Misuse of Internet and Social Networking and Child Pornology

“Those days were golden”, “we had a blissful Childhood”… and so on are the expressive words spoken by our parents and grandparents. Has the golden days really disappeared from the world? Are today’s children leading bliss less childhood? …… similar are the questions alarming my young parents mind. Are we really leading a healthy lifestyle in this so called modern world with filled with modern gadgets, technology and applications? I am afraid to say that neither we nor our children are safe in this world with sophisticated world. We have shrinking our relations, communication and social relationship by using Internet and social networking. More than adults it is the children below eighteen years were are addicted to internet and social networking and have victims too.

Researches conducted through out the world have shown that last year one in four children was sent pictures of people who were naked or having sex. More alarming is that more than 725,000 children have been "insistently" asked for sex, defined as an offer to meet in person. One in five U.S. teenagers who regularly log on to the Internet says they have received an unwanted sexual solicitation via the Web. Solicitations were defined as requests to engage in sexual activities or sexual talk, or to give personal sexual information. Again, studies and researches have further revealed that the utilization of computer telecommunications is rapidly becoming one of the most widespread techniques by which some sex offenders shared pornographic images of minors and identified and recruited children into sexually illicit relationships.

As a parents, teachers and well wishers it is our responsibility to provide a safe and rewarding internet knowledge and practice for children. This calls for equal commitment to protection from possible online problems and socialization and appropriate usage.

Using computer and internet access at home may not look dangerous initially, as most of the school are not only conducting or to say imparting lessons using internet. Internet is used extensively for doing educational projects, gathering information, playing online games, chatting and so on. Today, internet appeals to all side of our lives. For some certain sites on sex information and relationship building would definitely be helpful, but nor certainly for children below sixteen if not eighteen.

On some site, these sex related ads just pop-up and it is really embarrassing for any adult, what about children. Other day, I was searching for the lyrics of old folk songs popularly sung by all those days. It is very good song, full of meanings and talks about present days Life Skills. I and my son were searching on the net. As I was browsing through in one of the site, though I did not find the lyrics but it was shocking to see a girl undressing herself and prompting. My voice got choked, with hairs standing on and felt almost numb. This happened while my son was with me. Since then, it is just behind my mind as what he felt about it and so. I though also tell him every now and then about the advantage and disadvantage of internet, but still he is a growing boy and these days kids are quite unreasonably fast in certain aspects, again due to internet and social networking.

The information on sex most of these sites put up does not have authenticity. Many teen age school children of class IX to XII are falling prey and have sex with their classmates or the stranger with whom they become friendly by chatting. May be some of the information on sex is accurate to some extend but the information that we read on sex on internet is not true. Just because something is put on by some one on the internet means it's correct.

Many teens on Social networking sites disclose and reveal everything. I came across an article in a leading newspaper that daughter and a X person using different names become very close on social networking and one fine day it was the girl's mother who came to know about this and took her in to confidence to figure out the X person was none other than her own husband.

Most teenagers who have access to the web use it to chat, email and SMS heir friends.Most of the places online also provides wider scope to talk with people and have live conversation. One can talk on any topic or subject on the earth. Social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace and Twitter (only these three I have mostly heard and there could be other too), wherein users create a 'profile' with lots of wooing information about oneself. Teens also feel and are the opinion they find communication over the web plays an important role in building their friendships and relationships. Lots of people even meet their boyfriends or girlfriends online and these days it is even common to hear that we first met on social networking site, became friends, fell in love and going to tie knots. Mind you that many such marriages are also going through tough phases, 60-70% of such marriages solemnized have broken or are in family court for divorce settlement.

One has to be very careful, if one gets it wrong and it could cost ones life!

Similarly, on YouTube I came across a film on brother-sister belonging to the same family, using false names become so close over chatting. One fine morning they plan to meet in a particular browsing center and are shocked and feel ashamed of that after meeting.

Most of the social networking sites fix up the age as 18years for log in. Smart kids of 10-12 years log in social networking sites by entering false age and browse all nonsense things. More shocking to me is most of the parents are unaware about this.

How to safe guard our children


1. Parents should educate and safeguard children from viewing objectionable contents pasted on social networking websites.

2. Schools can also come forward in educating parents and students about use and misuse of Internet and social networking. In fact some of the schools have started to look into this alarming matter.

3.Do not reveal out ones personal information over the internet -ones name and address

4.. Don't go or go alone to meet people whom you know only through the internet!

5. If at all you do decide to meet someone anyway, take a known friend with you and also inform your parents or an adults at home about- where you're going and with whom. (I would personally suggest not to meet. Also inform the person you are desiring to meet that you have informed about him/her to your parents and elders at home).

6. Meet in a busy public place where there are lots of people around.

7.If someone asks for your pictures or photos or your personnel information while chatting - use common sense, why is the person asking fro this? before revealing or uploading it.

8. Sometimes one might come across about interesting information like trekking camp, youth camp, or psychological counselling or so. First of all use common sense,and talk about it with elders and then take their opinion before confirming and committing oneself for the same.