The Effect of Media (Internet) on Children behavior Essay

The Effect of Media (Internet) on Children behavior - Essay Example Ethical reasoning on the subject of Internet use among Children and Adolescents VII. Conclusion The Effect of Media (Internet) on Children’s Behavior INTRODUCTION Since the introduction of the internet, children everywhere have been fascinated by this media format and the various opportunities for entertainment that it presents. Today, most children in the developed nations are interested in internet related sources of entertainment and information than in formerly popular activities such as reading story books and playing in the playground. The teenagers in Western nations use the internet for entertainment and education almost as much as the adults do. Objectives of Studying about the Effects of Internet use by Children and Teenagers Children today have more access to a lot of information than children in bygone eras did due to the internet. Computers cannot really be considered as being innately damaging to the minds of users, or only beneficial; however, in the hands of ch ildren, they can be changed to become either of these options. The internet can deeply affect a child’s psychosocial development. Thus, it is vital for educators as well as parents to acquire the necessary information in regards to the effects of prolonged exposure or supervised exposure of children to the internet. This will then allow them to be able to offer direction on the age-appropriate exploitation of different features of the Internet. The fact that this objective may be difficult to achieve is not unusual. In the present age, there are many educators as well as parents who may fear that they know much less about how best to use the different internet features that exist than their own children. Many do not even appreciate the emergence of the internet as the latest medium which can be used to champion literacy. Moreover, this approach may be counterproductive because there is a need for parents to understand how the internet affects their children’s developme nt. In addition, there are many unseen dangers in the relatively unregulated world of the internet. The only way to tackle such potential dangers is by learning about different facets of the internet and accepting statistics and facts about the effects of the internet from researchers who study the subject. Learning about the internet will also allow educators as well as parents to be able to ensure that children benefit from educative information from a safe environment. Research Findings on the use of the Internet The findings of all research conducted on internet use among children indicate that there are both negative as well as positive developmental consequences that come with using the internet during adolescence as well as childhood (Holloway & Valentine, 2003). It has also been established that there are other environmental elements that mediate the effects of childhood online behavior. The techno-subsystem theory, for instance, addresses aspects about child interaction wit h both non-living factors such as information from hardware sources, and living sources such as colleagues (Holloway and Valentine, 2003). In emphasizing the function that technology plays in the development of a child, the ecological techno-subsystem supports the holistic examination of the developmental results that could be determined by various levels of internet during a