Internet Addiction/Dependency and Education
As the world is changing in to Digital age from the analog age, many things have been changed in case of transportation, information, communication, education, etc. These days, in the digital age, most of teenagers use smartphones. According to an article of “It’s a Smartphone Life: More than Half of U.S. Children Now Have One”, it says that about 84 percent of teenagers have their own phones and about over 54 percent of teenagers have their own smartphones. (Kamenetz, 2019)The data in this article shows that most of students today are familiar with digital devices and using internet more than adults who grew up in the analog age. As many teenagers are now exposed to the Internet or digital and future jobs are becoming digital, schools are changing their education accordingly. However, as the number of teenagers using smartphones increase, smartphone addiction and school violence using smartphones are not uncommon. Using these points, I will write about how the Internet is affecting education and life for teenagers.
As the world is becoming digitalize, future jobs are becoming digitalize too and schools are introducing digital-based education. And also schools are using the Internet and digital technology as a tool in teaching students. In the article of “Use of Technology in Teaching and Learning”, it shows how the education in schools is changing as the digital technology develops. For example, for students who are not in good environment to go to school, government are supporting students to take class using the technology. They are using virtual and online class which students can take class through online without going school.(Use of technology in teaching and learning, n.d.) These gave educational opportunities to many students who are in poor situation to go to school. Still there are many children who cannot go to school and I believe that this online education will give them not only an opportunity of education but also a chance to have a dream.
Also many schools are changing their educational systems in line with the digital age. For example, some schools have started teaching children computer programming called coding. With the recent rise in the vision of the IT industry, more and more schools are putting coding, the core of the IT industry, into the students’ education curriculum for various purposes, including youth’s future careers. As such, digital influences the education of schools, altering the education system, and helping to better education.
The Internet also directly affects students’ personal lives and growth as well as their educational systems. As many students have smartphones these days, students are exposed to electronic devices such as the Internet. In that respect, students are both positively and adversely affected by the Internet. As many students are exposed to the Internet such as smartphones, more and more students are addicted to smartphones without self-control. In this respect, many students’ parents are worried about their children. However, I think even though students are addicted to smartphones or to the Internet, that is also one of the steps for their growth. They might fail due to the addiction and the interference of their use of smartphones. However, those fails can be the starting step of their more successful growth. Therefore, rather than unconditionally preventing parents from using their cell phones, I think it is better to give advice and help students control their cell phone use by themselves.
Many things are changing as the Internet is being spread around the world. I think students are the ones who are most affected. Students are born in the digital age and grow up together, so they think they should help them by thinking about what ways are better in terms of education and growth so that they can grow up well.
Kamenetz, A. (2019, October 31). It’s a smartphone life: More than half of u.s. children now have one. Retrieved May 03, 2021, from https://www.npr.org/2019/10/31/774838891/its-a-smartphone-life-more-than-half-of-u-s-children-now-have-one
Use of technology in teaching and learning. (n.d.). Retrieved May 03, 2021, from https://www.ed.gov/oii-news/use-technology-teaching-and-learning
