The new information and communications technologies (ICT), which include, among others, computers, Internet, mobile phones and video consoles, have brought a huge change in the way we communicate and get information. However, they have also brought new risks and pathologies, especially among teenagers.
Risks:
According to many surveys among teens and parents, the main risks deal with: contents, contacts, addictions and commerce on Internet.
- Teenagers can come in contact with explicit sexual images and pornographic sites, sometimes through innocent search, hyperlinks in spam or pop-ups that appear on the screen. They can also confront with images that they consider horrible, violent or disgusting, and racism on the net.
- Chatting is a normal practice in the lives of most of teenagers. 52,2% chats with contacts they know only virtually, and 1 out of 5 has already had experiences with an adult pretending to be an adolescent in a chat-room. Sometimes there may be negative contacts between teenagers, 1 out of 3 can testify bullying via internet or GSM.
- Specialists in addictive behaviour in hospitals have, in recent years, doubled the number of visits from adolescents, who look for help to overcome the compulsive use of video consoles, Internet, or messenger…
Recommendations
- Critical and responsible use of ICT: all users carry part of their responsibility.
- It is necessary to inform teenagers, parents, educators, schools etc.
- Inter-generation dialogue: adolescents find their parents' role essential. They appreciate a constructive dialogue about ICT activities and experience, more than a simple repressive talk.
- Early detection of symptoms of ICTs addictions: in order to put teenagers suffering this disorder back on a normal life.
- Need for parental implication: after a dialogue parents must fulfil their regulating role.
For more information: http://dubestemmer.no/en/
Questions:
- Give examples of the main risks of new technologies for teenagers?
- When you are using Internet, and giving a lot of information about you, who is responsible?
- Is it important to talk with your parents about ICTs activities and experiences? Why
