How is an Artificial World a Hurdle for Teens to deal with Real-life Hardships?

The modern technology in terms of cyberspace has had enormous effects on human life especially in terms of communication. But in the memories of the past generation where they used to of using a wired house phone along with the long card stretched to the hall closet to gain a bit of privacy. Then they used of having secret communication with the loved one has been replaced with the typed language of emotions and acronyms that without the description enable the user to have the same privacy from anyone such as parents. Today, a handheld microcomputer devices that we have known as cell phones have aided in making a world on human-to-human technology interaction. But we can say it arguably decreasing the essence of human interaction or presence. Today, we are facing serious issues of interpreting skills in our young kids and teens who are used to living in a text-driven culture and shares face and body using the social media apps via mobile phone devices back and front camera.

Today the young generation that has opened their eyes in the presence of technological creatures such as social media, internet, and smartphones are lacking with the skills of interpreting the other 90% of the communication does not involve words or speech. Stuff like facial expression (emotions says the truth), eye movement, body language, tone or pitch of the voice, inflection volume and even the gestures that add meaning to the whole communication or conversation. The young generation especially teens are being deprived of learning and how to do interaction that based on primal methods that our forefathers have passed to our elders. Additionally, we parents are facing a transformation of what is affecting our teenagers like no time ever before.

Text Driven Culture & Sharing Face & Body Eliminating the essence of physical human interaction among teens

Online dating is on the rise and even the young tweens and teens are getting involved in online dating with the opposite gender using the social messaging apps using cell phones connected to the internet. Young teens often trapped themselves with the stalkers online and they don’t know how they can handle the boy that troubles her online. According to the experts the deeper the conversations went, the more teens blackmailed and may sexually humiliate once dating online and then starts dating the person in real–life.

The use of instant messaging apps and doing text messages, chat conversations, sharing media files such as photos and videos and sent WhatsApp Voice messages, Facebook Voice calls to the strangers online may put teens into real trouble. The bombardment of the social media apps pushing teens to have the relationship with the opposite gender and the online dating these days have become a norm no time ever before.

Judging a young tween feeling for the young boy negatively would not be right, but using the instant messengers and having a little communication with the strange boy and claiming to have feelings is not less than a stupidity.

Sharing photos and videos or the act of self –obscenity may put teen’s life into embracing the situation. Moreover, the uncommitted sex culture among teens using social messaging apps and spending all the time on the cell phone and text messaging and phone calls are making a statement that social media is making us unsocial to the fullest and cases of adolescents  and teen’s pregnancy would rise due to blind dating and uncommitted sexual activities of teens.

Obviously, for parents, it is very concerning situation when they realize that young teens and tween are getting involved in inappropriate activities when their mobile phone connects to the internet. On the other hand what should be the digital parenting solutions for technophobes parents and how they can handle and keep an eye on their kids and teens online activities such as messaging and chat conversations with the strangers online that could be online bullies, cyber-stalkers, and sexual predators.

The online development of relationships among young kids and teens could be the fascinating experience, but it is very disturbing and alarming phenomenon for the parents for the safety of their beloved children. Furthermore, when they saw teens and kids spending all the time on the screen and don’t spend time with the friends and family members.

So, text-driven activities on the phone using cyberspace and sharing face and body on the social media platforms is decreasing the essence of physical interaction among the young generation. So, parents are worried that how they can handle their children obsessed with the use of modern technology.

There is the number of TV shows such as “Catfish” on MTV focusing about the online dating and the potential dangers that may come in your way when someone especially young girls think to meet the person outside the internet. However, the phenomenon of cyberbullying is been the most threatening issues for the young teens that results into may teens worldwide start harming themselves or others. However, all these negative byproducts and digital culture being called as normal among the young generation. You can see the example of the modern times movies in which all the characters in the movies start staring the cell phones and never look at someone else except the cell phone screen. So, we can the young generation is behaving as smombies that is a problem of the day. Moreover, young teens and kids also follow the modern tricky and freaky social media challenges and they often get harmed out of it. You may have heard about the “KIKICHALLENAGE” in which teens dance alongside the moving car on the tone of the famous song.

However, self-harming challenges of teens such as burn and scar challenge is also the famous challenge in which teens burn their skin with ice and salt combination.  In short, the dehumanizing effects on young kids and teens of social media users are on the rise and parents need to look after their kids and teens digital activities and should encourage them to have real –life interaction with their friends and family members.

About one thing I am quite sure that most teens want to be accepted by the peers and social media can do the job fully for the ones who are shy and want to be noticed. So, they use the internet on the cell phones and use instant messaging apps such as Facebook, Yahoo, Snapchat, and others to make potential friends. In reality, it is escapism for the real life being not able to face real –life issues due to their lack of confidence. However social media does not believe in discrimination at all and provide user facility to do whatever they want to. On the other hand, teens sometimes put themselves in trouble even in the digital world such as

cyber bullies, stalkers, and sexual predators. However, on instant messaging platforms, they can send text messages, they can perform chat conversations, share and receive photo and videos of their online friends. But in the real life, they may have rejected by the peers and even by the one they have feelings for someone. When it comes to social media, any kind of rejection does not embrace teens at all due to anonymity at least to some extent where the number of people is not around and the sender and receiver are used to of making conversations.

Teens make social media profiles and often post some quires from funny to tragic and they get the answer from the other fellow users within minutes. They search for the answers related to their real-life issues and often use it to get some relief from their emotional and mental pain. Dramatically, mostly teens who abused in real–life or on the online life ask advice from people on the social media.

Moreover, they also ask advice about a relationship and the very tragic thing to know that why they have not found all the answer in their own families such as mom and dad and from siblings.

Furthermore, they also look for an identity not only to seek acceptance but also for whom they really want to be? They also want to be popular such as tweens in schools and teens among boys having a cute face and body and they use Vine instant messenger and six seconds longer video and share to the instant messaging app. So, they share their good looks especially those teens who are naturally blessed with good looks and fit bodies. So they use front and back camera of the contemporary cell phone devices use filters and Photoshop software to enhance their color of skin and the features of their face. So, the selfie culture has played a big role to be young teens and teens to the digital world, but the contemporary technology in terms of social messaging apps and smartphones is eliminating the essence of physical human interaction.

Parents are the ones who need to initiate to encourage young kids and teens for real-life activities and they need to set parental control on teens social media activities which they perform mostly on cellphones. So, parents need to know and stay updated all the time whom their teens and tweens making calls, text messages and what sort of friends they have on social messaging apps. Moreover, they also keep an eye on the stuff teen’s shares online on different social messaging platforms. However, lasts but not the least, parents should teach kids and teens the Netiquette of the internet and social media apps. They should discuss the vulnerabilities of the fake internet and how they can use it in a positive way, besides all they should win the trust of their teens in a friendly way and get to know what questions they have in their minds about life.