Various Ways a Child Access Information from the Internet - Essay Example

INTERNET WILL BE MISLEADING CHILDREN Introduction: The internet has become a household Its influence on the child is quite enormous. Children are the most vulnerable human species in connection to the internet. This is because of unbridled and uncontrolled access to the internet is capable of affecting the core personality of a child. Webmasters and other internet, Children are very inquisitive. They will like to find out what is behind a particular fact. This infantile attitude is very central in the wide access which children have over the internet. In a very important note, we must know that pornography is the major way of misleading children through the internet. Hence, this paper will center on pornographic issues with the intention of knowing how children can access such pornographic information as well as how it affects them. It must be mentioned that most parents do not know when their children or wards have the access to the internet. This makes it to be rather more risky. The influx of smartphones to the market helped in the acceleration of children’s desire to view and read what was posted in the internet. At least, they do not need large computers or laptops to view and illicit materials. Their smartphones in the hands is an enough access to the internet world. It should be known that there are two major contents or materials which children always look for in the internet; written materials, pictures, and YouTube materials. YouTube refers to internet contents that are videoed. VARIOUS WAYS A CHILD COULD ACCESS INFORMATION FROM THE INTERNET: We shall examine the various ways through which a child could access information and contents in the internet. Using Instant messages to lure children into sexual fantasy: With the social media, instant messages become something that will always appeal to children. Children visiting the social media sites like facebook, Black Berry Messenger (BBM), tweeter, and some other social media are always vulnerable especially when they have friends with bad influence. Since the purpose of the social media is to relate and communicate with each other using the social media network, some sexual predators use it as a means to lure vulnerable children to sexual fantasies. Lara Long, et al (2006) defines a sexual predator as ‘’A middle-aged Jobless man that stays alone and always victimize children psychologically by always posting illicit contents with children as his target audience’’1 The sexual predators do this using text messages, pictures, and the YouTube. They sent erotic instant messages to small children with the aim of arousing them sexually. This includes the use of profane and romantic words in the messaging. Children who are more vulnerable always fall prey to this kind of message by being sexually aroused. In the social media network, communications are also possible through pictures and YouTube. Children visiting the social media network always fall into the various url, pictures, and YouTube video, which they can enjoy for ours at the ignorance of their parents. They also share pornographic links with little children. When children visit the links, they are always fantasized with the sexual contents which will make them to look for more. This might continue unabated without the parents knowing about it. At this moment, the online relationship between the child and his sexual predator has gone so far. This could only be noticed through strange behaviors exhibited by the child. These friends who are morally debased and unfit to the children always post nude pictures either in their profile or in the profile of children. Since the sight of nudity is very hard to ignore, children always find themselves enjoying the pictorial contents without the knowledge of their parents. By so doing, they learn a lot of bad things that are capable of debasing their morality. These sexual predators sent unsolicited friendship request to children, without knowing in person such a child. Children are corrupted by internet experts that misuse brand names: Popular brand names that do not have any linkage with pornography are misused by internet predators in order to seduce children. A recent report in England reveals that popular children’s character such as the pokemom exposes thousand so links to pornographic sites. The Cyveillance survey report of 1999 states that ‘’more than 25% of the pornographic sites are misusing well known brand names in the search engine. These misused brand names have little children as the audience’’2 Innocent searches can end up in pornographic result: Innocent and searches that are not precise can lead children to some pornographic sites. This is done especially when pornographic web masters use popular words to increase the traffic to their websites. When a child enters a favorite search word, pornographic sites appear along side with the main site which the child is looking for. This rather cannot be blamed on a child since the act is unintended. But the result cannot be underrated. A child who has no intention of searching for the pornographic site might end up enjoying the illicit and sexual contents. Innocent searching of words: There are certain words that do not intrinsically have sexual connotations. Such words are what we use in our everyday activities. Hence, mentioning the words in the public does not raise suspicion. But unfortunately, these innocent search terms are capable of leading a child to a lot of pornographic sites. Such words include toys, boys, and so many others. Naturally, these words do not connote sexuality, but because of its usage in sexual issues, they become visible in search engines. EFFECTS OF THE INTERNET ON CHILDREN: Having look at the ways of through which a child could access information in the internet; it is highly pertinent to examine the various effects of the information on the child. The social skills of children are affected by the internet: Children with high addiction to the internet seem live a more asocial life. Their social life is always truncated by their addiction to the internet. This is because constant surfing through the internet makes them to be always individualistic; staying alone. When this happens, such a child refuses to socialize with his fellow children. This appears to be the opposite because since most children visit the chat rooms, they make new friends online. Even though it can be said that they might not have seen their online friends, the possibility is still very ripe to arrange a meeting with such a friend. This could appear to be very dangerous because child abuse of abuse of minor could take place since such a person could be a sexual predator. The sexual development of a child could be truncated through addiction to the internet: Children who always visit the internet could be said to have dull brain when it comes