The Social Networking Effect on Teenagers

The sociable Ne cardinalrking Effect on Teenagers The affable networks argon to commonwealth today what the TV was to flock 20-30 something twelvemonths ago. Human dependence on computers and the profits has come to the point that if the hearty networks ceased to work, relations and kind connections would flutter more so in teens than in adults. Teenagers have taken to complaisant networking to do their e preciseday tasks and activities like interacting with friends and family, affectionateizing and entertainment. While this sounds convenient, it touchablely hinders a teens development.Teenagers may provoke hooked to these websites due to their many a(prenominal) features and puzzle affable outcasts because they form a social life on these websites. As a result, one-on-one interaction with friends, family and even enemies are lento phased out. To top all that off, social networking websites are haven for cyber bullies and stalkers and a playground for predators wh o are looking for their next target utilise fake profiles. regular(a) after all these effects, critics still maintain that social networking websites are pricy for todays youth because it helps them gain computer skills and improve their literacy skills.The organisation needs to form a dust to at least monitor lizard the use of these social networks because these websites have the potential of leaving teenagers socially and physically inactive and expose them to former(a) lurking dangers. People who support the use of social networking websites argue that these websites are actually beneficial for teenagers. These mint assert that by spending so many hrs on social networks, teenagers are gaining newer and correct computer skills. That, they say, is helping them work their way towards getting a crinkle a with a computer company.Even if working at a computer company is not what teens want, learning computer skills is still helpful because computers and internet are here to bear. Lauren Gerber, a journalist for PC1news. com wrote The thing that rise ups dont know is that even simply going on Facebook is teaching your teenager how to use the internet to their advantage (11). Gerber withal wrote that teenagers, by socializing on various online sites, are learning how to get along with other(a) heap (11).Teenagers, by communicating with a wide variety of people, may be getting better at socializing with people of e rattling race, organized religion and color. Marcia Clemmitt wrote a journal article called Social Networking. In this article she quoted Sonia Larsen, editor of website Global Voices, saying that with online social networking its more likely you bequeath retain some degree of connection or friendship with a broader cross-sector of the population, leading to more victimizeonious human relations nationally and internationally (752). some other rationalness why people support the use of these websites by teenagers is that, by continuous ly having to read and beingness exposed to words, teenagers allow for develop well literacy skills. As teenagers get more comfortable with social networks they spend lesser and lesser time with the people around them, slowly detaching themselves from concreteity. Because teenagers are considerably attracted to flashy objects, they get easily hooked to these websites for all the features they have to offer. Who wouldnt want something in which people shag view other peoples profiles without them ever finding out to the highest degree itThis is exactly the reason why Facebook appeals to so many people its c overt. Teenagers may take a moment to check whats going on, and the moment turns into an hour and the hour to several hours. The cold hard truth is that teenagers are attracted to these websites like two magnets and this causes inactivity in teens. If they get addicted to these websites they will opt to stay on the computer hours at a time, phasing out any winsome of physic al activity what so ever. Teens will slowly detach themselves from the real life and live their life in the virtual world.In her article, Wrapped Up In the Web The Dangers of Teen Internet Addiction, Sue Scheff, who is an author and parent advocate, wrote The Internet has made it all too easy for teens to recoil from the pressures of adolescence and go along indoorsThe lure of the web place often make it come out as though social networks and online gaming are acceptable substitutes for real life (16). As a result of spending so very little time with actual people, teenagers lack decent social skills. Social networking websites have become a safe haven for cyber bullies and stalkers due to the privacy these sites offer.Cyber- strong-arming, which one of the fastest growing problems on the internet, is the use of the Internet, cell phones and other digital technology to harass, intimidate, threaten, mock and defame. Thomas Billitteri, in his article Cyberbullying, reports about a statistic from the Pew Research Center Roughly a trey of teens who use the internet said theyd received threatening messages, had electronic mail or text messages forwarded without consent, had an embarrassing picture posted without consent, had rumors about them mete out online, or experienced some other kind of online harassment. 