Cell phones and the Internet are few of the latest technologies. When kids turn eleven, parents usually gift them a mobile phone or a laptop. Parents give phones to their children because they want to be in touch always but what parents don’t realize is that kids cannot handle so much responsibility. Kids need to be monitored and guided in the right direction.
Currently there are a lot of problems due to mobile phones and internet. Kids are exposed to a lot of things they are not supposed to. Various reports state that kids are not able to handle such technologies. Problems arise as kids are not monitored. When I was a kid, I was not even allowed to talk over the phone when no one was around me. I use the internet only with my parents’ permission. I used to think that it was humiliating and that I was old enough to handle all these things on my own. I was treated this way till I was 15 years old. Well as teenagers, we all think we know everything. I used to fight with my parents a lot. But my parents were always strong with their decision. None of my friends had any such restrictions. When I was sixteen, one incident happened that made me realize that my parents were right all along. One of my friends had given way too many details about herself on the internet. She had given the details thinking she was talking to another school going person. She was misled into believing that. The person started stalking her and then she realized that it was a middle aged man. She was scared to confront her parents but she had no other choice. A lot of drama happened after that which I don’t want to get in to. But it was a scary incident. I was grateful that I did not do anything stupid like that. I would have done it if I had the freedom. I did not because I knew I was monitored.
So at that age kids do not know what is wrong and right. So it is better to keep mobile phones and other consumer electronics away from the kids till they can be trusted. The computer should be placed in a common room so that they can be monitored always. Give them the mobile phone only when they are going out with their friends. Strictly no phones allowed in the nights. Tell them about the various incidents that happen if they are given the freedom. I recently read an article about how a girl had killed herself. A humiliating photo of hers was passed around the school through MMS. All kids made fun of her. She couldn’t stand the humiliation. Even her friends stopped talking to her. So such situation happen every day and many girls are affected due to certain mishaps. Girls are the victims always.
I will blame the parents for not enforcing enough rules. Parents read the news every day and various reports are generated and published. These reports state how technology affects teenagers these days. Kids also use their phones during class and lose their concentration. Various schools have such complaints and many schools have banned the usage of cell phones.
Another main drawback of the internet is that kids do not come to their parents if they have any doubts, they just Google it. So they get a lot of information which they are not ready for. Kids lose their innocence faster because of this one major factor. Kids act grown up because they feel they are informed. It is the parents responsibly to gain the trust of their kids so that they come to them and not hide things from them. Parents should be their kid’s best friend so that they are comfortable enough to talk to them. Most kids are scared to talk to their parents. Reports show that there are very little percentage of kids who trust their parents enough to talk to them about anything.
There is no reason to be strict. When parents are friendly and talk to their kids about the consequences of using mobile phones and internet, they will learn to be responsible. It will be easier for parents to trust them. When parents blindly trust their kids then they will definitely take advantage of it. When they earn the trust, they will definitely learn to keep it up.
Tags: technology social