Negative Effects of the Internet on Young People

Want to read the rest of this paper? Join Essayworld today to view this entire essay and over 50,000 other term papers

supervision and the degree of anonymity that the Internet creates for the person encourages people to avoid acting morally correct when using the internet. Many people have started to question whether the internet’s true impact is either constructive or destructive on the physical, mental and sexual well being of today’s young people. According to John A. Bargh and Katelyn Y.A. McKenna in their article entitled, “The Internet and Social Life,” “ … while these effects are largely dependent on the particular goals that users bring to the interaction- such as self expression, affiliation, or competition- they also interact in important ways with the unique qualities of the Internet communication situation” (573-590). Although the internet can be beneficial in allowing young people to expand their worldwide knowledge of different cultures and religions, the negative effects of the internet on adolescents are more prevalent than the positive effects; namely, the exposure to ...

Get instant access to over 50,000 essays. Write better papers. Get better grades. Already a member? Login

authorities brought down an alleged international child exploitation syndicate that operated via Facebook, and 11 suspects were arrested” (n. pag.). Moreover, pedophile sometimes indirectly scope out their potential suitors through parents on the internet. John Masanauskas suggests that parents were recently warned about posting information concerning their children’s whereabouts on sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Bebo, and MySpace because of a recent surge in online child predators taking to the social networking sites (n. pag.). Another way in which pedophiles reach their victims is by openly seducing them via the internet. Tralee Pearce states:

Almost all online-initiated sex crimes ...

Succeed in your coursework without stepping into a library. Get access to a growing library of notes, book reports, and research papers in 2 minutes or less.

CITE THIS PAGE: