Should There Be Age Restriction To Use The Internet Essay Sample

Introduction

Today millions of devices are linked by the internet. The history of development of world wide connection through standard internet protocol suit dates back to 1960s. The expectation of the US government may have been surpassed when the internet use became common following the world wide participation in the development of new network technologies and unification of many other networks (Stewart 2000). This facilitated the commercialization hence incorporation of the internet into almost all aspects of life. Today almost every endeavor of human life is aided by the internet. Interconnection of computer has brought progression but some negative aspects with it. In this article I am going to explore the importance and cons of the internet availability to the young people and draw an opinion whether age should be a factor of internet limitation.
Use of internet is an important topic at this time since the world has connected everything to internet. Young people are the centre of this discussion considering the fact that internet is now available everywhere for everyone.
Internet use has grown to over 3 billion people and this is 43.6 percent of world’s entire population. Although countries with higher percentage of users are from European countries (where ratio of children to older people is small), users include younger people by a greater portion (Dent). Younger people are rarely targeted by marketing companies and their engagement with the internet is academic and social driven. Despite a clear motive, young people may become curious and go out to explore other pages outside their curriculum and not helpful to them.
Most online advertisers seem desperate for audience and use screen popup. Internet has helped young people acquire useful information and develop their talents and skills but it is not without dangers. Jeopardy young people are exposed to while surfing includes; 1) they might intentionally or unintentionally access inappropriate content like live sex and violence. 2) Some online information may be misleading or controversial and a child may not be cognitively able to deal with it. 3) Some content may trigger unfavorable behavior in a child like racism or hate. 4) Advertising is intense online and is psychologically designed for older people. Young people may find advertising overwhelming and not able to deal with.5) Children may unknowingly expose themselves or their households to fraudsters by providing information online. Lastly, Children may become obsessed with the internet leaving no or little time for development in other areas.

Trends on the use of internet by children

The emergence of children online service restrict access to certain contents that are not suitable for children while allowing them access to useful information and social networks. Programs have been developed to block inappropriate cites but 100% effectiveness is not guarantee.

Conclusion

Internet is here to stay and with no doubt it has shaped the face of humanity forever. Despite potential exposure to explicit content, young people are growing and developing in a world that has much to do with the internet. This fact calls for a better job of regulating internet for children. Younger people should be sensitized on what information to look for online before interacting with the internet. Academia is in a revolution trying to incorporate internet in class room as an honest way of preparing young people for a life in a communication era. Moral degradation is the concern of most parents and teachers but no one at the same time wants to remain behind. Another method of protecting a child from the bad side of internet is supervision. The parent should monitor pages that a child is visiting. Internet will do much good to a child if it is always available but the use is supervised.

Reference

Stewart, B. (n.d.). Internet History - One Page Summary. Retrieved February 3, 2015, from http://www.livinginternet.com/i/ii_summary.htm
Dent, S. (n.d.). There are now 3 billion internet users, mostly in rich countries. Retrieved February 3, 2015, from http://www.engadget.com/2014/11/25/3-billion-internet-users/