Kids Vulnerability To The Internet

The Internet being a bane or a boon has been an anticipated debate topic for years. With the growing demands of reaching a wider arena of knowledge, it is irresistible. It plays a vital role in human life without discriminating between genders, age groups, and communities. It provides the same content, accessibility, and opportunities to everyone, leaving it to people to make use of it in their own ways.

With this comes the pain point. As technology advances, the use of the internet expands, and the threats of cybersecurity, personal information leakage, financial losses, and exchange of confidential information increase. The most vulnerable community to such perils is kids. It is necessary to educate them to avoid disasters that can show up due to carelessness in promoting the internet to them.

From toddlers to teenagers, kids are often found with mobile phones, either using YouTube, playing games, or even surfing. They are unaware of what content can come as they scroll after finishing one video while watching on YouTube and may happen to click on adult video content. Likewise, numerous advertisements come between the games, and in a hurry, clicking on the wrong link may lead to undesirable content accessibility. Talking about surfing sounds more terrific as the internet is an extensive library. 

Let's find out how careless use of the internet by kids can affect their lives:

1. Mental Health Concerns

Harassers easily manipulate kids and use the internet to find their next prey. If kids do not use the internet under the supervision of their parents, they can get trapped, leading to harassment. It can cause concerns for their mental well-being. 

Kids are tender, and such things can affect them, leaving a life-long impact on their minds.

2. Undesirable Content

Undesirable content is not limited to one topic. It can be adult content and violence. From a tender age, the kids progress as per the capability of physical and mental strength. So, there is a limit to what they should access on the internet. 

Violence can lead to nightmares for kids. And adult content can be disturbing for their tender mind.

3. False Information

Kids believe what they come across. The information available on sites can be misleading. Kids cannot differentiate between right and wrong sites. So, if they come across some information, they believe it and share it with their friends. As a kid, we are eager to share things we know, either to let others know or to flaunt.

It is easier to spread things than wrapping them.

4. Deteriorating Health

Excessive use of the internet leads to addiction. Kids watching screens are vulnerable to weak eyesight, disturbed physical health due to neglecting meals, and lack of social engagement.

With the current lifestyle, health concerns start from a young age itself. Internet misuse also contributes to it. It is troublesome.

Kids get affected by misuse of the internet. But simultaneously, parents too suffer. It's the situation of "Someone suffers the sins of others." It appears a little harsh, but the truth is always severe. 

Let me leave you with a few questions:

• How do you feel when you see your kid with his eyes glued to the screen and neglecting you?

• Does that upset you when you realize it all started because you wanted to keep your kid busy?

• Does your kid complain about strain or pain in the eye? 

• Where do you find your kid most of the time inside the home?

• What activities do you plan with your kids daily, on weekends, monthly, or yearly to improve socialization?

These are a few questions you can ask yourself as a parent and analyze what steps you can take to improve the circumstances to prevent misuse of the internet as the "Internet does not discriminate."

This post is a part of Happinetz - Internet Does Not Discriminate.