Fresh fears regarding the overuse of the internet by youngsters has emerged, with experts suggesting that it should be compared to fast food. The way for parents to treat the internet when their children are using it is in moderation, an occasional treat. The lifestyle shift will come as quite a culture-shock to many youths, who have grown up not knowing a world without it, unlike the previous generation. In many cases, the younger generation are actually superior to their predecessors.
Many parents have taken to social media to support the idea, with a minority labelling it as “unrealistic”. In this day-and-age, as we shift ever more online, for shopping, booking and even toward a cashless society, is it morally right? For now at least, the advice is for children to put down the phones and tablets in order to be more active and socially interact with people, in the real world.
Rochdale local Laura, a full-time mummy, is in favour of the idea; “I think it’s great. Kids should be outside playing, not glued to a screen. My youngest, Kayden, has been helping me find ways of doing it on the computer. We watched a few funny videos of animals and went on Justin Bieber’s Instagram, but it’s alright, because we was there for learning”. While the internet is often accused of isolating people and acting as a surrogate for real-life encounters, it is working for this family.
The new advice is clearly strengthening bonds and bringing the generation gap ever closer.
