An Internet Experience

Internet: useful but dangerous.

(Image from AFC)

It is of no surprise the imminent danger of using the internet for whatever reason. Everything tracked and placed somewhere in a large collection. The information is mind-blowing at the very least and useful, but many have begun to believe it is causing problems especially for younger children.

Cyber bullying, child abuse and other violent measures that flood the internet are very easy to be accessed by children even by accident. Advertisements, false links and other similar mediums cause problems for young children who may use the internet just out of curiosity. It just isn’t safe to leave a young child on the internet to peruse because of these terrible influences that come in their millions. According to a UNICEF report, the internet growth and crimes such as sexual abuse are almost unrelated but the internet opens doors for such events to occur. It allows predators to extend their reach over their prey around the world because of how connected the internet may be.

The internet is being used more and more, with computers becoming a vital part of all education worldwide. School children access the internet to gain information to help with their studies and this has to be balanced with the threats that are able. Schools utilise a lot of safety programs to prevent such influences on the children, but away from school at home may don’t have the luxury of having such devices and so the internet opens up to them.

Youth are easy to control, and easy to influence especially through something as large as the internet. When I was starting my teen years I had rarely ever touched a computer, and so I was never taught ways of online responsibility. This was learnt extremely quickly when the computer began to take over my schooling and social life altogether. From what I see on the internet today with young children being able to access such a wealth of information, its only natural for curiosity to rise as well. The ability to search anything and get an answer is a tool many generations previous never had. However, control must be taught and responsibility and this comes of parenting and discipline.

The internet is an extremely useful source of information, but it can also become the basis of a large downfall if used wrongly by an individual.