Internet- A growing threat for the youth?

Today’s youth are “digital natives” live in the age of computers and online communication. The universal access to information and an interactive mechanism to communicate that Internet offers, people all around the world get addicted to it.

      

Youth prefer e-communication like messenger, viber over real direct communication. Face to face communication in teamwork helps people build mutual trust, creative and provide a higher result. When youth tend to choose Internet communication and avoid talking directly, their personal relationships with friends and family are affected.

        

The lack of creativity in youth is also another one of negative effects of Internet. One significant feature of Internet is the unlimited sources of information with ease. However, when everything is available, there is no need for creativity. Students now don’t have to pay much effort on their assignment or project because they only need a few minutes to get all information they need from the Internet then copy paste into their work resulting in plagiarism and cheating.

           

Cyber bullying is basically a term to describe the bullying using the Internet. Cyber bullying includes sending hateful messages or even death threats to, spreading lies about them online, making nasty comments on their social networking profiles, or creating a website to bash their looks or reputation. Cyber bullying differs from schoolyard bullying. Teachers can't intervene on the Internet. "When it happens online, there's no one to filter it, which may make it easier for it to continue, often with disastrous consequences."

        

It is obvious that if you spend too much time on the Internet, you will have to cut down on time for other activities. As an infinite storage of entertainment, the Internet is somehow similar to the black hole that leaves no way to get out. A lot of youth spend most of their time just on watching films, surfing Facebook and playing games instead of learning or doing other meaningful activities. If the original purpose of Internet was to help youth work more efficiently, it now makes them do no work at all.

          

For many youth, the Internet is the only friend they have. The time for family, for parents is replaced by hours of Internet browsing. They ignore the family and hesitate to talk or interact with other members. Social isolation can lead to a host of emotional, psychological, physical and mental problems which include anxiety, depression and somatic complaints among many others.

         

Privacy threat due to the free information flow of Internet is one of the negative effects of Internet. Youth exchange their picture, private information or personal chat every day in social networking. This information can be easily accessed by strangers and misused. Their privacy stands a risk of being disrupted and hindered. 

       Insomnia is a sleeping disorder that happens when people are not able to rest or sleep. Youth take advantages of any time possible to browsing the Internet, even the sleeping time. Just after several days, they stay up late to check their Facebook or Instagram; it will become a habit, not easy to get rid of. Moreover, the light from the computer screen or other types of electronic items can keep you away from your sleep. We all know that staying up late is not good for our health. When the body cannot have enough time to rest, many health problems will appear.

          The Internet only supports for the mental side. There is no exercise for youth in internet. When people use the Internet a lot, they will lack time for physical activities such as playing sports, reduced level of activity in present youth has led to increased incidence of lifestyle diseases.

        

Internet addiction disorder refers to excessive Internet use that interferes with daily life. As youth access the Internet more than any other age groups and undertake a higher risk of overuse of the Internet, the problem of Internet addiction disorder is most relevant to young people.

       Internet can result in moral corruption in youth. The inappropriate information absorbed can lead to the wrong mental development.

      

 Use of digital devices is responsible for making the ‘digital natives’ an easily distracted generation, with short attention spans. There are so many ways to access the Internet, whether with a smartphone, tablet, or a computer either at home or in another location, that it may be impossible to enforce avoid the distraction.

Youth are often seen as innocent victims of the pervasive and powerful internet. The breakdown of the nuclear family, child trafficking spreading through the Internet, drug use, juvenile crime, the degeneration of manners, suicide and religious cults are all seen as problems exacerbated or even inflicted upon society by the internet. The young “digital natives” spend most of their energy sharing short social messages. They lack deep thinking capabilities, they lack face to face social skills, depend in unhealthy ways on the internet and mobile devices to function.