their meals but missing the regular dose of ‘Internet fix ‘ is unthinkable. They like the sights and sounds of the virtual world but are unaware of the damage that is being caused to their mental and physical health .The serious problems in real life situations can range from a drop in their academic skills to poor social skills.
This is not a habit ,it is addiction!. Internet addiction can be renamed as ‘junk’ since it’s a vagabond behaviour on the Net, adolescents being the most vulnerable. Initially it is chatting, social networking and online gaming but later the complications begin.
The thrill of chatting with anonymous people gives them a feeling of adventure which can go on through out night hours.
Most teenagers like this kind of “internet addiction” as it allows them to hide behind an online identity. They do not have to face bullying, anger, insults and embarrassment of physical interaction.
The biggest damage is that they lose contact with real life and which can never allow them to develop their personal traits. Long hours of browsing without any focus slows down their physiology functions and social skills. Interpersonal relationships suffer because of lack of self confidence.
According to a psychiatrist
,”They find it difficult to handle real life crisis situations. Their performances in academics and other extra curricular activities slackens. It gives them a sense of authority .But ,activity stimulates just the visual area of the brain and results in ‘warped growth ‘ as other physiology developments such as hearing .touching and feeling is not commensurate with this.”
Lack of sleep leads to a lot of side effects and health hazards. For parents the best they can do is to strengthen family bonds and spend as much time as they can with their children .This helps to keep the addiction in check. If not done, the kids sometimes end up becoming “script kiddies” –which would mean they can crack malicious code and use programs developed by others to attack computer systems. They download software without knowing the extent of damage it can cause.
Recently the news which shook the country was the murder of a 16 year old boy in Mumbai. A group of men used the identity of a girl to dupe the teenager. They attempted a kidnap and when they saw the police ,panicked and killed the boy.
There are positive aspects of the Internet when children use it to collect study materials and data related to academics and sports. But parental monitoring is a must. Allowing children unlimited access to the Net may make possible for them to pursue their own social life but under the supervision of parents.
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