Don't let technology make your kid a pervert

MUMBAI, INDIA: They are young but not restless. They are brave to experiment but not matured to understand. That's the state of India's young school going generation, who grow up surrounded by array of digital devices and technology such as mobile phones, music players, gaming consoles, computers, laptops and others.

They might be enjoying the status of being the luckiest generation than earlier ones to have easy access to the information highway — cellphones, computers, Internet, social media..., but there is a flip side to it, the so-called knowledge they gain from these sources can also make them perverts in many respects.

The recent incident of 16 students of class 12 from Chandigarh's Vivek High school getting suspended for allegedly posting abusive and indecent comments against a female teacher on Facebook has suddenly raised the key issue of 'how to deal with young ones and technology?'

However, it is not the first such indecent involving children and social media has come into limelight. In fact, in July this year, six girl students of class 10 and 12 from Vadodara's Jesus and Mary convent school were also suspended for allegedly posting abusive language comments on Facebook.

So, is it time to press the alarm?

According Vijay Mukhi, IT and cyber crime expert, there is a need for control on everything particularly with children. “They go to Internet or social media and their parents probably are unaware what their kids are doing there. There's no checks or balances on social media and once you write on the Internet, there's no way you can pull it back,” Mukhi says.

Mumbai-based psychologist and counselor, Dr. Anjali Chhabria, also agrees to the idea of control.

“Surely, there could be some restriction or parental control and guidance in using technological devices. The Internet, iPad or mobile phones may be a great exposure to children in terms of games and educational material. But restriction is necessary and it could be in the numbers of hours used by children on these devices as it would be harmful in terms of exerting the eyes also,” says Dr. Chhabria.

She adds that any child who is totally glued to these devices may not be too social, which could hamper his/her emotional development.

“Physical activity with peers is a must to vent out negative feelings, especially children who are hyper active need outdoor physical activity more than indoor technological devices,” Dr. Chhabria alerts.

Is this problem more related to India as the country has huge number of mobile devices and growing trend of computers, laptops and Internet? “The problem of children and technology is not just in India; it's all over the world today but it certainly needs proper attention to deal with it,” Mukhi observes.

According to Dr. Chhabria, there is a growing usage trend of digital devices in India and since the computers have been incorporated as a subject in most schools, children are more glued to it. She points out that computer games may be a source of aggression as well.

“Children, generally boys, learn aggressive ways of reacting to situations. Not many games teach behavior modification. It's more about win and loss and this competitive attitude can be perceived wrongly by some and thereon hamper growth,” Dr. Chhabria comments on changes occurring among child's behavior.

Further she adds, “They may also misinterpret information given on some topics such as sex, love as they are over-rated on the net. Parental supervision is needed.”

Going by Dr. Chhabria's experience dealing with children, it appears today's parents have a lot to do while bringing up children, managing their behavior and keeping away from the discussed situations and problems caused by technology.

On how to deal with such situations, Dr. Chhabria advises parents to keep a check on child's behavior. “If the child is only restraining himself/herself at home then it is a matter of concern,” she alerts.

She recommends parents that rather than mobile and computer games, they should encourage their children to play games such as chess, caroms, etc. “Intellectual development is probably achieved at school but for social and emotional development a balanced environment incorporating both technological devices and outdoor play is necessary,” Dr. Chhabria concludes.