The social impact of the Internet in high school students The Internet has become a great benefit for our society, but it would be neglectful to dismiss its two-pronged effect on the world population. One the one hand the Internet is very positive in the sense that it keeps the world informed and updated, but one the other hand it has evolved into a very harmful and detrimental entertainment for adolescents who spend many hours in front of a computer in cyber cafs or at their own homes. Socially speaking, the Internet has created a destructive addiction, especially in adolescents. In Argentina, the use of Internet is not regulated. Anyone can invest money and set up a cyber caf. Adolescents take advantage of this fact to surf the net with no restrictions.
They surf pornographic pages and chat with people they do not even know and who will probably never meet in the real world in the famous chat rooms. They also use Internet to play games on line which are highly addictive and violent. Many adolescents at high school suffer from Internet Addiction. This addiction is conceived of as a compulsive behavior, or craving for connectedness. Computer use is increasingly becoming integrated into daily life, and so both the temptations and opportunities for “addiction” seem to continue increasing especially in adolescents who are undergoing family or personality problems or just find in the Internet the companion they do not have in their lives. Are all teens susceptible to this danger? No.
The Term Paper on The Role of the Prefrontal Cortex in Adolescent Addiction
Introduction Major changes in occur in the brain during adolescents. One of the most important parts of the brain that is in development during this period is the prefrontal cortex. The prefrontal cortex has been called the CEO of the brain and is involved in governing attention, controlling impulsivity, decision making, and assignment of value to stimuli in the environment. Adolescents may be ...
Some will always be casual users; some may just go through phases of intense internet use. The ones who do fall prey to the net most likely are experiencing problems in their real lives. Cyberspace becomes an escape, a place to vent, a place to act out or even cry out for help. Academic performance at school is another aspect to consider when dealing with adolescents who are addicted to the Internet. They definitely do not go to school. They leave home to go to school but they never get there.
They lie to their parents and stay in cyber cafs which are near schools. Consequently, they fail their exams and most of the times are not able to finish their studies because they exceed the number of absences accepted by high school regulations. Internet addicted adolescents escape from reality and they lose contact with many aspects of real life. There is a withdrawal from friends and they show a declining interest in hobbies or sports. Online friends and on line games take the place of the “real” world. They also show little interest in their personal aspect.
They display a decline in their appearance or hygiene. Internet addiction can cause a long lasting damage to adolescents who are caught in the Net. An old theory about adolescence proclaimed that it is a period of “storm and stress.” The pressures of school, family and friends often make adolescents feel pity about their lives. They need to vent it somewhere. It is parents and also teachers task to listen to them so as to prevent them from becoming internet addicts..
