How does Internet Affect the Social Life of Kids

1156 Words3 Pages

Over the last ten years, it seems as technology has slowly become a necessity. The online world has permitted people to create and present themselves online as whoever they wish to be. This trend has caught on with the younger crowd and has completely taken over their world. With multiple social media sites to keep up with, kids have the ability to tweet, chat, snap, and share at anytime because of how accessible the internet has become. The idea of staying online has occupied kids by connecting them to millions of people while slowing disconnecting them from their families. Overuse of the Internet is destroying the family.

Kids spend extra time online with their media friends rather than partaking in family events. The children may spend hours at a time online causing them to lose focus on the current family activities surrounding them. “It is reported that 28 percent of Americans interviewed last year said they have been spending less time with members of their households. That's nearly triple the 11 percent who said that in 2006” (Jones). Spending less time with family because of online activities is more common today because of how accessible it is. Brad Blanton writes in his book Radical Parenting, “This is a direct result of what is called ‘hybrid life.’ For previous generations of teens, there was technology time and there was offline time. Now, there’s no separation.” The internet has the power to connect family and friends, but real authentic offline experiences with loved ones should not be sacrificed for the online world.

Children have become more active online and less active outside. Due to the captivating world of the web, it seems like spending time outside is less important to kids. “The average American child...

... middle of paper ...

.../kvvzpn8>.

Pavlik, John V. Media in the Digital Age. New York: Columbia UP, 2008. Print.

Rideout, Victoria et al. (2005). “Generation M: Media in the Lives of 8-18 Year-Olds”. Study. The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.Web. 22 Feb. 2014

Sariyska, Rayna, et al. "Self-Esteem, Personality And Internet Addiction: A Cross-Cultural Comparison Study." Personality & Individual Differences 61-62.(2014): 28-33. Academic Search Premier. Web. 17 Mar. 2014.

Shulman, Debby. "Confessions of a Proud Facebook Stalker." Northbrook Patch. Planck LLC D/b/a Patch Media., 11 July 2011. Web. 17 Mar. 2014.

Sifferlin, Alexandra, and Alexandra Sifferlin. "Pediatricians: Limit Kids’ Texting and Internet Surfing." Time. Time, 28 Oct. 2013. Web. 22 Feb. 2014

More about How does Internet Affect the Social Life of Kids

Open Document