Virtually safe

Teenagers today spend most of their time online. But do they really know the dangers that lurk out there?

Who among you would rather pore over a stack of reference books in the library, when ‘Google Books' can take you straight to the very page you want to read? We have long since bid farewell to letter writing to friends and family, with the entry of e-mail, SMS and the now hyped social networking sites. India is a developing country, but we are not too far behind when we talk in terms of the World Wide Web. India is the fourth largest user of the Internet. When compared to the total population of internet users in our country, the age group14-25 is the one who spend most of their time online. Undoubtedly, the internet is extremely useful and many of us will agree that we would be handicapped without it, but unfortunately, it brings with it, its share of evils, which are well publicized these days.

By large, India is still a conservative nation. While merely talking to a person of the opposite sex is no longer considered “taboo”, it is still frowned upon in most households. The internet provides youngsters with an outlet, as here they can easily interact with whomever they wish, without their parents knowing. They can be unrestrained under the cloak of anonymity and may say or do things that they would probably have never done if they were face to face with the person. Technology-imposed distancing encourages insensitive behaviour as one cannot see the impact of one's words or actions.

Full report here Hindu