Teenagers and the Internet
Teenagers and the side effects of the Internet
Kathleen Dreitlein
Rutgers University
1
Teenagers and the Internet
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Introduction
There have been numerous studies about the use of the internet and its many side effects,
and some of these studies have been about teenagers. Teenagers seem to be getting more and
more lazy as every generation gets older, but is it because of the internet? Teenagers have been
brought up on the dependency of the internet. When information is need for a report, the first
place they look is the internet, because it is the fastest and easiest.
Lenhart(2005) stated that more than half of Americans use the internet daily. It goes into
detail saying that 64% of teenagers do things online that they wouldn’t want their parents to
know about. The article goes into detail about the use of filters to block any inappropriate
information. The article continues with saying that 79% of the teenagers said that they are not
careful enough about the information that they give out to people online. This displays the
internet is both an educational tool and more likely a way for teenagers to do things that they
shouldn’t.
Gross(2004) reports the differences and similarities between boys and girls and how
much time they spend on the internet. 261 7th and 10th graders were the participants in this
particular study, it showed that boys spent more time playing violent video games online while
girls were more likely to chat or shop online. Teenagers who spent more time on the internet had
a greater risk of becoming isolated and had a higher rate of depression. Both boys and girls
talked online to their friends through the more intimate setting of an instant message or email.
This study showed the vast range and use of the internet among teenagers.
Colquhoun and Williams(2005)stated that an average of 13 hours a week is spent online.
These teenagers consider the internet “an important part of their lives”. This displays the
dependency of the computer and the internet. The difference between the girls and boys in this
study was relevant, boys had less than 7% of parental concern over the in chat rooms while girls
were nearly at 40%. The internet reduces the interaction between family members and increases
the possibility of psychological problems such as depression. All of these articles showed a
different effect and concern of the internet and the amount of time teenagers are spending on it.
Each of the effects ties into this paper about teenagers and the internet.
Teenagers and the Internet 3
All of these studies and articles show that the dependency and reliability of the internet is
making an impact on the children of the next generation, if teenagers are given a project to do in
school then they most likely will go right to the internet and get their information there. Only
because of the availability of it, the information could be completely wrong and they wont care.
If teenagers are doing this kind of work in school for a project then what are they doing outside
of school with their free time?
There are many different ways one could look at the internet. One is the fact that people
from around the globe could interact with one another in a matter of seconds. Another reason is
that there is an unlimited amount of knowledge and information that is openly available to the
whole world. But with the good comes the bad, there are many negative side effects to the
internet as well. One is that people who use the internet for an excessive amounts of time are
more pron to social isolation and depression. These are serious issues for those people who spend
hours at a time on the computer.
A survey of over 1000 U.S. parents revealed concern on the internet and it’s side effects
on the youth(Gross,2004). “going online too often may lead children to become isolated from
other people”,was the response from two-thirds of the respondents in the study. Teenagers use
the internet as a safe haven from the world. They can talk to strangers online for hours at a time
and not worry about the consequences from what they really want to say. Instant Messaging (IM)
is the most popular form of communication online today, one is notified on the availability of the
friends and can have numerous conversations at the same time.
This graph shows the increase in internet use since 1994, the age group of 15-24 shows the
biggest increase. While all the other age groups have increased in the same way. The group that
had the least increase was the 55 and over group. This reinforces the fact that the world is using
the internet as a means of communication, and a source of unlimited information.
Teenagers and the Internet 4
Teenagers spend an average of thirteen hours a week online, that is more than the average
amount of time spent in front of the television . Teenagers can now use the internet as a
television. There are ways to watch one’s favorite television show, re-watch award shows and
even watch movies that people put up online. There is no limit to the amount and quality of
internet that a teenager is subjected to.
internet vs television
45.00%
40.00%
35.00%
30.00%
internet 6 hours
25.00%
20.00%
tv 4 or more
hours
15.00%
10.00%
5.00%
0.00%
1998
2000
2002
2004
2006
This chart shows that since the year 2000 the use of the internet has steadily risen while
the viewing of television has decreased. The explanation for the internet is that as the price of
computers goes down the availability goes up. This makes it possible for almost everyone to have
access to the internet. The decrease of television viewing shows that people are spending more of
their free time on the internet.
The internet is an ideal setting for teenagers, they can stay connected with their friends
and talk to anyone from around the entire world. Teenagers along with the rest of the world use
the internet as means of communication, but teenagers also use it as a means of role
experimentation. This is another side effect of the internet. With the hours that teenagers spend on
the internet and the conversations that they have with numerous strangers, how does one know
Teenagers and the
Internet 5
what is the truth. 81% of parents of online teens say that teens aren’t careful enough when giving
out information about themselves online, and 79% of online teenagers agree with this
statement(Lenhart,2005). Teenagers are doing things online that parents don’t condole, like
downloading music, pornography, and cyber-sex. 65% of all parents and 64% of all teenagers say
that teenagers do things online that they don’t want their parents to know about(Lenhart,2005).
While surfing the internet or instant messaging someone, there are going to be
conversations with strangers. In these conversations, one might lie to make them sound better.
