To all the unfortunate youth who did not receive the gift of a fun-filled summer vacation packed with amusing activities to expend time on… I feel your pain. Sitting around the house, relaxing, and taking a refreshing break from school was great during the first few days. But when the second week came around, that’s when I realized I was simply doing nothing, and was bored out of my mind. And that’s when my good pal, the Internet, jumped in and saved me from my constant ennui.
That’s how I ended up spending nearly five hours a day on the Internet, checking my email and Facebook, play games, reading manga, watching funny cat videos, so on and so forth. But it isn’t just me who’s been hooked on surfing the web- according to this article, in the United States, 6 to 10 per cent of internet users in the United States might have become dependent on the Internet. In some countries, like China, boot camps have even been set up to treat patients with serious internet addictions! Sure, most youth haven’t become utterly obsessed with the Internet, but who hasn’t stayed on a little longer than they should have checking Facebook? The world is suffering the consequences from the allure of the Web- like lack of sleep due to Web-related procrastination. (Guilty). People, I hope for an end to this crisis!
However, there is hope. Students, whenever you feel the urge to check your email, pick up your books, and work in a computer free room – if you don’t need to use the Internet, then turn off your computer. Taking a break should not consist of checking your email and chatting with friends – it strains your eyes. Spend your precious minutes in a more resourceful way: read a book, snack on fruit, take a nice walk and admire the scenery, anything other than wasting away in front of a lit computer screen! Remember, your friends have not disappeared in the last ten minutes, so there’s no need to check social networking sites more than once or twice a day, 20 minutes per visit, MAXIMUM. You should always maintain strict count of time spent on the Internet, because hours can really fly by. If you can’t do it yourself, recruit someone else to remind you. Self-control is key!
The Internet is a blessing, not a detrimental drug to society! We’ve got a long ways to go before we learn not to over-indulge in this gift…
It is very very true that internet addiction is becoming a big issue in youth, even in adults. I really like your opinion about the solution of the internet addiction. Self- control is key. Good work.