Children and the Internet: A Lethal Combination - Research Paper Example

Today’s children are not better socialised than their predecessors, on account of the proliferation of the internet. Socialization is the process of change that occurs in the life of a child from its birth to its maturity. This process plays an important role in the overall development of children. Thus, the transformation of a child into an adult is the upshot of this process. In addition, socialization enables children to better understand their surroundings and social norms (Smith & Hart, 2002, p. 85). As such, sociologists view children as incomplete adults.

Due to their innocence children are easily targeted by fraudsters, hiding behind the anonymity of the internet. This will adversely affect the social development of children. The unprecedented advances in technology have resulted in the proliferation of the internet, which has become an important facet of daily life. People access the internet for several purposes, including entertainment. The wide spread availability of the internet has increased internet access for children. As a result, a large number of children access the internet.

This trend is more pronounced in the developed and countries, like the United States, where a large number of households enjoy Internet connectivity. In the US, more than half of the households are connected to the internet (Grossbart, Hughes, Pryor, & Yost, 2002, p. 66). Easy access to the internet will definitely interfere with the daily routine of children and reduce their creativity and individuality. As a result, their natural development will come to a standstill. The Internet is also used for socialization by many children of the elementary school age.

These children use it for sending instant messages, electronic mails and chatting. The principal use that children make of the Internet is for the purpose of communicating with friends and sometimes strangers. Thus, the internet creates a virtual social life, wherein children make themselves vulnerable to exploitation by strangers (Kline, 2005). In many cases, the parents of these children were found to be unaware of the activities of their children on the Internet. Lack of supervision by the parents will make children to develop unwanted acquaintances.

During the past ten years, Internet use has increased by 300%. This increase in Internet use has been accompanied by a growth in technological communications. At present, the Internet is employed in a wide range of activities, including communications. Such interaction necessitates an external verbalization of thoughts that is akin to what is found in face ot face communications. Undoubtedly, the Internet has emerged as a new medium of communication. Many individuals use computer aided communication to socialise with others (Lacovelli & Valenti, 2009, p. 439). Computer mediated communication enables individuals to review and edit content prior to sharing it with others.

As a result of this, many undesirable members of society, find it easy to evade observation by others. Children on the internet can be easily be deceived by such criminals. Virtual Socialisation Cannot be Considered to be Beneficial Social Development. Many parents are of the opinion that access to the Internet enhances the investigative skills, critical abilities, and academic knowledge of children. These parents encourage their children to utilize their personal computers and explore the Internet.

It has also been declared by some observers that the use of personal computers and the Internet, promotes positive features, such as computer literacy and technological awareness among parents and children (Grossbart, Hughes, Pryor, & Yost, 2002, p. 66). However, the excessive use of computers and the Internet has a drastic effect on the activities, behavior, and relationships. This will affect the process of natural socialization.