Internet is a different world. Children at an immature age are more likely to turn into pitfalls when exposed to a world of possibilities. They are attracted to their world by the vastness of the Internet and its privacy and its potential to provide relief from boredom at any time when choosing relationships.
Mobile addiction in children has been on subject of discussion for a long time. But nothing changes except that the addiction grows day by day. If say that internet awareness is not necessary in a changing world, it is really a great folly. However, it is also dangerous to think that everything is attained by getting it accessed. A recent news story about India's children's Internet use and its future is thought-provoking and worrying. Mobile Maturity is defined here as acquiring the skills to use mobile sets and manage apps. It does not mean that it can be used maturely.
The study organized by the company McAfee among students and teachers in 10 important regions of the world is currently being discussed. Its findings show that children in India are becoming mobile-ready at an early age. 83% of children between the ages of 10 and 14 are using smart phones regularly. It should be remembered that the international average is only 76%. Another worrying news is that children are exposed to online crimes and other threats. This type of online bullying, known as 'cyber-bullying', leads children to stress and a small percentage to suicide. It should be remembered that about 22% of the users are subjected to 'cyber bullying', which is 5% more than the global average. While 90% of parents claim that their children are properly monitored in this regard, only 56% keep their smartphones locked. Only 42% keep their children's phones locked.
The figures indicate that the parents' concern in this regard is not so 'optimistic'. This means that if the attention and concern of parents on these issues is 57% globally, it is only 47% in India. Also, we are at the forefront of those who establish relationships without being able to accurately identify the person.
Why is this happening? Western countries follow the practice of making children self-sufficient from an early age and letting them out into their world long before they are mature enough for their parents. In contrast, in India, parental control over children extends at least until they learn and get a job. There are two opinions in the society about raising children in chains without allowing them to be self-sufficient. But it is a serious matter that such vigilant parents are not aware of the Internet dangers that children need to be most careful about today. There are many reasons for this.
Of course the first reason is the 'generation gap' itself. Smart phone has become essential for learning for children. Children of today do not want follow books as their hardworking parents did in their time. Today's smart children do not have the time or inclination to go to libraries and read books to collect information needed for learning. Instead, it only takes a few seconds to copy and paste the same information on smart phones with a single click. But when things become easy like that, what gets lost is the desire to do something in the children. When we switch them from Hardwork to smartwork, they fail where the hardwork really needed. And when they failed, they ultimately thinks a step for suicide.
Parents play a significant role in the mobile maturity of children at an early age. Children who are naturally attracted to the Internet can only be turned away from it by parents. Mobile usage in children should be reduced from childhood. Mobile and internet should not be given to children for anything of a confidential nature. They should be able to talk to them personally and clear doubts and children should have freedom with their parents. Or at the same time being isolated from home and restricting their use of social media on things like mobiles may frustrate them. At a young age, children need nothing more than the loving closeness of their parents.
We also need to be aware of the pitfalls that await children who are maturing to smartphones and the internet at an early age. Children who are isolated at home rely on the Internet for friendships. The vast majority of such relationships on the Internet are headed in the wrong direction.
Internet is a different world, a world where anything is possible. Children at a sensitive or immature age are more likely to turn to mistakes when exposed to a world of possibilities. When they choose relationships from the vastness of the Internet into their world, they are attracted by its privacy and its potential to provide relief from boredom at any time. Those ties are slowly getting stronger. Bonds that solidify then lead to financial exploitation and intimidation. They are unable to recover from this fall and eventually lead to suicide.
Since ancient times, there have been great changes in children's behavior and thinking. It is promising that a large percentage of children today are able to distinguish between right and wrong. It is true that what an adult says to a child is ten times more effective than what an adult says to a child. For that, the children themselves have to come forward. When a child begins to walk down such a wrong path, the friends are the first to notice than their parents. There, each child should show maturity in friendship rather than warmth of friendship. He/she must be withdrawn from it precisely. If they are not able to do it now, the children should also show the responsibility to tell the parents and solve it in a gentle way. Although India is not at the forefront of technology, it is ahead in experiencing more negative effects than the positive effects of the technology it has achieved. New studies suggest the same when it comes to mobile maturation in children.
All these can only be beneficial if children attain socio-cultural maturity along with the advancement of technology. Such a development is what the country really wants.
Parents who shout at their kids for their screen addiction to Control