The so-called digital age has come to stay in practically all areas of our lives, it gives us a series of advantages to facilitate and save time in many tasks of daily life, however, the other side of the coin is much Be careful for everyone, because if these technological tools are not handled properly, they are potentially dangerous for everyone, with special emphasis on children and young people, who are not yet mentally mature, to discern what is true and what is false in the world of the internet.
Under this context, it is up to the adult representatives of these children or young people to know how to guide them through a technological world, which certainly is also sometimes complex. On this occasion, we bring you a brief summary of the dark side that Internet use could have for unsuspecting or very young users.
Potential dangers that beset children and young people on the Internet
While it is true that the Internet can have a number of dangers for its users, you must also be sure that, with a minimum of care and precautions, we can enjoy this fabulous digital world, without having to deal with potential dangers that we can find.
Among the main threats that we can face on the Internet, we find Cyberbullying, addiction to excessive use, especially on social networks, exposure to inappropriate content according to the user’s age, contact with dangerous people, identity theft through accessing the credentials of an account of a certain user, pedophilia and let’s stop counting, so as not to make the list too long.
Next, we will explain some descriptions of each of these threats on the Internet.
Cyberbullying: Harassment that knows no borders
This a practice that consists of psychologically disturbing a person or a group of people, carrying it out through messages on social networks, emails, forums or any massive social interaction platform, having a number of different conditions to do so, obviously all of them illegal. and unethical, such as: Racism due to skin color or origin, religious, political, social, among various other causes. It is a much more dangerous practice when it comes to children or adolescents, who do not yet have the maturity to face a problem like this.
Possible consequences of Cyberbullying
The consequences of cyberbullying can be very forceful and dangerous, especially for children and adolescents. We have seen cases, even where the affected person may have suicidal intentions, threatening their own life, overwhelmed by the intense social burden and self-esteem that this practice entails. so destructive.
Among the consequences we can list the following:
1. Low self-esteem and depression.
2. Anxiety and fear.
3. Social isolation.
4. Suicidal thoughts and even suicide attempts.
5. Resentment and psychological damage
6. Poor school or work performance.
Social media addiction
This is a problem that has become very common in recent years, with the exception that adults have been involved in this threat, not just children and young people. This addiction manifests itself when the person feels the extreme need to be permanently connected to social networks, in periods of time that cover a large part of the day.
Such is the intensity that usually affects some people, that they feel incomplete or that they are missing something important to continue with their daily routines of study, work or any other occupation they may have.
Some symptoms that affected people present
Extreme anxiety and irritability: Nervousness and restlessness when they are disconnected from social networks, practically, they want to be connected almost permanently to their social network accounts.
Deconcentrating in daily tasks: The person becomes unable to concentrate on a specific task, be it study, work or some physical activity that requires full attention.
Alterations in the sleep cycle: Addiction can reach the point of not sleeping the corresponding hours, due to staying connected to social networks, during rest hours, thereby having devastating consequences for the health and well-being of the affected person.
Loneliness or depression: This consequence is one of the last in the addiction phase, at this point, the person will require professional help to get out of the addiction, since, on their own, it will be difficult to get out of this situation.
Final considerations
After touching just, the tip of the iceberg in this problem that is occurring more commonly in recent years, we must promote awareness and control in the use of social networks, above all, we will have to dedicate special attention n to the care of children and adolescents, to prevent a situation like this from reaching extremes.
We must put a stop to all this immediately, since surreal cases have been presented, such as that of a young schoolgirl in Arkansas, who tried to cut her wrists when she could not recover password on her social media account. . If you are experiencing any problems related to social networks, there are people who can help you, do not hesitate to do so.
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