Teenagers use this as a way to explore there roles. Being a teenager going thru all the emotional
problems and the outlet of the internet to express themselves is an ideal setting in which they can
explore their identity(Gross,2004). With all the conversations and information online it is easy to
lie to a friend or even a stranger. Teenagers use the internet to express themselves and try to
figure out who they really are.
Males spend more time on the internet than females but there is a difference between how
the internet is used between male and female teenagers. Males were more likely to spend more
time playing violent video games on the computer. While females were more likely to spend more
of their internet time online shopping and talking to their friends. Males were more likely to go
online alone while females used the internet more as a means of communication.
The use of the web and the side effects
1-2hrs
3-5hrs
6+hrs
totals
Male
Female
30.2%
41.7%
25%
26.8%
44.8%
31.5%
100%
100%
Under 30
30-49
50 and up
43.4%
35.7%
39%
25.8%
26.4%
25.1%
39.8%
37.8%
35.9%
100%
100%
100%
Low income
Middle income
High income
34.3%
37%
37%
27.4%
24.5%
25.8%
38.3%
38.5%
37.2%
100%
100%
100%
White
37%
25.9%
37.1%
100%
Black
36.1%
28.6%
35.3%
100%
No High School Grad
High School Grad
College Education
36.9%
41.2%
34.8%
20.9%
26.2%
26.3%
42.2%
32.6%
38.9%
100%
100%
100%
Teenagers and the Internet 6
The internet use also is determined by the availability of a computer. If a house or a
building has a computer then it probably has an internet connection with I, making it accessible
for all that want to use it. The afford ability of a computer is also a key component, A house hold
that has a low-income has less of a chance of getting a computer and having the internet than that
of a high-income. Age group also plays a role in the amount of internet one is using, the elderly
are less likely to go online and suf the web than a person that is in their twenties. Race was not a
big issue in the amount of internet one uses. Education was a factor in the table, the people with
high school education spent more time on the internet than the high school graduate or even a
person that has a college education.
Internet addiction is a growing problem with teenagers. Dr. Mubarak Ali quoted
“Substance abuse is something visible. Psychological addictions are caused by wanting to hang
onto or enhance positive feelings and stimuli, like gambling, playing computer games or
projecting whatever personality you like in chat rooms”. 7% of teenagers from the ages of 13-17
say they are”addicted” to the net, while 26% say that they use the internet every day making it “an
important part of their lives”(Williams& Colquhoun,2005). If internet addiction is so widespread
then what is there for us to do? There are a chain of filters that parents can put on their computers
to stop the negative side effects. More than half of American families with teenagers use
computer filters that limit the access to harmful content(Lenhart,2005).The house holds that have
these are usually the families were the parents are themselves use the internet frequently. The
older the children the less likely they are to have some sort of filter on their computer.
Parental control also plays a part in the filtering of the harmful content. The more the
parents are involves in their child’s internet use the less likely they are going to get into trouble.
The sex of the child shouldn’t matter but in the studies that have been done they did. Less than
7% of boys reported any parental control over the internet, while almost 40% of girls had parental
control over their internet usage(Williams&Colquhoun,2005). Even with parental control and
filters there is still going to be things that teenagers are going to say, do and get into. But with the
filters and parental control there will be a limit on what is viewed by the teenager.
With all the obscenity on the internet why do we rely do we rely so much on it. 74% of
students report using the internet as their primary source in their last major project(Lenhart,2001).
We do what is easy, and a few minutes on the web to get all the information that we need is a real
time saver. But what are we teaching the next generation, that we don’t have to really look up any
of the information, that talking to complete strangers online is ok. Or are we sending the message,
don’t worry about your who you are, you can always go online and lie to other people until you
find the personality you like. We are sending mixed messages and not just to the teenagers but to
the whole world. Since technology is only going to advance and those that are not technological
are not going to make it in this social Darwinist life style, what do we do with the bad side effects
of the internet. How do we teach the youth the right ways to use the internet. Or is the way we use
the internet already the right way.
Teenagers and the Internet 7
Abstract
The internet is the most popular mass media, especially amongst teenagers. Along with the
good effects comes the bad side effects, they are social isolation, depression, role identity,
pornography, cyber-sex, and internet addiction. Filters and parental control are the only ways to
help limit the amount of obscenity on the internet. The usage of the internet is a wide range but
the majority is in the age group 15-25. The amount of internet use also relies on the sex, income,
and education of the person. As the internet only makes life more comfortable for us, we are
given option to advance with it, or don’t and become obsolete. The internet is a powerful tool,
you can talk to people all over the world, get information on topi, but with the greatness and
easiness comes the negative.
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References
Culgughoun, T, Williams, L. (2005)Teenagers at risk of internet addiction. Retrieved April 10,
2006, from http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2005/11/22/1132421666935.html
Gross, E(2004). Adolescent Internet Use: What we expect, What teens report. Applied
Developmental Psychology 25 (2004) Retrieved April 8,2006, from
http://www.cdmc.ucla.edu/downloads/Adolescent%20Internet%20usepdf.pdf.
Lenhart,A (nov. 23, 2005). Protecting teens online. Retrieved April 8, 2006 from
http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/152/report_display.asp