I was just reading some article about how the Internet affects children. It is becoming a real problem. So these authorities (psychiatrists, parents, etc.), they are beginning to become very concerned about it. Rightly so.
There were some statistics – and this is in America of course, everything is in America, they don’t even do this stuff in Russia as far as all these surveys and analytical studies but anyway – they found that in America 40% of kids 2 years old have already had Internet contact. 2 years old! 50% of kids 5 years old are already regularly playing with, using smartphones and computers and electronic tablets, iPads and so on. 50% 5 years old! By 7 years old something like 60% are already playing games and actively using the Internet. The average teenager in America sends 3400 text messages a month. 3400 a month. It means all the time.
The kids are spending much, much more time on the Internet than they are with their parents, their teachers – those who are supposed to guide them. And what do you think their main Internet involvement is? Social websites. Facebook, Twitter, for you guys it is Vkontakte. This is their main Internet contact. They are revealing things on the Internet on their page, intimate information, and you can imagine what that is, all types of intimate information about themselves. And then later they are filled with regret for ever having posted this stuff. But they can’t take it back, it is done. So now they got all this mental anxiety, disturbance going on. They found that these kids that are involved in all this are developing low concentration, more prone to depression, more prone to different attention problems, attention deficits.
So basically it is just really, really affecting the next generation in a very negative way. And they don’t know what to do about it, how to control it. Everybody has got a smartphone now, it is like out of control. They see the future but they don’t know what to do about it. They are talking about regulating it, passing laws, regulating it somehow, whatever. So this modern advancement, that we think is so great, destroys our lives. I mean it is true, they were saying that it could be a good tool to use for education purposes, training and positive ways but the kids aren’t interested in that.
So anyway, I thought it was very interesting that they have done all this research and came to this conclusion which is so obvious but some of these numbers are like ‘wow’.
One girl that I know in Canada had a job as a nanny for this 11 year old boy. After school, when his parents were still working, she somehow did something. One day for some reason she went on his computer to do something and she found files and files of pornography. Very carefully arranged, labeled, sorted out beautifully, all this pornography. An 11 year-old kid.
They did a survey in England and they found that 49% of all girls over 9 years old had been exposed to pornography. 9 years old! You look at some 9 year old girl and she has already been watching pornography on the Internet. You can imagine what it is doing in the mind. What kind of future is she going to have? So soiled at such a young age.
It doesn’t go away. I think we all realise that what goes in stays in, it doesn’t go away. It is sitting in the mind and out of nowhere comes some weird thought of some action you did when you were ten or twelve, a teenager or whatever. Years ago, years! 40-50 years ago. Booh! You haven’t thought about it in years and out of nowhere, “Pshoo!” Technical. “Pshoo!” It is in there. Whatever goes in through the eyes, through the ears, mainly these two, stays. That is why we are always told to protect, don’t let it in. Because once it is in, it is in. You can’t just delete it, there is no delete button there. So we have to be very aware of these things, this is serious stuff, it is not some simple thing.
So if we are careful… That is all we can do – to be careful. We can’t change the world and stop all of this stuff. We just have to be very careful. If we are serious, we will be. And those who are not careful will be damaged.
If you have kids, it is a huge problem for you. If you are going to have children, this is going to be a worse problem, it is getting worse every day. When you let your kid play with your phone, you are teaching this kid, “There is happiness here, there is pleasure. You can enjoy it.” Yeah, maybe he stops crying but look what you are doing.
I see so many parents whose kids are running around with their phone, “Oh look!” Apple has iPhone apps for kids and I am sure Samsung and Android does, too. Because it is a good babysitter, you just put this thing on and give your kid your phone, they just push buttons. Every time they touch it, something happens, they are attracted. You are teaching them, “This is your life, this is what you can do with your life, this is where the pleasure is.” Now kids throw a tantrum when the parents take their iPhone back. “I got to use it. Can I make a call?” “No-o-o!” So what is their solution? Buy them their own iPhone. It is a huge problem…
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