The internet has shaped our society. Trends, music, school, work…everything around us is impacted by the internet, especially children. Many children this day and age have access to the internet. Parents have given their kids ipads and TVs and game consoles, but haven’t considered the consequences of unrestricted use of the web. Very easily, just by the click of a button, a child can see something that could leave them traumatized for the rest of their life. Children shouldn’t have their innocence stripped away from them just because of the internet. It is important to understand all the risks of being online.
It’s very easy to fall victim to the internet. Easily, you can be exposed to dangerous people and websites. “Our findings suggest that the ways in which people are using social media may have more of an impact on their mental health and well-being than just the frequency and duration of their use,” Dr. Bekalu said. While being online for too long is already bad for you, what you are spending your time on while using the internet is also a problem.
According to PMC PubMed Central, the top risks on the internet are Online Grooming, Cyberbullying, Cybersuicide, Cyber racism, Internet addiction, online scams, electronic gambling, physical problems associated with the use of computers, and Internet security. And this is just the tip of the iceberg. Children shouldn’t be exposed to any of these topics, but millions of them fall victim to these problems every day. These things can lead to problems further down the line of a child’s life, yet could’ve been prevented if internet safety was acknowledged more seriously.
The internet also influences other people. Trends, slang, and ideas are taught to people via the web. Without any effort a child can learn disgusting behaviors and copy them, teaching other people these things and expose their peers to things like sexual topics, discrimination, and harmful substances. It’s disappointing that such shocking behavior is so normalized due to exposure to these topics. It’s unfair to parents who taught their children right from wrong to deal with their kids now being shown content they aren’t ready for yet.
An example of harmful internet influences is the TikTok blue whale challenge. As reported by BBC News, the challenge is aimed at teenagers. The challenge has 50 tasks, each one getting more and more dangerous, leading to self harm and eventually the last task being to take your own life. This challenge started around 2015, and over 130 suicides were accounted for by The Novaya Gazeta between November 2015 and April of 2016. If these teens refused to do the challenge, the person presenting the challenge to them would threaten the teens and scare them by holding personal information against them. No one should have to go through this, and this shows just how far the internet can take things.
According to Pew Research, 88% of Americans say the internet plays a big part in their daily routine. 94% of youth ages 12-17 who have internet access say they use the web for school research and 78% say it actually helps them with their schoolwork. While this is a harmless way to utilize the internet, it’s easy to slip onto a website you aren’t meant to be on. With school chromebooks, there are restrictions while using search engines, websites you’re not meant to be on being blocked. It’s hard to monitor what your child is doing on their personal devices when they have all access to anything they want, everything being handed right to them just by a quick search.
The internet is a very dangerous place. Youth should be aware of the risks they take every time they are online. It is important to be cautious while using the internet and understand all the precautions you must take. Terrible things happen on the web every day, and you could be a victim just by one simple slip up. Stay educated, and teach others the dangers of the net.
