The life of teenagers is influenced greatly by the internet and the aspects of social media. The teenagers are exposed to a virtual world where their parents does not participate in. The effects of internet on adolescences is well reflected in this film by showing various ways in which the lives of the teenagers were altered due to the use of internet. The social lives of the children were modified highly due to the exposure to excessive and irrelevant materials on the internet. The social media like Facebook and Myspace affected greatly the interaction of the teenagers on the internet by sharing false information on the internet. The use of the social media affected the societal and cultural values in the environment by exposing the children to diverse and dangerous cultural practices and norms. The impact and influence of social pressure are also reflected highly in the film where most of the teenagers are influenced to engage in dangerous activities .The impact of the internet on teaching of children as well as how the teaching materials are organized by their teachers is also a great matter of concern reflected in this film. It is clearly seen that the internet has influenced how the information is presented to the kids while at the same time trying to avoid the harmful effects and risks of the internet to the children.
The film shows that a large percentage of the children are immersed in a virtual environment or world that is hidden from the adults or their parents. This aspect makes the teenagers live their lives online exposing themselves to dangerous activities that since they are not seen by their parents. The teenagers may also try to engage in adventurous activities, in their lives. The indulgent in the adventurous activities exposes the teenagers to very high risks as sexual abuse and drug abuse on the internet.
The film also shows the challenges that the teachers experience in relation the use of old rules in schools. The application of old rules in schools is difficult because the classroom and the social life is revolutionized highly due to the introduction of Facebook and Myspace. The interaction among the children on Facebook and Myspace made it difficult for the teachers to regulate their social lives through the old rules and regulations of the conventional schools and institutions. The aspect of socializing on the social media made it difficult for teachers and parents to control the social lives of the children in the day to day activities.
The exposure of the children to social media sites like Myspace made them try new identities and self-expression. The exposure of the social media is dangerous because the children imitated the celebrities in order to improve or modify their physical appearance. The imitation of celebrities and other peers on the internet made most of the children try new identities through makeups that could not work well for all of them.
The film also shows aspects relating to cyberbullying on the internet. The teenagers are exposed to fighting and bullying on the internet. The exposure to the aspects of fighting made the children to dangerous activities like committing suicide. The teenagers also engage in activities relating to sexual relationships online led to physical and mental humiliation of most of the teenagers.
In conclusion, this film clearly shows the impact of the internet and the social media on the lives of teenagers. The effect of the internet on the academics of the children is also well elaborated in this film. The aspects relating to the alteration of the cultural and societal values are well reflected in this film.
References
Growing Up Online | FRONTLINE | PBS [Video file]. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/kidsonline/
Video: Growing Up Online | Watch FRONTLINE Online | PBS Video [Video file]. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://video.pbs.org/video/1082076027/
Watch The Full Program | Growing Up Online | FRONTLINE | PBS [Video file]. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/kidsonline/view/main.html
