How Can the Internet Affect Adolescents?

When I was in fourth grade, I walked into my very first computer lab. I stared in awe at the monitors and the keyboards. Row after row of new computers kept my classmates and I jittering with excitement. Since that very first day on a computer, I have spent thousands of hours on the internet. Internet usage by adolescents is a modern-day norm, but in the way that the internet affects them, it seems like the harm entirely out weighs the good.

Internet usage by adolescents can cause a development of mental illnesses, unhealthy ideas of sex and consent, and preventative measures against these effects cause limits on academic use of the internet.

Internet use, particularly social media, can cause mental health concerns such as body dysmorphia, anxiety disorder, and even depression. In order to get a better understanding, I conducted a survey of 18 to 22-year-olds at Texas State University about how they felt while using social media from ages of 10 to 16.

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The results were clear: 40 % of males and 73% of females claimed that social media and/or excessive internet usage caused problems with self-esteem. In addition, 56 % of all participants claimed they were involved with cyberbullying (as either the victim or bully), including subtweeting. Social media and other websites that involve social interaction do affect youth in a way that seems to be negative.

Personally, social media has, at times, made me feel inadequate, small, and no matter how many likes I got, unseen. Just like my surveyed peers, it harmed my self-esteem.

Although I do agree that social media could unite the world, I must argue that it causes more loneliness and isolation than anything else. It causes young teens to single themselves out, and it can lead to development of many mental health issues. Unfortunately, social media isn’t the only way that the internet can affect users.

The internet allows easy access to so many things. From shopping for a new car to looking for a “Just like Grandma’s” cookie recipe, it can probably be found online. Another thing that is easily accessible online is pornography. The percentage of children viewing pornography has substantially increased. According to the American College of Pediatricians, after surveying a large group of Americans “51% of males and 32% of females claimed to have viewed pornography… before they were thirteen years old.” Why is this a problem? Children who are exposed to pornography (accidentally or on purpose) can become “obsessed with acting out adult sexual acts,” and are “more likely to sexually assault their peers” (Perry). In other words, a child’s curiosity can easily turn into a false, and potentially dangerous, understanding of sex and consent. While taking courses as a camp counselor, I discovered that pornography is harmful in many other ways. The use of online pornography by sexual predators is extremely prevalent in the grooming process. When it comes to establishing relationship, “[s]exualizing a groomed victim may involve desensitizing them to pornographic images” (“Identifying Red Flags”). All in all, introduction to pornography during childhood and adolescent years can be extremely harmful and is more prevalent now due to the internet.

One question that can pop up right about now is: what is being done about this? One “solution” that has been consistent is internet censorship in school. Many schools in all pre-collegiate levels have implemented an internet censorship technology on school electronic devices and wireless internet. This censorship usually protects students from being exposed to inappropriate content and allows administration to review student activity. Although I agree that it is important to protect students from inappropriate activity; I also believe that a school’s censorship can limit a students’ access to the internet as a learning tool. The filters at times can become so limiting that “students [are deprived of] opportunities to build academic skills they’ll need in the future” (Fuglei).

Even simpler than that, sometimes students aren’t able to research or do homework for a class. During an interview, with the principal of Wimberley High School, Jason Valentine, he admitted that “this can create issues due to our school using the internet and electronic devices as a tool in the classroom.” He continues saying, “No matter how inconvenient internet censorship is, it is necessary for the protection of our students and staff.” Although I agree with Mr. Valentine that students’ protection is necessary, I must say that the current internet censorship process is inefficient and needs reforming. When I was in high school, my classmates and I were given Chromebooks to use in the classroom and at home. If a teacher assigned a video to watch, I’d have to use a personal device like my phone to complete the assignment. This is detrimental because there are some students that rely on school devices and internet to finish homework, and due to the censorship and filters, they are not able to. Now we can see that measure put in place to protect adolescents from the internet can be just as harmful as what they are being protected from.

In conclusion, in times that the internet can be helpful and convenient, it can also be harmful to adolescents. The internet has played a large part in the development of mental health issues and unhealthy ideas about sex and consent. Also, censorship to protect students from these things can limit academic use of the internet. Since the fourth grade, my use of the internet has been constant. A day does not go by that I don’t google something. Part of me wonders if I would be as willing as I was in fourth grade to use those new computers if I knew how internet use would affect me. Maybe my level of willingness didn’t matter, because in the end, I wasn’t given much of a choice.