to matters of the academic and other issues. Again, since the child might not be psychologically prepared to handle what he sees or knows through the internet, there is every possibility to have a truncated psychological growth. This could lead to sexual fantasies, bestiality, homosexuality, and other forms of sexual pervasion. The quest to practice what they see and read in the internet can lead to such unacceptable sexual practice. This could be the reason why Freud opines that civilization has helped in raising the erotic appetite of man. The brain of the child could be affected by the internet: An addiction to the internet could cause brain damages to the teenager. This is shown by the studies of some scientists who discovered that parts of the brain of a teenager wastes away through the development of some negative signs such as atrophy of grey matter which always take exist in the brain. This can certainly affect the social behavior of the child as well as concentration and goal setting and making decisions. Some scientists scanned the brains of 18 college students through MRI brain scan, aged 19, who spend so much time in the internet. After asking them certain questions, it was confirmed that they are internet addicts. Commenting on how the internet destroys the brain’s cognitive powers, Sarah Harris (2011) writes, ‘’A set of the MRI images is set on the grey matter which exists on the brain’s wrinkled surface where memory, speech, ability to see, hearing ability, and motor control are processed’’3 Children who are addicted to the internet pay less attention to their studies: The internet is capable of taking the mind of a child away from his academic studies. Many children make use of their study time to play online games and surfing through the internet. Sometimes, they do this in the absence of their parents who ought to enjoin them to study. Even when parents are in the house, they pay less or no attention to this phenomenon. This has far reaching effects on their studies. Some of the massive failures by students in various schools could be attributed to addiction to the internet. Instead of spending time reading their books and preparing for their examinations, school children prefer the penchant for online gaming and surfing through the internet. Educationists and concerned individuals have expresses fear over the matter. They opine that the situation may be worst if relevant agencies and institutions like government, the family, and non-profit making organizations do not take adequate action over the matter. WAYS OF REDUCING CHILDREN’S ADDICTION TO THE INTERNET: Having seen the various effects of the internet on the child, we shall look at how the menace could be curbed. The government should be involved: There is a wide debate about the role of government in censoring internet contents and materials. Example, in America, there are no strict laws about what should be uploaded in the internet while in Kuwait, there is a complete censorship of internet sites. Writing on the confusion about the censorship of internet sites, Sigmund Freud opines, ‘’Man’s value judgment is simply an expression of his wishes and desires where he uses logic to support his illusions’’4 Some argue that it is ethical for the government to censor the internet while others argue that the government has no right to censor the internet basing their argument in freedom of expression encapsulated in the International Human Rights. These people also own internet sites that generate income for them. That could be accounted for their refusal to allow the internet to be censored. Those who argue in favor of the government to censor the internet are concerned about the moral breakdown witnessed among some children as a result of constant visit to internet sites. Commenting on this Ali Alsayegn, et al,(no date) states that There is an ongoing debate between the governments, businesses, individuals, and members of the parliament about the censorship of the internet. In the debate, come people see it from religious’’5 This argument is quite fierce because people have divergent views with logical convictions. This makes it possible for some governments to censor internet sites. Since there is no law in some countries about the censorship of harmful sites, the ethical question is ‘’whether internet companies should censor pornographic sites?’’ Non profit making organizations have a role to play: Non profit organizations have a role to play in combating the menace of internet addiction by children. They can do this by creating awareness and various forms of advocacy. Non profit making organizations can launch internet awareness about the harmful nature of some sites to little children. Since the internet is the issue, it is wise to fight the course making an extensive use of the internet. This will surely reach the targeted audience which should be the parents and guidance. The role of parents is the most important: Parents probably are the most important people in the lives of children. Hence, it is highly pertinent for parents to monitor what they children are doing on the internet. The care-free and busy attitude of some parents is responsible for the moral decadence which their children suffer. Hence, lack of parental control can be seen as the major reason why some children misbehave. When parents are active to their parental responsibility, the menace of misleading children through the internet will be reduced to the barest minimum. Hence, Kevin Wood states that ‘’The expectation of parents to have a child or even having children do not automatically qualify you as a parent. Rather, being referred as a parents carries a lot of responsibities’’6 It behooves on parents to train their children in a more befitting manner so that nothing, including the internet will mislead the child. Works cited Long C., and Zuckerman D. online predators: what do we know and what can we do? , 2006. Internet Source, http://www.cattacenter.org/pdf/Summer2006Web.pdf. Accessed, 9/12/2012. No name, How children access pornography on the internet. Internet source, http://www.protectkids.com/dangers/childaccess.htm. Accessed, 8/12/2012 Harris S., too much internet use can damage teenagers’ brain, 2011, internet source, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2015196/Too-internet-use-damage-teenagers-brains.htm. Accessed, 9/12/2012. Freud S., civilization and its discontents, internet source: http://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/848942-das-unbehagen-in-der-kultur?auto_login_attempted=true. Accessed, 8/12/2012 Alsayegh A., Lee V., Thompson M, government censorship of the internet, (no date), internet source, http://www.ethicapublishing.com/confronting/5CH3.pdf. Accessed, 7/12/2012. Wood K., parenting, kids and family, 2010, internet source: http://parenting1.knoji.com/child-development-and-the-parents-role/. Accessed, 10/12/2012 Read More