387) Teenagers are very fictile to this type of bullying as it inflicts deep and painful wounds on them, more mental than physical. Teenagers and children may intentionally or unintentionally bully their peers which may cause irreparable damage as teens are susceptible to being victimized throughout the day, week, month or year. In a study published by Sameer Hinduja and Justin Patchin of the Cyberbullying Reasearch Center, it showed that 20 percent of 10-18 year olds were cyberbullied in their lifetime and 7. percent were cyberbullied in the past 30 days (Hinduja and Patchin). Another growing problem on these websites is stalking. Teenagers may get o bsessed with an recreate of theirs and the simple online profile viewing may become a bailiwick of stalking, at first-year online then in real life. Cyber stalking has become a serious problem today as the privacy of social networking websites allows stalkers to view anyones photos and videos without that person ever finding out.It has serious mental effects as it is more stressful and traumatizing due to its potential of being there 24/7, as Charlene Laino, a reporter for WebMD, quotes Elizabeth Carll, a psychologist, in her article If youre harassed in school or at work, you can come home to a safe environmentIf youre cyberstalked, it can be all the time, no matter where you are. Sexual predators use social networking websites to look for unsuspecting children and teenagers to try and lure them into their traps. piranhas use fake profiles to get in contact with children and teenagers and then try to tempt them into meeting them.Teenagers who are unaware may actually befriend t hese people and when called to meet they will go to them, unsuspecting of the trap they are walking into. Even though social networking websites have an age restriction of 13 or senior joining the network, it is very easy for even a nine year old to join without so much as a hiccup. Because of this, social networking websites have become a playground for sexual predators. According to Predator Statistics, in the United States alone, there are over 644,865 registered sex offendersand over 100,000 are lost in the system.This makes allowing teenagers access to social networking websites, or even the internet, a nightmare for parents. Today, every teens first impulse when left at home is to go online onto a social network and check what has been going on and in the midst if they are contacted by someone pretending to be their age they are startle to allow them access to their profiles. Even with all the bad things that could happen to teens using social networking websites people stil l support its use for them not considering the occurrence that these websites might render teenagers socially and physically inactive and expose them to other lurking dangers.No matter how much they try, parents are eventually going to end up with at least one if not all of these problems. For example, parents working dear time might have to deal with a child who is so lost in the online social networking that he or she has no social life outside of it. Today, with the ever expanding technologies, people who wish to do harm will think of newer and worse ways to penetrate and destroy families which is why parents need to raise their voice over this sensitive issue. The biggest issue clay that there is still no form of entity or authority that can monitor, if not control, the use of these social websites.The government should form a body that not only monitors the use of these websites but also keeps out people who use it as a means to harm other people. These entities should also take measures so that children and teenagers under a specified age are not allowed to access these websites what so ever. Work Cited Billitteri, Thomas J. Cyberbullying. CQ Researcher 2 May 2008 385-408. Web. 21 Aug. 2011. Clemmitt, Marcia. Social Networking. CQ Researcher 17 Sept. 2010 749-72. Web. 21 Aug. 2011. Gerber, Lauren. untested Discovery Teenagers argon Actually Benefiting From Spending Too Much cartridge clip Online. Are Social Networking Sites Harmful?Eds. Stefan Kiesbye. Farmington Hills Greenhaven press, 2011. 10-12. Print. Hinduja, Sameer, and Justin Patchin. Cyberbullying Victimization. Rep. Cyberbullying Research Center, 2010. Web. 30 Aug. 2011. Laino, Charlene. Cyberstalking Worse Than in-person Harassment? WebMD. WebMD Health News, 8 Aug. 2011. Web. 24 Aug. 2011 Predator Statistics. Internetsafety101. org. Enough Is Enough, n. d. Web. 24 Aug. 2011. Scheff, Sue. Wrapped Up In the Web The Dangers of Teen Internet Addiction. Are Social Networking Sites Harmf ul? Eds. Stefan Kiesbye. Farmington Hills Greenhaven Press, 2011. 13-18. Print.