Effects of social networking on teens

THIS is the second part of an article that started last week, highlighting the effects of social networking on teenagers.

Cyber bullying

When a pre-teenager or teenager uses the internet or any other form of electronic communication as a tool to harass, threaten, humiliate and torture another child, this situation is defined as cyber bullying.

For this action to be cyber bullying, it is essential that a minor should be present on both ends. This means the bully and victim should both be minors.

The cyber bully and his knowledge of the source of electronic communication determine the extent of the torment that can be inflicted. The constant bullying makes the role of the victim and tormentor interchangeable because the victim will eventually become the bully as well.

Types of cyber bullying

There are two types of cyber bullying, and these are:

Direct attack:

This arises when the bully is in direct contact with the victim.

In this case, the bully uses an accomplice to torment and torture their victim. It is not certain that the

Cyber bullying by proxy:

accomplice is aware that he is playing the role of a pawn. But if an adult is part of this scheme, the term cyber bullying will no longer apply. This would then become cyber harassment or cyber stalking.

Physical impacts

Do not think that social networking sites just mentally affect teens; the impact is rather two-fold and leads to an array of health problems.

Obesity

Like it or not, social media or networking makes you a couch potato. So engrossed are the teens in this perspective that they shake their hands off chores, moving around et cetera. The result is obesity.

As per research, obesity has increased drastically in the last 10 years among teenagers, with networking and the internet taking up a chunk of their time. We should also bear in mind all the networking games and living up to the best scores.

Poor eyesight

All the attention on the social network comes at a price. Your concentration on the phone or the internet are so much that they take a toll on your eyes. More teenagers are suffering from vision issues because of excessive time spent on social media.

Carpal tunnel syndrome

This is a syndrome where you get acute pain in your wrists, fingers and hands because of excessive typing on the computer or your cellphone.

Teenagers are more prone to this because they are in their developing stage. Lack of exercises and inappropriate food habits combine to become a problem for them and leads to this acute condition.

Cyber crimes

This crime is on the rise and has been growing at a steady pace. Vulnerable teenagers fall prey to scams online. It is one of the worst kinds of damage that social networking could have on a teen, leading to risks of juvenile imprisonment and punishment. It has resulted in issues like date rapes, por

Wires.

nographic videos being shot and posted on the internet, and they spread like fire, thanks to these social networks.

What can be done?

Snatching away the phone, blocking children’s internet connections or imposing some restrictions are probably the first measures on parents’ minds. But this can strike back badly. None of this is going to help your teen get away from the harmful effects of social networking. What you need is a friendly intervention that will help them realise the cons they refuse to see.

Realistic rules

No phones on the dining table or during family outings works. Having restricted hours also works. Children need to understand the risks they face if they are not careful. Real life instances should help them understand better.

Also, as a minor, you need to self-regulate on internet use. You must set yourself boundaries. At the same time, keep a healthy social network.

Remember, harm from excessive internet use can either be physical or psychological. —